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Theme: CULTURAL AWARENESS IN ENGLISH CLASSES LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
PLAN:

1. INTRODUCTION

2. MAIN PART:

   1. Literature Review

   2. The Emphasis of Cultural Awareness in the European Framework

   3. Studies on Cultural Awareness

   4. Research Design and Research Process

   5. Trustworthiness and Transferability

   6. Foundations of cultural awareness

   7. Acquirements of cultural awareness

3. CONCLUSION

4. REFERENCES

Introduction

Collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity are listed as important four C’s in 21st-century teaching classrooms (National Education Association, 2010). There is a constant change in knowledge and students need to be prepared for this change with learning these crucial C’s. These can be achieved by knowing others, accepting, and respecting their culture while developing awareness. English language learning as a second (ESL) or foreign language (EFL) brings along the familiarization with the culture of another community or country. While second language learners are usually within the environment of their target language, foreign language learners train themselves to be proficient in the target language settings. Whether second or foreign, language learning requires an understanding of cultural elements. Nowadays with the use of technology and rapid globalization, culture has become an essential part of language classrooms, and learners are expected to converse through cultures and beyond borders (Byram, 1997a). Learning a language through intercultural understanding means “the awareness and acceptance of one’s own world and the perception and acceptance of the foreign world.” (Neuner, 2003, p.49). Therefore, interaction in the language classrooms becomes cross or intercultural as it inevitably includes an integration of the target culture and native cultures of any individual. Knowing culture undergoes a process of knowing differences, similarities, or uniqueness of any cultural element which discloses itself as cultural awareness.

Getting to know cultures is not an easy task for the language learner. It does not happen rapidly over studying a single coursebook, doing repetitive tasks, or getting limited opportunities of communication with target language speakers, especially during foreign language learning.
Learning foreign languages in this case is that English does not always learn aspects of language such as grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling. However, learning a foreign language also involves cultural aspects inherent in the language. This cultural learning is necessary to avoid misunderstandings during the communication process between speakers and listeners. Communication can run smoothly if there is no mistake between the speaker and the listener. Obstacles in the process of communicating with a foreign language can of course always arise due to differences in language and culture. To unite these obstacles, a link is needed, namely communication between cultures. This intercultural communication can be started by introducing foreign language culture in the process of learning foreign languages to language learners.