Japanese Culture Constructed by Discourses: Implications for Applied Linguistics Research and ELT by Ryuko Kubota

To begin with, this article made me reflect on my English classes. I know the importance of teaching culture but I don’t know what to teach about it and how to teach it effectively. I have always struggled to know how to use culture materials. However, this article gives me some insight into teaching culture.
According to this article, there are three models for teaching culture: the acculturation model; the pluralist model; critical multiculturalism. I think that my attitude toward teaching culture is between the acculturation model and the pluralist model. Korean people, including me, tend to respect only American culture and language, and teachers usually focus on teaching this American culture. This tendency for focusing on American culture seems to come from the acculturation model. In acculturation model, we think American culture is superior to our Korean culture. This evaluation leads us to abandon our culture and follow American culture without any critical thinking. In my English classes, I tend to focus on only American culture, even though there are many different cultures from English-speaking countries. There are two main reasons I put emphasis on American culture. First, many people, including students and parents, want to learn only American culture. In Korea, American culture and language have preferred to another culture and language. People want to enjoy that power of American culture and language guarantee. They want to stay safe within the area of insider power. Second, I do not have enough information about different cultures. I should be the source of information about different cultures. My knowledge about different cultures is very superficial, so I cannot attract students’ interest and attention. Whenever I have an opportunity to teach another culture, except American culture, I feel a lot of burden.
Now, I am in America. I am thinking of what made me to come here. There are different countries I could choose to study English; however, I have made up my mind to study in America. Maybe I was eager to obtain the power in Korea. Studying English, especially in America, can give a power over other English teachers in Korea. In this sense, I was in the stage of the acculturation model when I came to America.
While I am dealing with this article about culture and language, I am changing my attitudes towards them. My goal has been changed. My first goal was improving English ability to get a power. However, my revised goal is learning English to explore culture and language in a critical way. I want to get a freedom from the subordinate and slavery position from American culture.
Nowadays, I am very surprised that the words, for instance, native language and western culture, I used without thinking have a power to control other languages and cultures. I did not realize that using these mystified words made me more frustrated and inferior as a teacher. I will make efforts to reconstruct the meanings of these words; however there are numerous barriers I should get over, such as the needs from students and parents, the expectation of my English ability as a teacher from our society, and the blind acceptance of American culture and language.
Finally, teaching has a tendency to evaluate language and culture. However, as an English teacher, I should be very careful not to evaluate language and culture. This evaluation can give us prejudice against language and culture. Besides, this prejudice creates cultural stereotypes. These prejudiced and cultural stereotypes can keep students from exploring different cultures and languages in a critical way. Today, I am thinking that teaching culture and language can be influenced by society but teaching culture and language can change the society. I understand the significant role as an English teacher.