Beyond Buzzy Bees and Kiwi Fruit: Constructing Culture in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Teachers of English language skills in Aotearoa New Zealand are also implicitly teachers of a variety of 'cultures,' among which there is often a notional, national 'Kiwi' culture. As large numbers of migrants and refugees continue to settle in this country, accepted notions of Aotearoa New Zealand identity and culture are continually being challenged and renegotiated. For teachers of courses about Aotearoa New Zealand society and culture, this increasing social and cultural complexity needs to be integrated. The same is true for the opportunity for individual learners to reflect on their personal experience of aspects of the society and culture. The study on which this paper is based set out to explore the discursive construction of culture in the experience of adult learners in Year 2 of a BA course in English as an Additional Language (EAL). Data were drawn from learners' reflective journals written while taking part in a community placement. Two main areas of literature underpin the study,firstly analysis of teaching culture in terms of liberal and critical multiculturalism (Kubota 2001, 2004, Kubota & Lin 2006); secondly exploration of social identity and language as a place of identity construction (Norton Pierce 1995,2000,2008; Pavlenko & Lantolf 2000 and Pavlenko, 2002). The study also reflects on the pedagogy used for teaching culture and society in Aotearoa New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]