The Intercultural Awareness Cultivation in Spoken English Teaching in Primary School

1. Introduction

With the development of globalization, the international communication and cooperation become more and more frequent, which demands people of strengthening their intercultural awareness in order to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation in cross-cultural communication. Emphasizing intercultural education and cultivating intercultural awareness and competence help to increase students#8217; sense of identity with different cultures and promote communication with different languages and culture. In fact, intercultural education of English teaching in primary school is usually ignored, which affects the students#8217; appropriateness of English communication, interest in English and mode of thinking. Therefore, how to strengthen students#8217; intercultural awareness into English teaching in primary schools is a topic that is worth considering.

1.1Background of the study

English Curriculum Standard in the phase of compulsory education points out that it is conducive to understand and use English by being exposed to the foreign culture in the process of English study. Besides, it is beneficial to strengthen the sense of knowing and loving the traditional Chinese culture and do good to exert influence on the people#8217;s accepting the advanced culture. More importantly, it will be in favor of cultivating the international sense.

In the course of teaching, teachers should gradually extend the content and range of the culture in allusion to students#8217; age and cognitive competence. At the initial teaching age, teachers should focus on the differences between the Chinese and foreign cultures in order to make the students get a rough understanding. In addition, the teaching of foreign cultures should be bound up with students#8217; study and life, and thus, by which, it is probable to motivate students#8217; interests to study English.

Accordingly, teachers should instruct students to pay attention to the cultural elements in language and pragmatics by referring to the teaching content. Also, it is indispensable to help students learn the differences between the Chinese and foreign cultures and enhance their abilities in understanding different cultures, which is crucial to prepare the cross-cultural communication.

Undoubtedly, permeating the cultural sense into teaching can help pupils to know the foreign cultures as they study a certain language. As we all know that the primary school education is the initial education in English teaching, and moreover, the differences between the Chinese and the English have been embodied in almost every aspect. Therefore, it is an important premise to help pupils to understand different cultures and open the door to study language in respect of cultural perspective.

1.2Need of the study