What is Social relevance?

Social relevance means that the teaching strategies and materials have to be socially or culturally relevant. The context of teaching is very important. Culture influences students’ learning process and need. Therefore, the materials and teaching approaches and “methods have to be socially relevant. For example, in a Bangladeshi academic classroom, it may not be useful to use reading materials on American lifestyle without giving any background information to the learners. Or, learners will not feel comfortable talking about many social issues that are offensive in poor country.

The teacher has to be aware of the social setting and the learners’ background in their classroom to design strategies and materials. Teachers can do needs analysis of the learners at the beginning of a course. This will help them understand the learners’ background and need. Second, teachers should consider what is acceptable and what is not to discuss in a culture while selecting topics. In Bangladesh, learners do not like to talk about religion or politics at some contexts, so teachers should be sensitive towards the topics. Moreover, if teachers choose any topics on other cultures, they should give ‘enough information to the learners. This will make them confident to talk about socially unfamiliar topics. In conclusion, topics Should be related to learners’ daily and practical lives.