TESOL 103

  Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom -Week 7-5/30/22 Cross-culture is probably one of the only sure things that will happen in an American classroom. As I have taught for the last 5 years, the diversity of the classroom has amplified. I enjoy watching a multitude of cultures spread across the room which helps us learn more about the world and about ourselves.  In our public school systems, we try very hard as teachers and staff to be considerate of other cultures and beliefs. Many times we think we are doing a great job, but then are surprised that some things we thought were concerns were actually cross-culture attributes that we had not recognized. Some forms of what we thought was bad behavior, lack of interest, or shyness, were actually cross-culture behavior and we were labeling our students. I live in the Western part of the United States and we are usually not very dynamic people. We speak in fairly calm voices and tons and don't get excited in our speaking as muc...

  Attributional Tendencies-Week 6-5/28/22 Attributional tendencies are an interesting concept that we all use often in our lives. Are we to blame for our successes and failures or are other circumstances or people around us to blame? In our culture, no matter what culture that might be, there is a tendency to lean one way or the other. If you succeed in obtaining a good career, is it because you worked hard and earned it, or is it because others set you up for success by helping you along the way? If you didn't get the career you wanted, is it because you were lazy or dumb, or was it because you were born into poverty and that set you up for failure? What we don't realize is that depending on the circumstance, the answer could go either way or be somewhere in the middle. Often though, we only see it one way or the other and that can be dangerous or just untrue.  In America, we often give our successes to ourselves, while in Japan, they give the successes to others. But when th...

  Individualism vs Collectivism-Week 6-5/28/22 What is better, what is right, Individualism or Collectivism? That question can take us down many roads and the war on this topic has been fought for many years. It is time to drop the war and figure out how to live side by side. As you can see from the map above, a large part of the world is more of the collective mindset as shown by the red. The other part of the world, in yellow, is the individual societies. As a teacher, I see multiple different viewpoints from my students, because they come from different cultural backgrounds. Some bring with them the collective view, while others bring the individual view. In a classroom, we tend to be more of a collective unit, working as a group to learn and help each other obtain the desired learning outcomes. This can look like a class being rewarded or punished together for behavior. sometimes it is broken down into smaller collectives and rewards are based on groups of students sitting at t...

 Personal Space Differences-5/24/22 Have you ever had someone come up to you and immediately you felt the need to step back because they were closer than you felt comfortable? This is due to the fact that we each have personal space distances that we are used to. For those of us who live in westernized countries, that space is larger than those in Asian countries. In America, for instance, we like about 18 inches between us and another person while talking, while in Japan, they prefer only 10 inches. When people get too close to another person's space, you will start to see things occur. First, the person will try to take a step back. and avoid eye contact. If that doesn't work, that person may feel threatened, possibly thinking there is a sexual advance or a dangerous threat being made. That is why understanding a person's cultural space is so important. Those from more familiar or close space boundaries may get labeled as too familiar and intruding, while those with furth...

  Individualism vs. Collectivism In a world where every country aspires to be the at the top in their school system, we see the best and the worst immerge. In America, the dream of the politician is to have test scores that rival that of China, and yet, we never come close. What is it we are missing? In the article "The Myth of Chinese Super Schools" the author, Diane Ravitch, points out that we are missing a billion-dollar fraud industry, pushing children to attend school from 6:30am till 10:30pm, and only allowing those who pass the exams to become a part of the ruling class. This is how we need to change our country to become like the great testing nation of China. Of course, becoming like China will be no easy feat, we need to make sure to squash individualism and creativity, but that seems like a fair sacrifice to become the best testing nation. Don't worry, we will surely make it up in Nobel Peace prizes and industrial inventions just like China has in the last 50 y...

  Differences in Emotional Expressivity-5/21/22 I have always felt like I have missed out on emotional expressivity. I live in the West where we are pretty calm and pretty boring. One of my bucket list items is to go to an African American ward and enjoy the culture that brings out the love of their faith. I feel like we are so dull that it comes across as not having much faith. If I was a person who grew up with low expressivity feel this way, how do people with high emotional expressivity feel around us? This example is a simple one and one that doesn't usually cause too much of an uproar, but the lack of expressivity or a large amount of expressivity can really cause some to get upset. I think those with more expression of emotion probably don't get as frustrated as those that don't have as much because they seem to be able to accept others, but that may be my own perception with little truth behind it. I do feel like those who are on the lower spectrum tend to get more ...

  Cross-Cultural Communication-5/21/22 As one would expect, people act, say, and live differently in different cultures. The interesting thing is, even with this knowledge, we are thrown off when we come into scenarios where someone is reacting differently than we would expect. We often perceive these communications as strange or even rude. We don't usually stop to think that possibly there is a cultural miscommunication that is occurring.  In America, there are a few things that are taboo for white people to say about black people. Referencing their color can be a touchy subject, so the media says. So when I was helping a beautiful black family from the Congo to fill out forms, I had to ask them their skin color and they just laughed at me, because obviously, it was black. I didn't want to be perceived as rude, this was my culture getting in the way of reality.  As I teach I want to make sure to be sensitive to the cultures of others and even celebrate those differences....

5/19/22-  Cultural Time Differences A few days ago a friend of mine posted this meme on Facebook. I laughed because I knew it was true, though not because of personal experience. Much of the world is Polychronic cultures. This is basically that time does not matter, but relationships do. Here in America, we live in a Monochronic culture, which means that time and schedules are extremely important. I have felt bad for my former refugee friends, because they have moved from a Polychronic culture of relaxed schedules, into a most strict environment, where if you are not on time, too bad, you have just got to deal with the consequences. Consequences may be no money for food, or they miss their doctors' appointments, causing a lack of care and frustration. As their helper, I had to constantly give them text and phone reminders letting them know that it was almost time to go. I think they were OK with changing their thoughts on time, but only because they have received a kind friend in t...

Cultural Paradigms-5/14/22 Cultural Paradigms are a fascinating subject. Paradigms are how we look at things, it is our perspective on something. In culture, paradigms are everywhere. In the United States, our views on clothing, food, and morals are very different from a place such as China. Yet within the United States, there are also many paradigms. Utah has a much different culture than New York. In Utah, Sunday tends to be a day for family and God, whereas, in New York, it may be culturally acceptable to shop and do yard work. Though even that paradigm is shifting in Utah. As a child, I lived in Germany. I remember while on a field trip to the lake, being shocked to see women laying on the dock, topless, and men fondling and kissing them. There were about half a dozen ladies and men, laid out like it was the normal thing to do. In America, you would be arrested for indecency. That is an example of a cultural paradigm. What is acceptable in Germany, is very unacceptable in America, ...