Teaching Experience: A Cultural Lesson Plan

On April 19th, I dedicated 80 minutes of my class to teach culture. I prepared a class in which my students learned about Italian culture. It is important to state that in this class there are thirteen students, but in this there was a student who was absent. Their ages range from 16 to 47; specifically there are five students whose age is 17, two who are 23, three who are 35, two who are 42, and one who is 47 year old.
The first stage of the class was to assess students’ knowledge about how each person’s live is different from one to another. Hence, they had to reflect about how their lifestyle is. Then, they had to watch a video about the Italian Lifestyle. They listen to the video three times since students’ proficiency level is novice-high. They had to take notes, so then they could contrast and compare the information they got with Costa Rican’s culture. In the second stage, students share their understanding and opinions in a round table. It was a very meaningful and nice experience since all my students expressed they learned a lot from the video. For example, they learned that Italian people try to eat at least healthy meals once a week. They also recognized that Italian use to do their activities with passion, dedication and not in a hurry. They say “Rome was not built in a day”. Students could as well notice that as Costa Rican people Italians love to share with their families and friends.
Besides the round table, I applied a survey to my students to know if they knew the information or if they did not. I also wanted to know what they learn and if they know how to get culture understanding. The questions I asked and a summary of students’ answers are below, so you can have a clearer idea about what students said.

SURVEY
A. What did you learn from this class?
As a summary, students expressed they learned about another culture and some particular aspects about Italian culture. First of all, they said there are characteristics in a country which identify it and make it unique. From this video, students said they learned that Italian people do not do everything in a rush. They do everything with love and patience. They say it would be good to take this characteristic as their own. In addition, they argued about how Italians are organized and disciplined people as well as they take care of their bodies because they eat healthy food. They also mentioned that there are many painters in Italy. Italians like to share a lot with their families. They besides learned about Italian food, drinks, customs; that is, Italian life style. Finally, they stated they learned about what these people do and do not and that they enjoyed this experience. But they did not learn only about Italian culture, but also they learn new vocabulary as most expressed.

B. Did you know the information or you did not?
In this question there were nine students who answered they did not know the information, two who knew some aspects and one who said he knew almost everything. This is reflected on the graphic below.

C. What does it mean to you?
Most students expressed it was a funny, interesting, wonderful and meaningful experience because they learned about many aspects of Italian culture they did not know. They said Italians have a very healthy life; therefore, they reflect that this is very important for everyone because our lives depend on how healthy meals we eat. They said they have to learn to be healthy. Finally, they communicated that each culture is different, so they are different. They also said they should adopt some customs from Italy such as avoiding doing things in a hurry and change food habits.

D. How did you develop your understanding through this lesson?
Few students stated they develop their cultural understanding by comparing and contrasting Italy with Costa Rica. For example, they said they are healthier than us. They eat healthy food, and that this culture is similar to our culture in some aspects, but very different in others. However, most affirmed that the video was difficult, interesting, productive, funny and good. Others that there are many different cultures, but that the Italian culture is very organized. One expressed she develop her cultural understanding by teaching culture to her son and by sharing with her family and friends. Another one said that each culture is different and no one is perfect.

As it was perceived most students argued they learned many aspects about Italian lifestyle that they did not know before. However, it is noticeable they do not know how to develop their cultural understanding. Most of them wrote about how nice or interesting the video was, but not about how they developed their understanding through the lesson. This means that students need to be taught how to develop their cultural awareness and that there has been lack of culture practices in this English class. I encourage you, to take time for your classes and dedicate it to teaching culture. Culture is everywhere and it cannot be deny in any sense.

A Cultural Learning Experience: Moroccan Culture!

How much do we know about our friends or neighbors? It is amazing how much can we know from someone if we get interested in knowing his/her culture. We usually have been talking and sharing with friends from other countries or from other places, but we have never asked them specific questions related to their culture. Certainly, I have a friend from Morocco, but I did not know much about her. I only knew her name, and that she has a daughter and a son. But some weeks ago, I told her I want to know about her culture and she sent a e-mail telling me a lot of things about her. Information that I really like and that made me be aware of many aspects of the Moroccan culture and about her. Below in italics is written what she sent me, so you can read it and learn a lot as I did. I hope you enjoy this information.

My name is Jamila and that means beautiful in Arabic language. I was born and raised in Morocco Casablanca in a huge house because we are a big family five girls and four boys. In the past, it was very important that each couple has minimum of four kids and having a child boy is the greatest think because the reality in my culture men have more power than women and that’s the way how I was raised. Now certain things change people are trying to do not exceed a number of two on having children.
I love Moroccan foods because it’s delicious; women spend a lot of hours in the kitchen to prepare different dishes for only one meal and all made from the scratch, bread is offered at every meal and we eat with the fingers of one hand while bread on the other hand is used as a utensil. Myself I love cooking, I learned to cook when I was ten years old and I learned from my oldest sister because that time I lost my mother. It is very important in Morocco girls learn how to cook from their mothers to make them ready for their future home as I was hearing always from my sister “if you want to gain man’s love is trough his belly”.
Friday is very special day for us as know in other countries “Good Friday” almost all Moroccans go to the mosque to pray the middle prayer for that day because in Islam we must pray five time a day, after that prayer we eat our special dish the name is couscous and that take almost five hours to be prepared.
Before entering home we must take off our shoes because is of kind of respect and hygienic at the same time. Respect of our parents is very important we cannot raise our voice while we are talking front of them and we love to kiss their hands in entering or leaving the house at each time.
Girls in Morocco are not allowed to have boyfriends because we can’t have sex without marriage, some rare girls dose, but if they do it must be in secret and for that reason girls get married at very early age. It is very common that men get married and live with their families if they are not eligible to have their own home in fact for parent to encourage them to get married.
When I was a teenager my father started to make comment on the way how I dressed, I wasn’t free to wear what I want, for instance, I can’t wear short skirts and dresses or sleeveless, I must pay attention on what I need to buy and most of the time buying something for myself was under my father’s control, I understood it’s his responsibility to protect his daughter especially I’m the youngest.

A Cultural Encounter with Texas

On March 13^th, a woman from Texas visited us (Culture and Target language course’ students) at the Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica. Her name is Jonna Beck. From her visit, I learned a lot about Texas and even about the United States, Costa Rica and myself. First of all, I could recognize that people from Texas are dissimilar from those who live in the United States since Texans do not consider themselves full Americans. They are independent people and they think they are bigger and better than anyone else. Below I listed some differences and similarities that there are between Texas and the Unites States and Costa Rica as well as between Jonna and me.

Differences between Texas and the United States

- In Texas people can live together and take care of each other even if they are 18 year old or more, but in the United States they have to move from their home because of self-reliance.

- Her family is serious, but her husband family is not.

Similarities between Texas and Costa Rica

- There are strong family ties.

- Families consider their pets as family members.

- Women are not feminist.

- Families get together in special occasions such as religion traditions and other celebrations.

Jonna’s opinion about Culture

- She said that culture is what you are. For her, multicultural does not exist because each person has his/her own culture, not many. A person can go to a lot of countries and take pieces of each country’s culture, but he/she will still preserve his/her culture.

Jonna and I

- Jonna says she and her husband do not do what their parents do. Their culture is not her culture. This called my attention because she is right since each person in one way or another develops his/her own culture; that is, culture does not have to be strictly the same for people who live in the same house. In my case, I am totally different from my sister. We have completely different personalities. I even do not share many beliefs and ideas with my parents. I am not doing what they do. I am not like them. However, most people use to generalize each person’s personality based on family patterns or place of living. To illustrate, some days ago, I was stereotyped by a taxi driver in Heredia. He told me I could not be from Guanacaste because I am too white. According to him, people from Guanacaste have brunette skin. Therefore, he generalizes that every single person from Guanacaste is brunette and it is not true at all. In Guanacaste, there are lots of white and blue-eyed people, too. This example is based on physical aspects, but the same happens with ways of being. Each person has a unique personality and that means that each person has a unique culture as Jonna said.