Tomalin, B. (2008). "Making culture happen in the English language classroom". Teaching English BBC. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/making-culture-happen-english-language-classroom on 23 July 2012.
I find it interesting that the writer of the article links cultural awareness to emotional intelligence. It is true, of course, since the incorporation of the cultural elements of the target language in the language classroom not only makes the language intellectually relevant, but also emotionally evocative. This is especially true in the case of using universal languages such as art and music. I have found that using music in my Spanish classrooms became an enjoyable experience both for my students and me as a teacher. I have used calming music and uplifting music, and the atmosphere in the classroom was affected according to the type of music I picked. It was fun all around! My sponsor teacher, more so than me, successfully brought elements of culture into her classroom. For example, she had our students make tacos in class and eat them.
