D. Clementi, S. Burford: If You Lead with Culture, Language Will Follow (I5)

If you lead with culture, language will follow…

Donna L. Clementi and Rongfen Sun BurfordConcordia Language Villages

Imagine a map of the world….

Language and CultureLanguage and Culture

“Language is far more than a system to be explained. It is our most important link to the world around us. Language is culture in motion. It is people interacting with people.” --Sandra Savignon

People Interacting With PeoplePeople Interacting With People

Cultural IntelligenceCultural Intelligence

Knowing Oneself

Mot

ivatio

nM

otivation

Motivation

MotivationMotivation

• Interest in other cultures and languages– Desire to meet and get to know people from

other cultures– Desire to participate in a community within

another culture– Desire to understand the culture

• Practical reasons– Meet a requirement– Increased job opportunities

Iceberg Concept of CultureIceberg Concept of Culture

Culture = Products/KnowledgeCulture = Products/Knowledge

Objects/Symbols PeoplePlaces/Monuments GeographyHistory Art/ArchitectureMusic Literature/TheatreScience Cuisine

Knowing about: Products/Knowledge

Products – Practices - Products – Practices - PerspectivesPerspectives

Culture = Practices/BehaviorsCulture = Practices/Behaviors

Knowing how: Practices/Behaviors

Language Courtesy Facial expressions CustomsGestures Daily routinesBody language TimeProxemics AppearanceEye contact

Culture = Culture = Perspectives/UnderstandingsPerspectives/Understandings

Knowing why: Perspectives/

Understandings

Values – Unspoken rules – Unconscious rules – Ethics – Traditions - History

Creating a Thematic UnitCreating a Thematic Unit

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““The Master Said…”The Master Said…”

Unit Objectives:• Interpretive: Understand selected portions of a

contemporary song abut the singer’s basic philosophy of life, and be able to explain and apply to everyday life

• Presentational: Use spoken language to simply state Confucius’ basic philosophical tenets and how these are expressed in daily life and relations between people at home, school and work

• Interpersonal: Share their own basic philosophy of life and how they ‘live’ it or express it in everyday life

• Unit developed by Natasha Pierce, Madison, WI

Leading with culture in a Leading with culture in a unit planunit plan

• Unit theme: Three Monks• Important question:• Unit goals:

– Culture: team work – Communication: – Comparisons: the concept of team work between

Chinese and American culture– Connections: cartoon, authentic story, songs, poems,

geography…– Communities: family, siblings, real life,

Standard Based Performance Assessment

• Language: Chinese• Level: 2nd Year • Theme/Important Question:

– Why is it important to work as a team?

• GOALS: –What should students know and

be able to do by the end of the unit?



• Understand the importance of team work in daily life through an authentic Chinese cartoon—Three Monks and related poem(s) and song(s).

• Be able to describe three Monks’ appearance and characters in simple sentences.

• Be able to retell the story of Three Monks in simple sentences, and be able to ask and answer related questions.

• Discuss the differences between the Chinese and American culture regarding the concept of team work.

CommunicationSelect one: Interpersonal task Interpretive task Presentational task

Select one: Interpersonal task Interpretive task Presentational task

Select one: Interpersonal task Interpretive task Presentational task

PerformanceAssessment (Note: The performance assessment tasks are integrated throughout the instructional unit; they are not meant to be given as a whole at the end of the unit.)

1. Viewing authentic cartoon Three Monks

2. Listen to authentic songs related to the story of Three Monks.

3. Conclude the main idea of Three Monk.

(To prepare for the following options--Make a word bank related to the story of Three Monk)1.Make a PowerPoint to describe three monks.2.Make PowerPoint to tell the story of the cartoon Three Monk.3.Make posters based on the two songs/poems related to the story of Three Monk.

(To prepare for the following options):Pair work, conversations for the first two monks: greeting, introduction, hobbies, arguments, Qs & As, etc. Role play: Three students per teamDiscuss a Real life situation indicating why it is important to work as a team. Use examples from the Three Monks story.

Cultures(Products – Practices –

Perspectives)

Products: Cartoon story, a traditional Chinese story Practice: Telling the story to children and using it as metaphor.Perspective: the importance and value to team work.

Comparisons (language and culture)

The concept and practice of team work between Chinese and American cultures.

Connections(to and from other

disciplines)

Literature, music, poetry, history, geography, religion?

Communities (beyond the classroom;

lifelong learning)

Lifelong learner: Real life situations—team work among siblings, parents, schoolmates, any team in any situations


ActivitiesActivities

Interculturality…Interculturality…

• involves being open to, interested in, curious about and empathetic towards people from (any) other cultures. Interculturality is the capacity to experience cultural otherness and use it to: Reflect EvaluateAct

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Seeing the world with new eyesSeeing the world with new eyes

Culture and LanguageCulture and Language

• “Through learning language, we learn about culture.

Through learning about culture, we learn respect for others.

Through learning respect for others, we can hope for peace."

---Claire [email protected]

D. Clementi, S. Burford: If You Lead with Culture, Language Will Follow (I5)

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