The Influence of Cultural and Linguistic Background on English Teaching Strategies: Exploring Key Factors

1) Cultural Identity: The cultural experiences, understandings, and knowledge that one brings from their cultural background can greatly influence the teaching approach and materials used. For instance, a teacher with a diverse cultural background may focus on introducing more multicultural literature or sharing idioms and phrases specific to their culture. Thus, cultural backgrounds can enrich the class content and promote cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. However, it's crucial to remember the need for balanced representation of different cultures in teaching materials to avoid bias or favoritism. 2) Linguistic Background: A teacher's linguistic background significantly influences their teaching of English. A speaker of English as their first language might have an intuitive understanding of the language but could struggle to explain complex grammar rules since they learned them naturally. On the other hand, if English is the teacher's second language, they might have a better understanding of the difficulties students encounter when learning English as a second language. These teachers can effectively teach grammar rules and usage, as they've consciously learned them. Their multilingual proficiency could also help in drawing comparisons and contrasts with English, clarifying the understanding for non-native English students. However, they must ensure their English proficiency is adequate for accurate teaching. So, the teacher's linguistic background influences the teaching methodology and their empathy towards the difficulties faced by learners.