Proverbs, culture and values: New perspectives in the initial education of the Foreign Languages educator

Abstract

The training of foreign language teachers faces the ongoing challenge of integrating a humanistic approach that encompasses not only linguistic competencies, but also cultural, ethical and civic dimensions. Proverbs, as culturally rich and pedagogically versatile expressions, offer a meaningful pathway to address this challenge and contribute to holistic teacher development. However, their use in foreign language instruction is often limited to isolated linguistic or cultural elements due to the lack of understanding of their full potential and the absence of structured activities. This study aims to present a set of adaptable, proverbs – based activities designed to foster cultural awareness, ethical reflection, and the development of linguistic and intercultural skills in the English language teaching – learning process during initial teacher training. A qualitative methodology was employed, grounded in a participatory action research framework. The activities were constructed following a bibliographic review, analysis of instructional texts used in first – year English practice, and participant observation during the implementation phase.