SKKN Using local cultural heritage to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning English for mountainous students

1. INTRODUCTION
2. 1. Rationale of the study

Nowadays, language teaching concentrates on what students want to learn

rather than on what is to be taught. It can be said that the attitude and the initiative

from the students are the main activity in the classroom. The success of students in

the classroom is the main goal of teaching and learning activity. Many factors

influence students in the classroom. One of them is culture. It is important to relate

language to the culture because language must be treated in a social context. It

means that learning a language cannot be separated from learning the culture.

Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW requires a strong innovation in teaching and

learning methods in a modern direction, promotes the positivity, initiative,

creativity and application of learners’ knowledge and skills; overcoming one-sided

imposed communication. Moving from studying mainly in the classroom to

organizing diverse forms of learning, paying attention to social activities,

extracurricular experiences, and scientific research.

As an English teacher, I think that contributing to the comprehensive

renovation of education, towards achieving the aforementioned goals, the use of

local cultural heritage in teaching in high schools, is extremely important. Through

learning English and getting to know about different cultures, students can

understand and love the language and culture of their people better. Thus, the use

of local culture heritages in teaching in the classroom, especially learning at the

heritage site, not only helps students develop their foreign language skills, improve

their speaking and writing skills but also has an understanding of the local cultural.

As a result, raising awareness of heritages preservation and patriotism

among students could make a contribution to the development of the homeland.

Such are attractive extracurricular activities for high school students when

experiencing local culture sites. Aim of these activities is encouraging students to

learn more about historical sites, traditional costumes, and indigenous cuisines. By

these, students could apply experienced lessons into practical life and this is

considered as a way which encourages students to efficiently exposure to local

culture and history.

Tuong Duong 1 high school is located in a mountainous district being to the

southwest of Nghe An province. There is no doubt that teaching and learning

English is difficult because the students are mainly ethnic minority. Therefore, I

believe that combination of experiential activities with teaching projects in

teaching English is essential. Such learning activities will help students actively

and proactively acquire new knowledge, improve their self-study skill, understand

and apply the knowledge learned from practice to preserve local cultural heritage,

gain the patriotism, and promote positive values of local culture.

In order to help students to deeply recognize, and have the right attitude and

behavior to the issues of preserving the local cultural identity where they live, as

well as learning to accumulate knowledge and improve the quality of English

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teaching in the context of reforming the country’s education, I choose the thesis

Using local cultural heritage to improve the effectiveness of teaching and

learning English for mountainous students”.

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. Aims of the study

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By including local culture in the teaching and learning process, it is

expected that students will be aware of their own culture and able to learn English

better since they are asked to describe something they know very well.

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Educating students to love their hometown and country. In addition,

students have senses of protecting, promoting local culture to the domestic and

international community.

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From the results of students’ learning, teacher can assess the abilities and

qualities of students.

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. Scope of the study

The study is concerned about investigating the Local Culture values in

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Tuong Duong district and the effectiveness of using them in teaching and learning

English.

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The study was going to be conducted at Tuong Duong 1 high school, and

class 10C1, 10C2, 10A1 were asked to participate in the study.

. Methods of the study

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In order to achieve the above- mentioned aim and objectives, the answers to

the research questions that are presented below should be found:

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. How does local cultural heritage helps the mountainous students improve

their English learning?

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. What are teachers and students’ suggestions for using local cultural

heritage to improve students’ English learning?

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. Significance of the study

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Theoretical aspect: It is hopefully expected that this study would make a

little contribution to help teachers and students realize the essential role of using

local cultural heritage in English language teaching.

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Practical aspect: with the results of the study, it is hoped that teachers and

students would make some improvements in the English teaching and learning

method. The research finding indicated that bringing local culture in English

language teaching would build up learner’s cultural knowledge, awareness, and

competence.

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1. RESEARCH CONTENT

PART 1: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BACGROUND

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. Theoretical background

.1. Basic concepts of culture heritage

According to the open encyclopedia Wikipedia: Cultural heritage is the

heritage of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society

inherited from previous generations, maintained to the present and for generations

to come. Cultural heritage includes cultural property (such as buildings,

landscapes, monuments, books, works of art, and artifacts), intangible culture (such

as folklore, traditions, languages, and knowledge), and natural heritage (including

culturally important landscapes and biodiversity). Cultural heritage can be defined

as the legacy of physical artifacts (cultural property) and intangible attributes of a

group or society inherited from the past. Cultural Heritage is a concept which

offers a bridge between the past and the future with the application of particular

approaches in the present. Due to its attached values for these groups or societies,

cultural heritage is maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future

generations.

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Characteristics of Vietnam’s cultural heritage

Vietnam’s cultural heritage is the values crystallizing from the cultural

creativity of the community of 54 ethnic groups, undergoing a long historical

process, being transmitted, inherited and recreated from many generations to the

present day. Vietnam’s cultural heritage is a culturally diverse alandscape, a

valuable asset of the Vietnamese ethnic community and a part of humanity’s

cultural heritage. Vietnam’s cultural heritage plays a great role in building and

keeping nation of our people.

Vietnamese cultural heritage is the creative value of learning, exchanging

and inheriting from the cultures and human civilization. These values are a smooth

combination of the culture and culture of humanity with the long-standing

indigenous culture of the Vietnamese people.

Vietnamese cultural heritage, especially intangible cultural heritage, has a

strong vitality, which is being preserved and promoted in the life of the

Vietnamese ethnic community.

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Heritage classification

Cultural heritage is divided into two categories: tangible cultural heritage

and intangible cultural heritage.

Tangible cultural heritage refers to physical artifacts produced, maintained,

and transmitted intergenerationally in a society. All these heritage sites and

monuments are here thanks to human creativity and have a global cultural

significance. It is important to preserve these cultural sites because of their value to