Morgan states that everything he has read about culture has
given him a different perspective on culture and he can relate to every one of
those perspectives. In class last week we discussed our personal definition of
culture and I found myself agreeing with everyone’s definition. Because the
idea of culture is complex, there are many different perceptions that can
relate to different people. Culture means something different to different
people but if one takes the time to comprehend and value that culture
understanding grows.
The three components of culture are products, practices, perspectives; artifacts, actions
and meanings. All of these components merge together to create an understanding
of what a specific culture values and finds important. For these cultures to
live on people and communities need to come together and work on preserving
these products, practices and perspectives. The example of drive-thru restaurants
exemplifies that all five pieces of the puzzle of culture are needed. The
products needed are things like food items on the menu, cars, napkins, bags,
etc. The person would also have to know specific practices such as the rules of
the road, how to order the food properly, and knowing social norms like paying
for the meal. Perspective involves how people generally feel about the food and
the make and model of the car. Communities have to be supportive of the drive
thru as well as the people or else the restaurant will not survive.
As a pre-service teacher for students learning the American
culture I would incorporate how to scenario’s such as a drive thru restaurant,
a wedding or a grocery store to help the students learn and understand some of the
practices, products, perspectives, communities and people that make up this
culture. By acting out scenes or going on a field trip to actually act out
these scenarios these students have a firsthand familiarity with an aspect of
culture in this country. Language and culture go hand in hand; language is seen
and heard everywhere in a culture. This is why practicing these scenarios is a
good idea, while the children are learning these product, perspectives and
practices they are also practicing the language which is hugely important in
the culture.
Language is used in culture to describe certain products,
participate in the culture, identify and explain thoughts, participate and
actively express individual identity. In the classroom setting language also
does all of the above that is why it is so important that teachers cover all of
the five dimensions of culture so the students are well versed and comfortable
with culture and language.
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