ESL teachers often seem to be intersted in cultures of the world and learning about others, don’t they? The website I am going to highlight today is a smorgasboard or information! There are so very many ways you can use this information both in the classroom and for personal enrichment/understanding. As you look at the site, think about how YOU could use this site in YOUR class.

What do they do? “The Hofstede Centre’s main goal is to offer high quality education in the field of culture and management based on academic research and practical experience. The centre services all those who want to become certified and who have been certified by us in the fields of Intercultural Management (ICM) and Organisational Culture and Change Management (OC).”
How can you use this information? There are lots of different ways you can use the information here. One way would be to use it to make comparisons between two countries. Let’s say you are teachig comparatives in your class. In the computer lab the students could go to the website and select two countries to compare. After entering the information a chart appears comparing the two countries.The students could use the information to practice using compartivies, expressing opinions, and asking questions for better understanding.
For example, when comparing Honduras and El Salvador, we can see how they are similar and where their differences are in areas such as, power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation, and indulgence. These terms are defined on the website and will help you undertand the comparison chart. Here’s the link to compare Honduras and El Salvador: http://geert-hofstede.com/Honduras.html (To compare two countries, go to the main page. Next, click on Cultural Tools. A dropdown box will appear, and click on “Country Comparison” and follow the directions. It’s easy to use!)
Possible ways to use the site:
- gain insight and understanding about another culture
- practice comparatives, in both speaking and writing
- discuss culture and values
- express opinions
- learn new vocabulary
- ask questions
- read and interpret data.
To supplement this information, you can also visit the CIA Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gl.html which provides information about each country’s literacy, health, economy, government, and other demographic information.