Pedagogy of folklore in foreign language teaching Demonstrated in the case of Vietnamese folklore.

Pedagogy of folklore in foreign language teaching

Demonstrated in the case of Vietnamese folklore

Foreign Language Learning as Foreign Culture Learning• much more than grammatical and verbal proficiency

• must understand unspoken communication, such as gestures, behavior patterns, beliefs, values, etc.

• gain empathy and respect for a new culture

• challenge one’s own perspective while learning new perspectives

What is folklore?• “Folklore is the traditional art, literature, knowledge, and practice that is disseminated largely through oral communication and behavioral example. Every group with a sense of its own identity shares, as a central part of that identity, folk traditions–the things that people traditionally believe (planting practices, family traditions, and other elements of worldview), do (dance, make music, sew clothing), know (how to build an irrigation dam, how to nurse an ailment, how to prepare barbecue), make (architecture, art, craft), and say (personal experience stories, riddles, song lyrics).” -The American Folklore Society”

• folksongs, customs, proverbs, dances, etc.

• unofficial, widespread, and without regulations or restrictions

Why folklore?

1. Culture is always changing; folklore is relatively stable and resilient.

2. Folklore is the foundation of culture. Understanding folklore can show the why’s, how’s, and where’s of current cultural changes

3. Folklore transcends recent changes in history, including political strife and war that may have divided the nation.

What students can learn from folklore

• straightforward lessons such as customs, behavior patterns, traditions, etc.

More importantly, by comparing folklore, we can learn nuances between cultures that make give each culture its distinct identity

Ex: Tấm Cám

1. How relationships start

2. Punishment of antagonists

Ex: Anh-em relationship

• Gender roles

Heritage Learners• Heritage Learners are particularly interested in studying culture in order to investigate and discover their own identities

• sometimes just participating in a custom is not enough to understand it; having a teacher can help students really understand the meaning behind practices

• “Culture is our social legacy as contrasted with our organic heredity” (Dimitris Thanasoulas)

Activities• singing folksongs together

• performing skits of folktales

• eating and learning to cook delicious traditional foods

• analyzing and using proverbs

• celebrating holidays

• performing dances, wearing traditional garments

• participating in rituals with the community

• discussion about meaning afterwards

Issues/ Points1. Students may believe folklore is archaic and not

worth learning because times have changed.

• Folklore is still very much prevalent in modern society

• Proverbs play a much more significant role in Vietnam than in America, they are a indirect mechanism to communicate which still watching social etiquette

2. Students may believe tales are all in jest and do not hold any truth.

Thank you to:Vietnamese SEASSI teachers

Bac Hoai TranNguyen Thi Thuan