The importance of the cultural element in teaching a foreign language

Abstract

The present study aims at challenging the theory of “culturally responsive teaching” (Gay, 2002), laying stress on the importance of the cultural iconicity of the language and civilization taught. The paper comes as a result of the author’s extensive experience in teaching Romanian as a foreign language to ex-pats and draws on the conclusions of not only firsthand classroom work, manuals, and syllabus design, but also on the data collected from a number of questionnaires filled in by the participants in the summer language school organized by The Romanian Cultural Institute annually, as well as from the feedback provided by these students at long distance.