Teacher Roles

The teachers plays four key rolesin helping learners acquire cultural information.
• Source

• Resource

• Arbiter

• Elicitor

Table 12.6: Knowing Why Summary

Content
Cultural interpretations include:
• Emic perspectives

• Etic perspectives

• Comparisons

Learning Outcomes Learning Activities

The primary learning outcome is that learners
demonstrate the ability to make cultural
explanations. Explanations are of three types
•understandings of the culture on its own
terms
•understandings of the culture using outside
frameworks
•comparisons of the target culture to other
cultures
Cultural interpretations can be presented and
practiced through many forms:
•Cultural analyses
Structured inquiry into any cultural\
phenomenon where teachers ask
students to explain the cultural meanings
of the phenomenon. This inquiry can be in
response to cultural information in
texts(printed,spoken,visual) or cultural
experiences (direct or simulated)

• Research projects
Clasroom-based or school-based research
where learners gather information on
cultural topics

• Field experiences
Field-based research where learners enter
the culture to gather information
(observations,interviews,documents) to
use in finding cultural explanations for
particular topics
Teacher Roles
The teachers plays two key roles in helping learners acquire cultural explanations.

• Guide
The teacher structures the cultural exploration by setting up a procedure,by posing questions to
learners, and by holding learners to the discipline of inquiry.
“Tell me how you explain this cultural phenomenon.”
“What is the emic perspectives?”
“What are the etic perspectives?”
“What are other possible interpretations?”
“How does this compare with your culture?”

• Co-researcher
the teacher engages in the cultural exploration alongside learners.
offering alternative explanations, information, and responses.
“In my inquiry, I found this….”