Teaching culture - is it important? why or why not? -your opinion

[Lucinea]

Hi

I am a teacher of English in Brazil,and I think it is important to teach culture because the students will know about other people and they will learn new way of life.
A good way to introduce them, culture in general is talk about Olimpics Game,because like we know it is a competion that envolve many countries in the world. So students will be curious about cultures in other contries.

[Joe Bustiono]

Teaching culture is very important because it contains of worthy morale values of life. People can learn how to interact with others, to behave properly in a new society, to appreciate and understand others' culture and the way of life by knowing the culture. Besides, by learning the culture, people also will learn the language, the people, the politics, and so on. If the young generation are rich of knowledge about their own, they will appreciate and keep the culture alive, however, otherwise, the culture will die, and it will losen one history of one culture and its people. In addition, by learning culture, the young will behave properly.
I also want to say, in absorbing foreign culture, the one needs to filter it, take the good one and leaves the bad one.

Joe Bustiono

[Daizee]

In my experience, teaching culture is exceedingly important! It teaches students about different ways of life and motivates them. I also find that the language becomes more of a reality when students realise that there is actually some use for it outside of the classroom.

[Tide]

Hi everybody
I read your opinions and enjoied them...
As far as I have understood,Learning a forein language is learning a new culture,new ways of life... .In official text books written for teaching a language wich are sent to other countries...you can say exportung a language,a culture... People try to export their polite and acceptable words than slangs..etc.So the learners get a new culture and it's components

[Tide]

I think The common words people make use of during daily life are important to teach .for example the way people interact in an airport,hotel,school,...etc.
I meen the official English used in tv programs of your country,radio,text books...whatever theyneed to comunicate in their society.
regards
PS this comment is for the friend who teaches in an English speaking country.

[Westley Mark]

Culture is an important aspect of a student's learning. I find it especially useful when working with upper-intermediate and advanced students, whom may be slightly patronised by the examples of 'real' interaction found in many text books (this is particulary accute in the case of advanced business English students).

Combing cultural issues with the use of idiomatic expressions can be really helpful. Also, I agree with the previous posting that, yes, the cultural aspect certainly does make the language seem more relevant and of practical use outside of the classroom.