Promoting Cultural Literacy in the EFL Classroom

Hassan Naqeeb

Arab American University, Jenin, Palestine.

E-mail: hnaqeeb63@yahoo.com

Accepted 14 June, 2012

Abstract

"To teach a foreign language is to teach a foreign culture". In my opinion, it is really bewildering how teachers can teach what they do not know. Accordingly, this study comes to lay a solid foundation for sssthe EFL teachers through empowering them and introducing them to the basic principles of promoting cultural literacy in the EFL classroom. In addition, it will be an indispensable contribution to enrich the cultural literacy bibliography which is limited. In this study, the researcher familiarizes the EFL teachers with cultural literacy and, simultaneously, sets the American Access Microscholarship Program as a model of cultural literacy promoting program in the EFL classroom. What's more, pivotal terms like cultural literacy, Amideast, Access Microscholarship Program will be clarified in detail. The researcher concludes his paper recommending those in charge to adopt this new philosophy in teaching English Language as a foreign language and consider the basic prerequisites in advance.

Keywords: Literacy, Teaching, Microscholarship, Culture