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Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 41:1 (2018) ► pp.91–116

Can cultural scripts be used for teaching interactional norms?

| The Australian National University

Improving the teaching of invisible culture is a recognised need in the TESOL sector. While there are both scholars calling for a more nuanced focus in classrooms, and teachers willing to take this approach, there has yet been no systematic approach developed for its teaching. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between theory and pedagogical need by proposing that the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) is a useful tool in ELT through which resources for teachers and learners can be developed. In particular, it will discuss the results of a pilot study into using cultural scripts to teach cultural norms, demonstrate how they can be applied to classroom teaching situations, and discuss how materials can be developed from the theories.

Keywords: natural semantic metalanguage, cultural scripts, English language teaching, teaching methods, migrant education, English as a second language, invisible culture, interactional norms, pragmatic awareness, cultural competence
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Communicative competence
    • 2.2Why teach invisible culture?
  • 3.Methods for teaching culture
    • 3.1Methods for cultural description
    • 3.2Current teaching practices
  • 4.Trialing cultural scripts in a pedagogical context
    • 4.1Methodology and processes
    • 4.2The scripts for the classroom exercises
  • 5.Feedback from students
  • 6.Successes of cultural scripts and further considerations
    • 6.1How they address teacher and student needs
    • 6.2How can cultural scripts help in teaching culture?
    • 6.3Adaptations
    • 6.4Practical considerations
  • 7.Limits of this paper
  • 8.Future adaptations and directions
  • 9.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgement
  • References
Published online: 12 October 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.17030.sad
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