Blog #5

Arts-Integration in Cross-Cultural Enviroments

Wootton, K. (2008). A Constant Search: Arts-Integration in Cross-Cultural Environments. Teaching Artist Journal, 6(3), 185-196. Retrieved from ERIC database, June 20th, 2010-06-23.

Kurt Wootton, the director of Arts Literacy Project at Brown University, conducted a study in Brazil using 180 students and twenty-five teachers and artists from Brazil and United States. Teachers taught both Portuguese and English languages using arts as a fundamental tool for literacy for three-week summer lab. They worked with students on reading and writing on both first and second languages. Students learned how to bridge the gap between their native language and culture and their new language and culture to become fully bicultural.

After the summer lab experience, the researcher interviewed teachers and students. The result of the interview showed that both teachers and students have some common points. For instance: the school for them was a community or a family because everybody was learning with others and leaning from others. Students have the freedom to express themselves; the classroom was connected to students’ lives, Students created texts and poems expressing their personalities, and one important conclusion is learning can happen where happiness is present.

On the following years, teachers from many countries around the world joined the three-week summer lab. They share their experiences and their teaching practices with each other. Teachers used creative approaches such as dance, photography, puppetry, and visual art instead of the traditional curriculum.

I totally agree with the findings of this study. It is impossible to separate language from its culture. For me as a language instructor, I have to explain some culture aspects first before teaching some topics. Culture and language are inseparable, some vocabulary words don’t have equivalent in another language because of the culture behind it.This is the reason why I want to focus my final project on integrating culture in teaching language especially for intermediate and advanced students.