MODULE 1: TEACHING ENGLISH ACROSS CULTURES

Table of Contents

1.1 Introduction to Module 1 ........................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Optional Discussion: Getting to Know Each Other ..................................................................... 4
1.3 Warm-Up: Attitudes about English as an International Language ............................................. 6
1.4 Lecture: English as an International Language (EIL) and Levels of Culture ................................. 7
1.4.1 Optional Reading: McCay, 2004 .............................................................................................. 17
1.4.2 Optional Discussion: Materials Review for Teaching English in International Context ........... 24
1.5 Culture Spotlight: Equality of Opportunity and OERs ................................................................. 26
1.5.1 Activity: Famous Americans Talk about Equality of Opportunity ............................................ 28
1.5.2 Quiz: Equality of Opportunity .................................................................................................. 33
1.6 English Attitudes Survey Review ................................................................................................ 33
1.7 Reflection: Cascading New Knowledge Survey ........................................................................... 34
Module 1 Check ................................................................................................................................ 35

© 2020 by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Module 1: Teaching English across Cultures for the Online
Professional English Network (OPEN), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S.
government, and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License,
except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

1
1.1 Introduction to Module 1

Welcome to Module 2: Learning-Centered

Instruction, Learning Strategies, and Critical
Thinking
Please view the introduction video. You can download the transcript here.

Video Transcript:

Welcome to the TESOL Methodology course! We are excited to have you join us.
In this course, we will look at best practices for teaching English. We will emphasize the
teaching of English in settings where English is generally not spoken as a native, or first,
language.
As you begin, it is important to set some learning goals. Think about what you hope to gain
from this course.
• Do you want to explore new teaching techniques and strategies?
• Are you looking for ideas to address specific needs, such as increasing learners’ oral
fluency or motivating students?
• Would you like to interact with English teaching colleagues from your country, your
region, and around the world?
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 • Do you wish to improve your academic English?
Take a minute to write or type your goals for this course. If you choose to participate in the
introduction discussion, you can also share your goals there. Please pause the video while you
write about your goals.
Fantastic! We will check in at the end of the course to see whether you have made progress
on your course goals.
As I mentioned, this course is focused on teaching English where it is typically not a native
language. Think about your own teaching context.
• Why do people learn English?
• What do they use it for?
• Who do they use it with?
• What varieties of English are used in your area?
• Is one variety preferred over others? Why?
• What variety or varieties of English do you teach in your classroom?
• How do you incorporate culture in your teaching?
In the first module, we will examine the role of English as an international language and how
that affects the choices we make as teachers and course developers. We will also explore
levels of culture in teaching languages. Finally, we will expand our access to instructional
materials through the use of open educational resources to promote equality of opportunity.

Module 1 Task List:

The module should take 4-5 hours to complete.

1. Participate in the optional Getting to Know Each Other discussion (15 minutes)
2. Complete the warm-up activity about Attitudes About English as an International
Language (30 minutes)
3. Read English as an International Language (EIL) and Levels of Culture (60 minutes)
4. Participate in an optional discussion about Materials Review for Teaching English in
International Context (30 minutes)
5. Read Culture Spotlight: Equality of Opportunity and OERs (30 minutes)
6. Complete the activity about Famous Americans Talk About Equality of Opportunity (30
minutes)
7. Take the Equality of Opportunity Quiz (30 minutes)
8. Reflect on the module in the Cascading New Knowledge Survey (30 minutes)
9. Complete the English Attitudes Survey Review (15 minutes)

The Module 1 Packet includes all materials you need for the module. You can download it here
.
Module Requirements
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• Each page of the module should be viewed and read
• All quizzes require a score of at least 70% to pass
• Discussions need to be reviewed but posting is optional
• Cascading New Knowledge Surveys should be completed at the end of each module
• Completion of the previous module is always a prerequisite for the subsequent module

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1.2 Optional Discussion: Getting to Know Each
Other

“Hello Hi Foreign Background Greeting Bounjour” .by Maialisa is licensed under a Pixabay License. It is free to use and share.

This discussion board is a great way for you to get to know some of the people taking this course.
Who knows? You might even "meet" someone from your home town.
Take a moment to introduce yourself to your fellow participants and colleagues. Discuss the
following topics in your post:

1. Introduce yourself (where you are from, what you teach, years of experience in English
teaching or learning).
2. What is your most memorable moment in teaching or learning a language?
3. What do you like to do in your free time?
This discussion is not graded, but we encourage you to comment on other people's posts.
Here is an example for an introduction:
Hello Everyone,
My name is Kati. I am originally from Budapest, Hungary, but I have lived in the USA for the last 20
years. I live in Baltimore, Maryland, where I teach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. I
teach ESL classes, a freshmen writing course for the English Department, and a graduate linguistics
course for the Education Department.

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My most memorable teaching moments are when former students come back to my office to thank
me for helping them lay the foundation for their academic success. It is so nice to see students
succeed at the university, knowing that the fact that they attended our program helped them
achieve this.
In my free time I enjoy reading books, working out, and cooking.
I am looking forward to working with all of you in this MOOC.
Kati

Note: Submit your post online. A good discussion board post is about 150-250 words long.

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1.3 Warm-Up: Attitudes about English
as an International Language

“Untitled” by Gerd Altmann.is licensed under a Pixabay. License. It is free to use and share.

There are many opinions about language, culture, and language teaching. As we start our course,
please take a moment to consider what you already know or believe about these ideas. Complete
the following survey to get a better understanding of how you view language and culture. This
survey is not graded and there are no right or wrong answers. It is designed to help you consider
some ideas about language and culture. You can only take this survey once.
The survey must be completed online.

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1.4 Lecture: English as an International Language
(EIL) and Levels of Culture

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Read more about Sandra Lee McKay's three levels of culture.
Introduction
There are many people who speak English all over the world. One might assume that English is the
most widely spoken language in the world. However, that is not the case. Mandarin (a language
spoken by many people in China) has the most native speakers (L1--first language). What makes
English unique is the number of speakers who are non-native English speakers (L2--second
language). With the growing number of English learners, the approach of teaching English as an
International Language has become more and more important in recent years. This raises the
question of how we should teach culture. Is it important for EIL learners to learn about native
English speakers' cultures? Whose cultures should we teach?
Culture and Language
In order to answer those questions, it is important to examine what role culture plays in language
teaching. Obviously, it is present in many words and expressions that are specific to certain
cultures. For example, the expression yellow journalism, which is a type of journalism that uses
sensational headlines instead of well-researched news to sell more newspapers, is a US term that
would have no special meaning for an EIL learner in other cultures. There are also cultural
differences between spoken and written language in social context. For example, the way business
communication is written or certain essays are composed is different from culture to culture. It is,
therefore, very important to keep these differences in mind when designing a curriculum (plan of
what to teach in a course or program) or textbooks for EIL learners.
Three Levels of Culture
There are three levels of culture that we should consider when making decisions about curriculum
design and instructional materials for EIL learners.

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1. Teachers can draw on learners' own culture (source culture) in English. For example, a teacher
in Brazil might use the carnival in Rio to teach greeting visitors.
2. Teachers can teach the culture of certain countries where English is spoken as a native
language (target culture). For example, a teacher might use Halloween (an American tradition)
as an example when teaching about scary ideas.
3. Teachers can include different cultures from all over the world (international target culture).
For example, a teacher in Japan might use an African dance to teach describing with the
present continuous tense.

Source Culture Materials, Target Culture Materials, and International Cultural Materials
“3 Types of Cultural Materials” by Zarin Marvi for University of Maryland Baltimore County is licensed under CC BY 4.0 for use in the AE E-Teacher
Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

It is important to emphasize that it is the teachers who must decide which approach to use .
Teachers are the ones who can determine what is best for their students. However, keep in mind
that learners may use English for many purposes and contexts in their lives, so learning about all
cultures in all three levels can be helpful.
Optional Reading:
Reference (OER):
McKay, S. L. 2004. “Western Culture and the Teaching of English as an International
Language.” English Teaching Forum. 42(2): 10-
15. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/04-42-2-f.pdf.

17
Sandra Lee McKay
U N I T E D STATES

Western
and the
Culture
T e a
as an
ching
of
English
International
Language
O NE OF THE MOST COMPLEX PROBLEMS IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL

language (EIL) is determining the cultural basis of EIL. For some, the learning of

any language necessitates learning how to use the language correctly and appro-

priately according to native speaker norms. For others, however, an international

language by definition is not linked to any particular culture. Smith (1976), for
example, argues that in reference to an international language:

a) non-native speakers do not need to internalize the cultural norms of native

speakers of that language,

b) an international language becomes “de-nationalized,” and

c) the purpose of teaching an international language is to facilitate the com-

munication of learners’ ideas and culture in an English medium.

(For a discussion of additional features of an international language, see McKay

2002.)

10 A P R I L 2 0 0 4 E NGLISHT EACHINGF ORU M

 In many countries today there is tremen- American or Greek life and institutions. Pro-
dous interest in learning English for interna- dromou hypothesizes that the students’ inter-
tional purposes, yet there is ambivalence est in British life and institutions may be due
toward the linking of EIL with the culture of to students’ belief that if they knew more
countries where English is spoken as a native about British life, they would do better on the
language. To exemplify this ambivalence, I British-based Cambridge exam. If that is the
begin by discussing several countries in which case, overall these students did not find learn-
educators have rejected the inclusion of West- ing about culture, either their own or others,
ern culture and values in the teaching of Eng- very motivating.
lish. Then I demonstrate how, ironically, at In other contexts, there appears to be sup-
the same time, many of those countries port for including a cultural component in
include Western culture and values in their language teaching materials, but only if the
approved textbooks. materials deal with the local culture. For
example, in examining the Moroccan situa-
Attitudes toward western cultures tion, Adaskou, Britten, and Fahsi (1990)
Currently, in many countries throughout found that the inclusion of culture, specifical-
the world, there is tremendous pressure to ly Western culture, in teaching materials is not
learn English. This pressure is evident in a motivating or beneficial to students. Drawing
variety of ways. To begin, in many countries, on interviews with Moroccan teachers, Adask-
English is a required subject beginning in mid- ou, Britten, and Fahsi maintain that, in gener-
dle school and continuing through high al, Moroccan educators believe that including
school and is often one of the areas tested on information about Western culture, and then
college entrance examinations. In addition, inviting cultural comparisons, contributes to
many international corporations are encourag- students’ discontent with their own culture.
ing their employees to develop their English Teachers also pointed out that some patterns
skills by providing English training on the job. of behavior that exist in English-speaking
Along with the pressure to learn English social contexts are ones that many Moroccans
comes concern about how English should be would prefer their young people not see.
taught and what role culture should play in Finally, the teachers believe that students will
the teaching of English. Many language edu- be more, not less, motivated to learn English if
cators support the inclusion of a cultural com- the language is presented in contexts that
ponent in the teaching of English. Adaskou, relate to their lives as young adults rather than
Britten, and Fahsi (1990), for example, sum- in the context of an English-speaking country.
marize the following arguments for having a In Chile, the Ministry of Education has
cultural component in language teaching: it decided that it would be more motivating for
can promote international understanding, students to focus on their own culture and
deepen an understanding of one’s own culture, country. Hence, the Ministry has designed a
facilitate learners’ visits to foreign countries, series of textbooks for the public schools enti-
and motivate learners. tled Go for Chile (Mugglestone, Elsworth, and
Prodromou (1992), on the other hand, dis- Rose 1999, 2000) that implements the Min-
putes the value of including cultural content istry’s learning objectives. Go for Chile features
in language teaching materials. He bases his a group of students from various countries
opinion on the results of a survey he gave to onboard a ship sailing along the coast of Chile.
Greek students, mostly young adults (studying The scenario of the sea voyage enables the
in private language institutes and at the British textbook writers to deal with Chilean places
Council Teaching Centre), regarding what and concerns. Thus, the book is filled with
they believe should be the subject matter of information about various areas of Chile and
English lessons. The two top choices of topics issues facing the country.
were the English language and science and One of the strongest rejections of the inclu-
society. The reaction to cultural content was sion of Western culture in EIL teaching mate-
quite mixed. Whereas 60 percent wanted to rials appears in a Japanese bestseller entitled
study British life and institutions, only about a Why the Japanese people are no good at English
quarter of the students wanted to study either by Suzuki Takao. Suzuki (1999) offers several

EN G L I S H TE A C H I N G FO R U M AP R I L2 0 0 4 11
 reasons why he believes the teaching of Eng- This tendency to focus mainly on Western
lish should be separated from information English-speaking cultures is also evident in
about Western cultural values. First, he argues junior high school textbooks approved by the
that Japan as an international power has no Japanese Ministry of Education. This is demon-
need to teach Western culture. Secondly, he strated by the chart on the next page, which lists
believes that Japan must fight against the sub- the countries of origin of the non-Japanese
tle form of Western imperialism that suggests characters in such textbooks.
the need to emulate everything Western, Perhaps more interesting than the national-
including the English language. For him, such ities of characters in textbooks is how charac-
emulation is a form of mental colonization. ters are used in the textbooks. In many coun-
He says: tries where Western characters are introduced
When Japanese come into contact with for- in textbooks, it is often in the context of pre-
eigners [Westerners, specifically, Ameri- senting differences between Western culture
cans], they have been historically predis- and local cultures, often accompanied by an
posed to accepting that person’s way of emulation of Western culture and traditions.
thinking and acting, that person’s value sys- Examples in the following discussion demon-
tem, and even that person’s habits. And if strate this tendency. All of these examples
they seem better than one’s own, they don’t involve the issue of gender roles, and all of
hesitate to imitate them and take these dif- them appear in textbooks approved by the
ferences in as their own, even hoping to local Ministry of Education.
become like them. This is the mental pre- In one Moroccan textbook (English in
disposition to what I referred to earlier as Life), students are introduced to an American
auto-colonization. (p. 145) engineer, Steve Lynch, and his family of three
children. In terms of gender roles, the family is
For Suzuki, promoting Western cultural stan-
fairly traditional because the wife, Barbara,
dards in the use of English often results in
Japanese people having a feeling of inferiority. doesn’t work outside of the home. However, in
As illustrated by the examples above, man- one of the readings, the family’s activities are
ifestations of attitudes toward including West- described in such a way that traditional gender
ern culture in EIL teaching materials vary by roles are questioned.
country. Some countries emphasize making Example One:
the local culture the focus of the content, After work Steve comes back home. He
while other countries reject any inclusion of likes to be with his family in the evening.
Western culture. Usually he or Nancy [his daughter] cooks
dinner for the family. Then they wash the
Western culture and EFL textbooks
plates. Barbara just likes to eat. She doesn’t
While educational leaders in some coun- like to work in the kitchen. She thinks it
tries are hesitant to include Western culture in takes a lot of time and it isn’t interesting.
English language teaching, many of the text- Steve never criticizes her. Do you think he’s
books adopted in these countries do include right? (page 41)
Western characters and values. Japan is a case
In this case, although the wife plays a tradi-
in point. Although the majority of characters
tional role in that she doesn’t work outside of
in textbooks approved by the Ministry of Edu-
the home, nonetheless, she is unusual because
cation are Japanese, those that are not Japan-
she doesn’t participate in the traditional female
ese are Western characters. In examining cur-
role of making meals. Steve, on the other
rent high school English oral communication
textbooks, Shimako (2000) found that hand, by undertaking domestic duties, illus-
although Japanese culture was the main con- trates a male role that is often encouraged in
tent used in the books, when foreign cultures Western cultures. Hence, not only does the
were mentioned in the texts, it was in the con- book depict gender roles advocated by many
text of visitors to Japan (almost exclusively Western cultures, but it also opens a discussion
Western visitors) being introduced to Japanese of gender roles by asking whether or not Bar-
culture by Japanese. By and large, the main bara should be criticized for not playing a tra-
Western culture presented was American. ditional female role.

12 A P R I L 2 0 0 4 E NGLISHT EACHINGF ORU M

 USA (5 characters)

USA (4 characters)

USA (3 characters)

USA (1 character)

USA (1 character)

Sunshine

Source:
Watanabe. S., R. Ogasawara, and R. Goris, eds. 2002. Total Active Communication 1. Tokyo: Shubunkan. N Tojo, K.,
ed. 2002. Columbus 21 English Course 1. Tokyo: Mitsumura Tosho. N Morizumi, M., ed. 2002. New Crown English
Series 1. Tokyo: Sanseido. N Kasajima, J., H. Asano, Y. Shimomura, T. Makino, and M. Ikeda, eds. 2002. New Hori-
zon English Course 1. Tokyo: Tokyo Shoseki. N Sasaki, T., ed. 2002. One World English Course 1. Tokyo: Kyoiku
Shuppan. N Shimaoka, T. and S. Aoki, eds. 2002. Sunshine English Course 1. Tokyo: Kairyudo. N Horiguchi, T., ed.
2002. Total English New Edition 1. Tokyo: Gakko Tosho.

A presentation of Western values regarding Latifa: That’s true. Well, have you consid-
gender roles is evident later in this same text- ered a career in business? That
book when the daughter, Nancy, is discussing doesn’t need much intelligence.
her future with her Moroccan friend, Latifa. Nancy: Oh really? Yes, I’d like to be a busi-
The following is an excerpt from this dialogue: ness woman. But no, it’s impossible.
Example Two: I’m too lazy for a career in business.
Nancy: Do you want to see this magazine, Latifa: Well, have you thought about jour-
Latifa? It’s all about different possi- nalism? Some journalists don’t
ble careers. work very hard.
Latifa: No thanks. I’ve decided on my Nancy: Oh yes! I’d like to be a journalist.
career. I’m going to be a university But…I don’t know…I don’t write
professor. well enough.
Nancy: Oh, that’s nice. Congratulations. Latifa: It’s difficult, isn’t it? You aren’t
What university are you going to intelligent, you aren’t hard-working
teach at? and you don’t write well. What
Latifa: I haven’t decided yet. Probably the careers have you thought about?
biggest one. What about you, Nancy? Nancy: Well, I’d like to be a gym teacher –
Have you decided on your career? you know, physical education.
Nancy: No, not yet. I’m still thinking Latifa: Oh. I see yes…Well, I must get
about it. back to work. See you.
Latifa: Have you thought about a career in Nancy: Bye, Latifa. (pages 156–57)
medicine? The dialogue presents a complex account of
Nancy: Hm. I’d like to be a doctor. But no, gender roles. Although the interaction sug-
I can’t. I’m not intelligent enough. gests that it is important for a woman to have

EN G L I S H TE A C H I N G FO R U M AP R I L2 0 0 4 13
 a career, a value often promoted in Western The dialogue is a vivid example of what
contexts, the Western figure appears to be Suzuki (1999) refers to as auto-colonization, in
incapable of managing most careers. Hence, which Japanese are depicted as emulating and
Nancy provides a far from exemplary role accepting Western values. In the dialogue, Rye
model. On the other hand, Latifa, a Moroc- not only appears to apologize for aspects of his
can, appears quite determined to pursue a suc- own culture, agreeing with Jim that Japanese
cessful professional career. Dialogues like this “work too much and too long,” but he quickly
one demonstrate that even though there points out that his father is emulating Western
appears to be little support among Moroccan traditions by learning to cook. As if this is not
educators for the inclusion of Western culture sufficient evidence of a type of auto-coloniza-
in teaching materials, textbooks do, in fact, tion, he goes on to say that his father, however,
include examples of Western values, often pre- has not managed to undertake this Western
sented in an ambivalent manner. pattern very effectively since everything he
Presentation of cultural values is less am- cooks is “very very well-done.”
bivalent in the Chilean context mentioned ear-
Conclusion
lier. Although characters from many countries
are portrayed in the Go For Chile textbooks, the As Smith (1976) argued almost 30 years
gender roles depicted reflect typical Western ago, the fact that English has become an inter-
values. Most of the families presented in the national language suggests that English no
textbook include a mother who works outside longer needs to be linked to the culture of
of the home in a professional job. For exam- those who speak it as a first language. Rather,
ple, in the family of one character, the mother the purpose of an international language is to
is a secretary and the aunt is a dentist. There is describe one’s own culture and concerns to
no mention of a family in which the mother others. The examples in this article demon-
works in the home taking care of the family. strate that, in many countries, the teaching of
Perhaps the most vivid example of the pro- English is becoming much more closely
motion of Western gender roles appears in the aligned with the host culture as those coun-
following dialogue from a Japanese textbook. tries use local characters, places, and issues as
the content for their teaching materials. On
Example Three:
the other hand, a closer look at some of these
Rye: Jim? materials demonstrates that, in more subtle
Jim: What. ways, English is still being linked to the cul-
Rye: Is your father always doing the dish- ture of English-speaking countries. First, in
es like that? many cases where characters other than local
Jim: Yes. My parents take turns cooking figures are included in teaching materials, the
and doing the dishes. characters are from Western English-speaking
Rye: My father never helps with the countries. These depictions persist even
housework. He’s too tired after a though, in many instances today, second lan-
long day’s work. guage speakers of English use EIL to commu-
Jim: I think the Japanese work too much nicate not with native speakers of English but
and too long. What do you think? with other second language users of English.
Rye: I think so too. But people are taking By not portraying second language speakers of
more holidays than before. My English in dialogue with one another, educa-
father stays home longer. tors are missing an opportunity to provide
Jim: What does he do on holidays? learners with models of second language
speakers of English communicating effectively
Rye: Usually, he just relaxes. But you
with each other. Secondly, and perhaps more
know what? He started to learn
importantly, the use of Western characters in
cooking.
some language teaching materials is illustrat-
Jim: Does he cook well?
ing in subtle ways that the use of English
Rye: Yes, he cooks very well. Everything is necessitates the acceptance of Western values.
very very well-done. It would be unfortunate if dialogues such as
(Source: Echo. 1997. Tokyo: Sanyusya, Lesson those noted above left students with that
18, “Housework,” as cited in Shimako 2000)

14 A P R I L 2 0 0 4 E NGLISHT EACHINGF ORU M

impression. For, as Smith claimed long ago, Mugglestone, P., S. Elsworth, an
only when English is used to express and 2000. Go for Chile, Book 1 a
uphold local culture and values will it truly Chile: Addison Wesley Longm
Prodromou, L. 1992. What cultu
represent an international language. ture? ELT Journal 46 (1): 39–
Acknowledgements Smith, L. 1976. English as an int
Thanks to David Malinowski for his transla- iary language. RELC Journal 7
tion of Suzuki (1999) and Takako Nishino for Suzuki, T. 1999. Nihonjin wa naze
her analysis of the junior high school textbook ka [Why the Japanese people
English]. Tokyo: Iwanami Sho
characters. Shimako, I. 2000. Evaluating cult
content in EFL materials: A stu
References
level oral communication (OC
Adaskou, K., D. Britten, and B. Fahsi. 1990. Design Japan. Paper presented at the in
decisions on the cultural content of a secondary vention of Teachers of Englis
English course for Morocco. ELT Journal 44 Other Languages, Vancouver,
(1):3–10.
English in Life. 1990. Casablanca: Royaume du
SANDRA MCKAY is a Professor o
Maroc, Ministere de L’Education Nationale
[Morocco’s Ministry of Education]. San Francisco State Universit
McKay, S.L. 2002. Teaching English as an interna- program. She has been involv
tional language: Rethinking goals and approaches. education programs in many c
Oxford: Oxford University Press. including Chile, Morocco, and
1.4.1 Optional Discussion: Materials Review for
Teaching English in International Context

Directions
We all have to use and create different types of teaching materials for our students. For this
activity, please do the following:
1. Review how culture is taught in your teaching materials (textbooks, handouts, and other
books such as novels) and answer the following questions:

• How do the textbook and/or your other teaching materials present culture?
• Do they show all three levels of culture? Give some examples.
• If you don't have teaching materials, or if your materials don't teach all the levels of culture,
how might you include the three levels of culture in your lessons?
2. Post your responses to these questions in the discussion thread below. Your responses
should be between 150-250 words long.

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Here is a sample post for this discussion:
Hello Fellow Participants,
In my classes, I use textbooks and easy readers (books designed especially to be used for ESL
students of different levels). They represent two levels of cultural materials: target culture,
providing insights on the American and British culture from a variety of perspectives (traditional
holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas; festivals such as Mardi Gras and Coachella), and
international cultural materials, introducing traditions and practices from around the world
(Single's Day in China, Latin American food, Mediterranean travels, etc.). I try to expand the
international culture materials by using videos, articles, and interviews showing a variety of
accents, traditions, and habits. I also use current cultural and political topics from all over the
world.
Since our textbooks do not include source culture materials, I use the internet to find sources
written in English about our traditions, culture, and history. The lack of source culture materials
is also a great opportunity to have the students do some research about their own culture
in English and then maybe compare it with either the target or international culture.
Kati
This discussion is not graded. However, please see this self-assessment rubric for scoring on
how well you address each part of the assignment.

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 1.5 Culture Spotlight: Equality of
Opportunity and OERs

CULTURE SPOTLIGHT
“Cultural Spotlight icon” by Tiera Day for University of Maryland Baltimore County is licensed under CC BY 4.0 for use in the AE E-Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S.
Department of State.

Culture spotlight is a part of each module, where you will have a chance to learn about
American values and teaching practices. In this Module, we will focus on equality of
opportunity.

Directions: Read the introduction to the cultural value of equality of opportunity, and how it
connects to open education resources (OERs). On the next page you will complete a model OER
activity on equality of opportunity.

Words to know

Equality the right of different groups of people to have a similar social position
and receive the same treatment (CEFR)

Equity equality and fairness in relationships (Wikipedia)

Equal the same in importance and deserving the same treatment (CEFR)

Liberty the freedom to live as you wish or go where you want (CEFR)

to fight or argue (CEFR)

Clash

Exploit use unfairly (CEFR)

Introduction to Equality of Opportunity

Equality of opportunity is an American cultural value. This is the American dream. It started
with the Declaration of Independence, a document that was signed by the first thirteen

26
independent states on July 4, 1776. The states wanted to start a new nation called the United
States of America. Written in this document are the words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness."- Preamble to the Declaration of Independence (U.S., 1776).

Equality means many things to many people. In the United States, people come from many
countries, religions, languages, and races. Each individual and each group of people may have
different experiences. Everyone is free to pursue (go after) a life, liberty and happiness. This is
what equality of opportunity is all about. This means that the law protects freedom for people
of all religions, races, genders, and classes. The government provides access to free public
education for all school aged children, and requires equal access to public employment
opportunities and spaces.
Although the United States was founded on the idea that “all men are created equal,” this
referred specifically to men of European ancestry. Throughout history, different groups of
people have fought to expand that understanding to include everyone, including women,
people of different races and ethnicities, and people with disabilities.

Open Educational Resources Support Equality

This work is a derivative of “Untitled.” by Gordon Johnson used under CC0 1.0. This derivative is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by University of
Maryland Baltimore County for use in the AE E-Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S Department of State.

Open Education Resources (OERs) offer access to free resources and information for those who
may not be able to pay for them. For example, English classes and teaching materials are often
available only to those who have money. However, if we make and share OERs with others, we
can provide access to free resources for English teachers and students who may not otherwise
have them. This whole course is an open educational resource that can provide professional
development to English teachers. The activity on the next page is a model open educational
resource (OER) activity about a U.S. cultural value (target culture).

References (OER)
United States (1776). The Declaration of Independence. National Archives. Retrieved January 7,
2018
from https://search.archives.gov/search?query=Declaration+of+Independence&submit=&utf8=
&affiliate=national-archives (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

27
1.5.1 Activity: Famous Americans Talk about
Equality of Opportunity
Model OER Activity
The activity below is a model open educational resource (OER) activity about a U.S cultural
value (target culture) with a CCBY4.0 license. This means you can reuse, remix, and redistribute
(share) it as long as you give attribution (credit) to the source. Think about how you can use this
OER to support your students' learning, how you might adapt (modify or change) it for your
context, and how you might share it with other colleagues. You can also use this activity to
support your own learning.

Famous Americans Talk About Equality of Opportunity

Part 1: Read and/or listen to some quotes about equality from famous
Americans. What do you think they mean? You will use these quotes and their
meanings in the matching activity below. You can quiz yourself on the next
page.

"I do believe that there will be a clash [fight] between East and
West. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want
freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to
continue the systems of exploitation [treating someone unfairly]. I
believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don't think that it
will be based upon the color of the skin…."
- Malcolm X, African-American Muslim minister and human rights
activist
“Untitled.” by Deutsch is licensed under a Pixabay
License. It is free to use and share.

"There never will be complete equality until women themselves

help to make laws and elect lawmakers.”
—Susan B. Anthony, activist and leader in the women's voting
rights movement

“Susan B Anthony.” by G.E. Perine & Co.,

28
NY via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under Public
Domain.

"A good many observers have remarked that if equality could

come at once, the Negro [black person] would not be ready for it. I
submit that the white American is even more unprepared."
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Civil rights leader

“Untitled.” by skeeze is licensed under

a Pixabay. License. It is free to use and share

“Now, as a nation, we don't promise equal outcomes, but we were

founded on the idea everybody should have an equal opportunity
to succeed. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you
come from, you can make it. That's an essential promise of
America. Where you start should not determine where you end
up.”

“Untitled” by Pete Souza via Wikimedia Commons is — Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
licensed under Public Domain.

I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good

and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences.
Read more at:
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/sonia_sotomayor_454928

"I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a

good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life
experiences."
“Untitled” by Deutsch is licensed under — Sonia Sotomayor, 1st Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Justice
a Pixabay. License. It is free to use and share.

"This nation was founded by men of many nations and

backgrounds. It was founded on the principle [basic truth] that all
men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are
diminished [make smaller] when the rights of one man are
threatened."
—John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

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 “Untitled.” by Deutsch is licensed under
a Pixabay License. It is free to use and share.

Part 2: Match the quote with its meaning.

Matching Activity
Please take a moment to reflect on these quotes and try to match them to their correct
meaning. When you are ready, go to the next page and quiz yourself to find the correct match.
Example:
3. "There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect
lawmakers.”
means
F. People need a voice in decision making in order to have equality.

Quote Meaning

1. "I do believe that there will be a clash between

East and West. I believe that there will be a clash A. It does not matter how
between those who want freedom, justice and and where people grow
equality for everyone and those who want to up, they can be a leader
continue the systems of exploitation. I believe that for justice.
there will be that kind of clash, but I don't think
that it will be based upon the color of the skin…."

2. “Now, as a nation, we don't promise equal

outcomes, but we were founded on the idea
everybody should have an equal opportunity to B. When people don’t treat one group
succeed. No matter who you are, what you look equally, other groups are in danger of not
like, where you come from, you can make it. That's being treated equally as well.
an essential promise of America. Where you start
should not determine where you end up.”

3. "There never will be complete equality until C. Anyone can work to improve their
women themselves help to make laws and elect situation and achieve success.
lawmakers.”

30
4. "This nation was founded by men of many D. For groups of people that have not
nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the experienced equality of opportunity for
principle that all men are created equal, and that diverse groups, making change and
the rights of every man are diminished when the sharing power is challenging.
rights of one man are threatened."

E. There will be a fight between people

5. "I do believe that every person has an equal who want resources for money and
opportunity to be a good and wise judge, those who want fair treatment for
regardless of their background or life experiences." people.

6. "A good many observers have remarked that if

equality could come at once, the Negro [black F. People need a voice in decision making in
person] would not be ready for it. I submit that the order to have equality.
white American is even more unprepared."

Remember, you can print these quotes and download the audio files from online to use this
activity with your students!

References (OER)
Anthony, S. B. (May 1897). [Quote]. National Archives. Retrieved December 14, 2017,
from https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/documented-rights/exhibit/section3/ (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site.

"Equity" [definition]. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 13, 2017

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equity (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Kennedy, J. F. (1964). Report to the American People on Civil Rights. Retrieved December 14,
2017, from https://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/JFK-Speeches/Civil-Rights-
Radio-and-Television-Report_19630611.aspx (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

United States (1776). The Declaration of Independence. National Archives. Retrieved January 7,
2018
from https://search.archives.gov/search?query=Declaration+of+Independence&submit=&utf8=
&affiliate=national-archives (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

31
References (Copyrighted)
This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adopted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not
Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use. Please do not save a copy for your
personal use, and do not use it after the course ends.

(CEFR), Common European Framework of Reference. English vocabulary profile free

subscription. Retrieved December 13, 2017,
from http://englishprofile.org/index.php/wordlists/free-subscription (Links to an external site.)
King, M. L. (1967). Where do we go from here: Chaos or community? New York: Harper & Row.
X, M., & Breitman, G. (1990). Malcolm X Speaks: Selected speeches and statements. New York:
Grove Weidenfeld.

32
1.5.2 Quiz: Equality of Opportunity

Quiz Instructions: Quiz yourself to see if you can match the quotes with the meanings. This quiz
is graded, and it is worth 6 points.
You must complete this quiz online.

1.6 English Attitudes Survey Review

Now that you have completed Module 1, revisit the English Language Attitudes Survey to see if
your beliefs have changed or not. Similarly to the warm-up survey, you can only take this
review once.
This survey will not count towards your grade, but is required to complete Module 1.
The survey must be completed online.

33
1.7 Reflection: Cascading New Knowledge Survey
Quiz Instructions

Cascading New Knowledge

“Casading New Knowledge icon” by Tiera Day for University of Maryland Baltimore County is licensed under CC BY 4.0 for use in the AE E-
Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

In education, we use the word cascade to describe sharing knowledge among professionals. For
example, after finishing this MOOC, you may want to share with your colleagues some of the
new approaches that you have learned. In other words, you would cascade new knowledge.
Please complete this graded survey on how you would design an activity using Open
Educational Resources and how you might cascade the knowledge you gained in this module.
There are three free-response questions (where you have to write a short answer) and one
multiple choice question.

This survey is graded. You will receive 4 points after you submit it.; however, you will not
receive personalized feedback from an instructor on this assignment.

Here is a sample response to each of the free response questions.

This survey must be completed online.
1. Describe an activity that you use to teach culture in your classroom.
Topic: Birthday traditions
Objectives: By the end of the activity, students will be able to talk about different ways to
celebrate birthdays all over the world.
Students’ level: Intermediate
Step 1: Students form groups of 3 and discuss how they celebrate their birthdays, sharing their
own family traditions.
Step 2: Each group receives a birthday tradition (Sweet 16, Bar Mitzvah, Quinceañera) that they
have to research and prepare a presentation about (if there is a computer lab, students can
work on it in class, or they can do it at home).
Step 3: Each group prepares a presentation using PPT, Prezi, or boards.
Step 4: Each group presents in class.
Step 5: After the presentation, students can ask questions.
34
2. Which level of culture does your activity address?
Level of culture: Source culture, target culture, international target culture.

3. How could you develop your activity into an OER (open educational resource)?
I would make sure that all the PPT presentations include the sources (preferably OER sources)
that the students used. Then I can create a PDF document from all the PPT presentations and
post it on the Creative Commons website with a CCBY 4.0 attribute.

This survey must be completed online.

35
Module 1 Check
Quiz Instructions

Please answer one question to verify that you have completed all activities in Module 5. You
must choose "yes" in order to move on in the course. This quiz will count as 1 point toward
your grade.
This quiz must be completed online.

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