An Audio-Visual Integrated Approach to Japanese Language and Culture

One of theobvious challenges in teaching a foreign language is how to provide learners with access to the target language environment, where learners can receive, comprehend and interact with the target language input. ‘Acculturation’ is an important process of second or foreign language acquisitionbecause the target language knowledge and skills are embedded in and driven by the target culture.This paper proposes an audio-visual integrated approach to Japanese language and culture as a bridge to acculturation for desirable learning outcomes. It discusses why it becomes necessary to use audio-visual materials as a teaching strategy, suggests how such materials should be applied to classroom teaching and learning, outlines the roles that teachers should play in an audio-visual classroom, and proposes the methods of using audio-visual materials. It concludes that it is indispensable to use technology and integrate it into the foreign language curriculum to enhance meaningful and successful learning.