ABSTRACT
The ability to understand the cultural context of foreign language use is a key aspect of effective communication in the target language (TL). The development of cultural awareness is an important and integral part of the National Curriculum (NC) modern foreign languages (mfl) Orders. Cultural awareness is more than simply the identification of different cultural characteristics or knowledge about the countries where the TL is spoken. It involves the understanding and appreciation of different ways of life. The Programme of Study (PoS) suggests a particular approach to the teaching of cultural awareness, which is based around ethnographic methods, i.e. the use of ‘authentic’ materials and contact with native speakers. It aims to enable pupils to identify with, recognise and draw comparisons between the cultures of their own country and the countries where the TL is spoken. Whilst a lot can be achieved in the mfl classroom, cultural awareness is often more meaningfully developed outside. Importantly, the pupil’s point of view and her experiences should be taken as a starting point and not necessarily specific aspects of the target culture (see Pachler 1999b: 84).
