THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Аннотация

This paper explores the multifaceted role of culture in the language classroom, driven by the expanding need for foreign language proficiency, particularly within the context of Uzbekistan's recent educational reforms emphasizing multilingualism and international cooperation. It addresses the challenge of defining culture—ranging from 'Big-C' artifacts (art, history) to 'little-c' everyday beliefs, behaviours, and values (BBV)—and discusses the importance of representing a variety of cultures while also incorporating the local culture. The analysis highlights the five goal areas of the National Standards for World Language Learning (5 Cs: Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, Communities), emphasizing that language and culture are inseparable. Finally, the paper examines the challenges in teaching culture and offers practical suggestions for effective pedagogical integration, advocating for process-oriented approaches over "facts only" methods to foster critical thinking and reduce ethnocentrism