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Unit 2: Unpacking the Cultural DNA of Language through SBUs

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Introduction

Cultural DNA

This unit introduces the concept of Situation Bound Utterances (SBUs) and their importance in understanding cultural nuances within language learning. It emphasizes how language and culture are interlinked, setting the stage for deeper exploration of linguistic subtleties.

Case Study

Here, Let's be back to the case, please try to answer the questions with your prior knowledge and/or experiences. These questions will be revisit later, so it's totally fine if you are making mistakes that might be "productive failure".

Background: An international exchange program involves students from multiple countries attending a summer language school in Beijing to improve their Mandarin skills, focusing particularly on practical language use in social situations.

Scenario: During a cultural excursion, a local vendor tries to compliment an American student by using the situation-bound utterance (SBU), "您真会挑啊!" intending to express admiration for the vendor's skill in selecting goods. However, the phrase, which can also imply that the person is picky or too discerning, causes confusion and a slight offense.

Driving questions: What are the key cultural nuances embedded in SBUs in Chinese, and how can instructional materials be designed to highlight these nuances and enhance learners' cultural awareness and communication skills?

To Learn as Learner

  1. Watch- Pragmatics: Utterances and their meanings
  2. Read for Paper-1. Situation Bound Utteances as cultural scripts 2. Situation Bound Utterances as Pragmatic Acts 3. Situation Bound Utterance in Chinese
  3. Read for A Book (Optional)- Kecskes, I. (2003). Situation-bound utterances in L1 and L2 (Vol. 19). Walter de Gruyter.
  4. Read (selectively) for Coursera- Intermediate Chinese/Chiese Cultural and Contemporary China

To Do as Instructor

  1. Discuss- Does so-called cultrue-neutral langage really exist? Do you think the working language that we "talk" to chatBot is such kind of language?
  2. Apply- role-playing exercises where educators practice teaching a lesson incorporating SBUs, focusing on cultural nuances.
  3. Feedback and share- Provide feedbacks on the effectiveness and clarity of the SBU integration in the proposed lessons on Coursera. Share with your peers or personal social media.
  4. Refect: maintain a journal throughout the unit, documenting insights from lectures, readings, and activities. Prompts could include reflections on: How your perception of SBUs in teaching Chinese has changed or been enhanced through the unit. The potential impact of integrating SBUs into their curriculum on student understanding of cultural nuances in Mandarin.(optioanal: If you have applied role-play exercise to teach/incorporate SBUs in your class, please jot down)
  5. Revisit & Revise- Please give a second thought of the driving question, is it the same as before?

To Create as Designer

In this unit, you are invited to design as the second part of ADDIE: D - design:

  • Curriculum Framework: Develop a modular structure that sequentially builds cultural awareness. For example, start with foundational concepts of cultural diversity and progressively introduce application techniques in language teaching.
  • Instructional Strategies: Decide on a blend of instructional methods (e.g., interactive lectures, case studies, group discussions) that best suit the content and learner needs.
  • Assessment Design: Plan both formative assessments (such as reflective journals and discussions) and summative assessments (like a final project or presentation) to measure achievement of learning outcomes.

AI as a Simulator: Creating Opportunities for Practice

After participants have build up some knowledge of a concept or series of concepts, practice can help students synthesize what they know by being pushed ouot of their comfort zone and by being asked to apply theory into practice. Role-play is another of the effective way to challenge participants. In this way, AI can augment instruction by playing the role of scenario builder and feedback engine. Model prompt can look like this:

"I want to practice the role of cultual awareness. Please play the role of X. I'll play Y. The goal is to practice cultural awarenss in Chinese SBUs. Create a scenario in which I can practice applying cultural awarenss in SBUs. I should have to [engcounter sepcific problem, and make a consequential decision]. Give me dilemmas or problems in this scenaro. After N turns of interactions, set up a consequential choice for me to make . Then wrap up by telling me how I performes in this specif scenario and what I can do better next time. Do not play my role, Only play the role of X. Wait for me [Y] to respond. "

References:

Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2019). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design. Routledge.

Mollick, E., & Mollick, L. (2023). Assigning AI: Seven approaches for students, with prompts. arXiv preprint arXiv:2306.10052


Course Home Page: Ying Kong's Mini Course

Unit 1: Bridging Language and Cultural through Instruction

Unit 3: Developing Culturally Rich Materials and Engagement Strategies

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