Integrating the Coffee Culture with the Teaching of English

Integración de la cultura cafetera con la enseñanza del inglés

The present article gives account of the results of a research project developed at the University of Caldas with a group of preservice teachers and advisors. The purpose of the work was to sensitize the academic community about the importance of rescuing the cultural identity of rural school students. To achieve this goal, advisors and preservice teachers innovated the school curriculum by integrating the coffee culture to the English program. The study revealed that preservice teachers became skillful at designing content-based tasks that were more meaningful for the students; likewise, they became more sensitive to the problems that affected rural students and their families. It was also found that these students became aware of the commitment they had with the region and its surroundings; furthermore, because classes were more appealing, their motivation increased significantly.

Key words: Cultural integration, curriculum, preservice teacher, foreign language teaching-learning process, rural school

Este artículo da cuenta de los resultados de una investigación desarrollada en la Universidad de Caldas con un grupo de educadores en formación y sus asesoras, con el fin de sensibilizar a la comunidad académica sobre la importancia de rescatar la identidad cultural de los estudiantes de las escuelas rurales. Para lograr este objetivo, las asesoras y educadores en formación realizaron innovaciones en el currículo al integrar la cultura cafetera a los contenidos de los cursos de inglés. El estudio demostró que los docentes en formación desarrollaron habilidades para diseñar actividades que integraran los contenidos de inglés con la cultura cafetera y que fueran más significativas para los estudiantes. Asimismo, se mostraron más sensibles hacia los problemas que afectaban a los estudiantes y a sus familias. Se encontró también que los estudiantes de las escuelas rurales se concientizaron acerca del compromiso que debían tener con la región y sus alrededores. Puesto que las clases fueron más atractivas, los niveles de motivación de los estudiantes incrementaron significativamente.

Palabras clave: Integración cultural, currículo, practicante, procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera, escuela rural

One of the most recent innovations in the curriculum of teacher preparation at the University of Caldas in Manizales has been the design of an educational project whose main purpose is to improve the quality of the learning and teaching process. This project is developed along the teaching practicum, and it was completed during the last academic year in different schools of the region.

The practicum model in the Modern Languages program requires the formation of small collaborative groups of 4 or 5 students and advisors with experience in doing educational research. Collaborative groups of this kind allow all the participants to learn, teach and carry out research simultaneously.

Considering the importance that B.A. programs have in state universities for the formation of highly qualified teachers, a group of practicum advisors from the Modern Language Program of the University of Caldas started questioning themselves about ways to improve preservice teachers' performance in rural institutions, where they were carrying out their teaching practicum. Thus, being aware of the fact that the curricula must respond to the social, political, economic and cultural necessities of the country and the region, advisors began to make preservice teachers aware of the importance of comprehending the relationship between the rural context and the teaching-learning processes of a foreign language. At the same time, preservice teachers were instructed to design contextualized English classes in those rural institutions in order to transform the current social, cultural and educational situation. Thus, the relationship amongst language, learning and culture was constantly enhanced.

The project "Integrating the Coffee Culture with the Teaching of English" arose from the importance of rescuing rural students' roots and origin, and the need for rescuing their cultural identity. Researchers are aware that people from rural areas have adopted new patterns and lifestyles which have been imposed on them through the modernization of their society. Moreover, considering that the teaching of a language requires the learning of culture, lessons were designed including contents associated with the coffee culture.

The present study was conducted at rural schools, located in the nearby areas of Manizales. These institutions have an average of 251 students and their socioeconomic stratum is classified as middle-low and low. Students' parents have different kinds of occupations such as housewives, street vendors, farmers or factory employees. Some of the teachers hold Bachelors of Arts degrees and others hold Masters' degrees.

The methodology that the Institutional Educational Project (Proyecto Educativo Institucional: PEI) proposes for these rural institutions is "New School". This methodology takes into account the necessities and perspectives of students, teachers, parents and rural communities. The PEI's main objective is to foster the development of skills and values such as autonomy, freedom, democracy, responsibility, sincerity, respect, justice, honesty, cooperation and tolerance.

Rural schools have the mission of offering a modern and democratic education, suitable for dealing with the latest technological and scientific advances. Furthermore, these schools intend to provide students with an education for local development, aimed at recognizing their own culture. In addition, students are expected to participate in community projects. The responsibilities derived from their involvement in those projects help them to become critical and reflective individuals so that they can make their own decisions for improving their standard of living.

One of the main characteristics of the rural curriculum is its relationship with the community and the implementation of interactive pedagogy which allows learners to incorporate their previous knowledge into their learning process. In the meantime, this approach gives them the tools to face situations that affect their communities. Consequently, "New School methodology" emerges as an alternative to solve the most common problems of remote rural schools with disperse populations and low income students. This pedagogical model helps students to undergo a significant learning process. Summarized below are some concepts given by Psacharopoulos, Rojas & Vélez (1993) which establish the difference between traditional and New School methodology.

The Colombian Coffee Region

Located in the central part of the country and surrounded by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, the Coffee Region is one of the most beautiful areas in the country with coffee plantations, streams, small valleys and fertile volcanic soils. It also has a pleasant climate and a landscape of gentle hills which allow or foment rich agricultural production.

Cities and towns were built along the mountains by the first settlers coming from Antioquia, and the new generations have preserved, to a large extent, their ancestors' traditions, especially those that deal with myths and legends, food, home remedies, and housing styles. The region's colorful landscape is characterized by coffee farms and products such as plantains, corn, bananas, cassava, sugar cane and fruits like oranges, tangerines, lemons, and passion fruit, among others. The land, however, is used not only to grow products, but also to build parks, hotels, museums, and ecological trails.

Reasons for the Coffee Crisis

Coffee production and exports have had a significant impact on the Colombian economy and employment; however, one reason for the crisis is that most coffee growers depend mainly on the production of a single crop with no other sources of income; consequently, if there is a loss in the production or a drop in the international price, coffee growers cannot cover their expenses. Another reason is that some farmers have migrated to cities in order to search for better opportunities. This has affected both the farmers' families and the society in general because they do not have either the education or the preparation to work in anything other than agriculture. As a result, this migration has increased the unemployment level in the city.

Considering the problems mentioned above and bearing in mind that rural students are directly affected by the migration of their parents to the cities, the researchers intended through this work to sensitize the academic community and to develop awareness of the importance of rescuing the cultural identity in rural classrooms. Then, meaningful research questions were posed.

Previous Research Projects Previous studies have been done by other researchers at the University of Caldas (Arenas, Cardona & Quintero, 2000; Cardona & Quintero, 1996). These studies have demonstrated that teacher-centered classes still prevail in most of the schools in Manizales. Hence, the tasks and activities designed by the teachers are frequently repetitive and meaningless; these permit neither enough student interaction nor communication. Activities are not in context, cultural aspects are rarely included, and language skills are not integrated.

Results obtained from these previous projects have suggested some modifications in which teachers should change their role as controller and provider of knowledge to that of guide or counselor; therefore, students should take a more active part in the learning process. These studies have also recommended promoting learner autonomy, so that teachers can give more responsibilities to students in such a way that they can solve problems and make decisions about what, where, when and how to learn.

It is clear that teaching a language is not just teaching linguistics, phonetics and vocabulary. Learning a language involves more than that, it involves culture and communication. When people communicate, they share a particular system of cultural meanings such as feelings, memories, experiences, values, customs and beliefs. "Because language is the primary means for transmitting culture from one generation to the next, much of any culture is encoded in linguistic form" (Spradley, 1980, p. 12).

Back to the Latin root, "cultura" means to cultivate, and the German root "Volksgeist", refers to "the spirit of a people". Culture generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. In general, the term culture includes knowledge, technology, art, customs, as well as moral systems and many other practices and capacities acquired by men which are transmitted from one generation to another.

In the 20th century, social researchers paved the way for the modern understanding of culture. Notable anthropologists began studying culture as an object of scientific analysis. Spradley (1980, p. 6) defines culture as "the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and generate behavior". As a result, children are able to acquire their culture in an ongoing and endless process by observing adults, doing things and using language. They observe what people do (cultural behavior); they observe things people make and use such as clothes and tools (cultural artifacts); and they listen to what people say (speech messages).

Geertz (1973) states that culture is a coherent system of meaning. He provides educational researchers with a theoretical and methodological framework called "deep description". "Deep description" of culture has implications not only for social sciences but, in our case, for educational practices. According to Geertz, human actions and cultural meaning vary according to the patterns of life. Social actions and social events, behaviors, institutions, or processes can be intellectually described.

Researchers constantly make cultural inferences from what people say, from the way they act, and from the artifacts they use. Spradley (1980, p. 3), one of the most outstanding researchers, argues that ethnography is the work of describing a culture. The central aim of ethnographers is to understand another way of life from the native point of view.

Useful meanings concerning the relationship amongst culture, language and school practices can be summarized in the following list:

The abovementioned definitions of what culture is and what culture implies for educators are coherent with Law of Education 115 (MEN, 1994) and the Colombian Political Constitution, which are the basis of the school curriculum. Thus, to orient the teaching-learning process in terms of multicultural demands, it is necessary to overcome language barriers. According to the Ministry of National Education (MEN, 1999), education should transcend political and economic differences, and should emphasize the cultural values that promote respect for cultural diversity.

In Colombia, the Curriculum Guidelines for Foreign Language Teaching, according to the Ministry of National Education (MEN, 1999), claims that a person who learns in an intercultural environment is an individual that possesses his own culture, but is open and tolerant towards other cultures. He perceives the foreign culture from his own perspective and observes the outside world by taking into consideration his selfawareness and personal values. During the process of language learning and acquisition, learners become familiar with different cultures, are able to understand the difference between the way other people think, feel, and see life from the other people's perspective. Grabe & Stoller (1997, p. 7) point out that: "It is possible to understand other cultures without losing respect for one's own". In this way, foreign language teaching and learning become a valuable means to acquire and produce new knowledge, to have access to scientific and technological advances and to enjoy the sociocultural integration as a whole.

Content-based instruction, according to Grabe & Stoller (1997), is a method that gives importance to the different skills associated with the language, and to meaningful learning; however, its main emphasis is on the content rather than the linguistic component of the language. As students learn the language they also learn about different cultural topics that relate to their own experiences and needs. The class atmosphere facilitates individual and social learning because students interact with each other. The activities in class are meaningful and significant as they involve other methods and techniques such as cooperative learning, which is based on experiential learning, project work, constructivism, interactive school environment, authentic material and communication.

The whole language movement (Freeman & Freeman, 1992; Goodman, 1989; Newman, 1985; Watson, 1989) has a philosophical foundation based on varied research carried out in linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and child development, among others, with the purpose of creating a conducive classroom environment for learning. The whole language approach is based on two historical traditions: social reconstruction and studentcentered classes. Students are encouraged to ask questions and answer them grounded in their own experiences, needs and expectations. The language is taught through specific contents and topics.

The sociolinguistic competence theory (Canale & Swain, 1980) refers to the capacity a student has to communicate linguistically and meaningfully. The student follows the socio-cultural rules of the language as culture represents different dialects, idiomatic expressions and individual characteristics of each region. This competence is demonstrated by appropriate use of the language according to the context. From a socio-linguistic point of view, language is real, natural, interesting, comprehensible and relevant when it has social application for the students.

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (1964) affirms that learning takes place in social interaction. The environment where the individual lives and the social interaction determine the intellectual capacities which are crucial to the learning process. When the individual learns about the culture of the language, he changes his way of thinking and these changes allow him to successfully adapt to the values and traditions of the other culture.

This project followed the action-research model because the researchers were aware of the importance of becoming reflective, observant and transformative teachers. In addition, this was a research experience in which advisors, preservice teachers and rural school students had the opportunity to observe, describe, reflect and develop some learning and teaching strategies in order to improve the English learning process. Likewise, action-research gives teachers and students the opportunity to be conscious of their educational practice in the classroom by dealing with the needs and the problems of the social, economical and political context that affect rural school life.

The definitions given below support the process carried out by preservice teachers and advisors during the project.

Elliott (1991, p. 69) states that "Action-research is the study of a social situation with a view to improve the quality of action within it". Likewise, Corey (1953, p. 6), one of the pioneers in actionresearch, claims that: "Action-research is a process in which practitioners study problems scientifically so that they can evaluate, improve and steer decisionmaking and practice".

This project also assimilates the features and principles of case study. This approach is used because it is compatible with action-research which demands a comprehensive moment, and because it is research on a small-scale. A case is "the bounded system or the object of study, it might be an event, a process, a program, or several people" (Stake, 1995, p. 82).

As classroom research simply tries to investigate what actually happens inside the classroom, Creswell (1998, p. 249) states that: "A qualitative case study provides an in-depth study of this system, based on a diverse array of data collection materials, and the researcher situates this system or case within its larger context or setting".

Participants

The participants of this research project included 3 advisors from the B.A. program in Modern Languages, 5 preservice teachers, ages ranging between 20 and 25 years, 3 rural schools and an average of 175 rural school students (approximately thirty-five students per group). Their geographical origin was rural schools located in nearby zones of Manizales, and their ages ranged between 10 and 17.

Data Gathering, Instruments and Techniques

Throughout the development of the project, the researchers used several instruments and techniques to collect classroom data such as observation, informal talks, audio, video recordings, field notes, transcripts and document reviews.

Diagnostic Stage

The first step was to review the Institutional Educational Project–(PEI) of the rural schools involved in the research. Then some observations were carried out to get acquainted with the way English classes were taught and to find out about the type of materials used to develop lessons.

The first aspect found in the diagnosis was the difficulty rural schools had achieving the objectives stated in the institutional mission and vision, so that students could develop their awareness to value their own culture. Although rural schools have specific guidelines, they do not focus on the importance of coffee cultural, social, economical and political implications. Only the subjects of history and biology included some topics concerning coffee culture. It was also found that English teachers were unable to accomplish the pedagogical principles proposed by the New School methodology.

Concerning students' English level, it was found that it was very low, and did not respond to the parameters established by the Ministry of National Education. The lack of motivation and interest in learning English depended on several factors such as an inadequate methodology: teacher-centered classes, use of the grammar translation approach and lack of sequential and relevant topics. In addition, it was found that resources such as videos, films, recordings or materials that could promote active participation in class were not used. Thus, the diagnosis confirmed once more the absence of a contextualized curriculum that could enhance language learning and promote intercultural communication.

Action Stage

Once the diagnostic stage was completed, researchers planned some actions to be taken in the action stage. At this point the collaborative group –advisors and preservice teachers– developed lesson plans and designed materials to be used in the English classes. These lesson plans were intended to integrate language and content with topics related to the coffee culture, such as the farmers' lifestyle and their surroundings, housing, clothing, health, economy, and the coffee growing process. Once the class was over, preservice teachers reflected upon the effectiveness of the activities and methodology used as well as on the achievements students obtained. Finally, researchers decided on what to improve or change. In the meantime, advisors observed trainees' classes, described in detail the process and included comments and suggestions about their strengths and weaknesses.

The extracts below (Samples 1, 2, 3, and 4) give an account of the lessons developed by preservice teachers:

Once the data gathered were analyzed, a great improvement was found in both preservice teachers and their rural students. The information is summarized in the sample below:

Sample 5. Achievements of both preservice teachers and rural school students

The following testimonies reflect the achievements obtained by both preservice teachers and their students:

Preservice Teachers

Students

Integrating language, culture and curriculum in the B.A. program through research is a clear way to demonstrate how the university can project and develop curricular proposals that contribute to problem solving in the educational community and to promote their own identity and values. Therefore, it is of vital importance to integrate the culture of the region in which the students live with learning English so that the rural students can learn in a more meaningful way.

This type of research contributes to the development of awareness about the importance of preserving the Colombian culture and the traditions of its ancestors in the Coffee Region. Teachers must stimulate rural students to value their customs by encouraging them to talk about their surroundings and the richness of their culture. In this way, their learning English becomes more meaningful because the students constantly relate their daily experiences to the activities carried out in class. Strategies implemented in rural schools with the students such as project work, collaborative and cooperative work, contribute to a successful learning process.

On the other hand, it is important for rural school English teachers to consider the students' social background and their previous knowledge acquired in their surroundings to make learning more successful. Instead of replicating mechanical drills coming from the textbooks, teachers should assign their pupils relevant tasks, not only to develop their sense of autonomy, but to raise their enthusiasm and commitment, and thus, make the learning process more fun.

The curriculum in programs that educate teachers must include subjects in the research field which guide students toward the development of competences such as critical thinking, interpretation, context recognition, analysis, and the creation of questions. By so doing, preservice teachers can develop a descriptive research competence that allows them to solve problems or improve situations in the rural communities.

Research practices enable university professors and preservice teachers to design projects that integrate research, pedagogy and their discipline to solve problems and increase cultural knowledge. These types of projects strengthen the relationship between the University and public education, and respond to the policies stated in their Institutional Educational Project. This is a requirement of the Colombian Law of Education 115 (MEN, 1994), for basic education.

Finally, this study impacted preservice teachers, schools, students and the region since it transformed the traditional methodology previously used. It also changed the relationship between advisors and trainees, and improved the relationship between the University and rural schools. The authors hope that this research will give ideas to other teachers and encourage them to integrate culture with the teaching of English not only in the coffee region but all over Colombia.