; Lesson 08: Response to "Deep Culture in the Elementary Classroom"

What I have learned in the last lessons led me to the conclusion that cultural diversity is a reality we are facing whether we want it or not. Trying to keep it away, to avoid some people or events does not help. People travel, world is changing. At macro level, cultural diversity brings wars and disputes sometimes. At micro level, lack of knowledge on this topic may trigger unpleasant situations and reactions. The sooner children, adults, or old people learn about it the better.

Teachers have the opportunity to develop a cross-cultural consciousness in their students. Given that we work in a school and there is a program we follow, among the first things I would teach, it would be about the cultural differences concerning time. About monochronic time and polychronic time. It is important for two cultures to understand how the other part perceives and manages time.

Monochronic cultures, U.S.A. and Western Europe for example, are oriented to tasks, schedules, and procedures, not to logic and human needs. In polychronic world, Asian, Arab countries, they are not ruled by schedule, they are ruled by relationships, family is important.

Right now, I do not know if sharing the formula (A. Event or circumstanceB. Beliefs (or culture) C. Reaction) based on that suggested by Albert Ellis would be a good idea. Maybe my readers, with more experience in teaching or not, have some suggestions for me! Is it needed for students to have a certain age? The article “Deep Culture in Elementary Classroom” tells us about this formula: “… we believe is quite pertinent to the teaching of deeper culture as well.” Is it advisable to share it or to just use relevant examples?

I think that teaching about manners in different cultures could mean for most of students learning and having fun at the same time. Of course, avoiding offending examples is the rule.

I am still puzzled about the information I read about Japanese people. They are not comfortable with physical contact. It is not a good thing to initiate handshake when you want to start a friendship with an Asian person. In Japan, the bow is the customary greeting. But the white-gloves pushers are well known in the world. How not being comfortable with physical contact gets along with being pushed in that way.

The conclusion is I went a long way on the path of learning about development of cross-cultural consciousness, but I am only at the beginning.

10/26/17; Lesson 07: Response to “Culture and Psychology”

Professor Ivers tells us in his video “Culture and Psychology” that he hopes it will make his students think. His lecture and other information I read on the topic made me think about how people are shaped by their culture and how their culture is shaped by them. Cultural psychology is the study of how psychological and behavioral tendencies are rooted in and embodied in culture.

In Romania, there was a culturally-created shame that caused a low self-esteem. It still exists but in a lesser degree than before. Probably because most people pursue higher education regardless of their talents and, now, it is difficult to find somebody skilled to do things like those mentioned below. I refer to persons who engage in vocational education: carpenters, plumbers, electricians, mechanic (repairing cars), seamstresses, cook, etc. 

I always considered those persons as gifted, talented persons. It requires talent and hard work to be a good seamstress or cook or to embrace any other vocational career. At personal relationship level, those persons were appreciated because they helped with solving so much needed issues, but the society in general did not show appreciation for them. Also their salaries were very low. The situation changed step by step in the last 27 years. Now, many of them have their own businesses with two or more employees.

Another culturally-created shame causing a low self-esteem is being a housewife, a mother raising children and taking care of her and her husband’s children. Such persons do not have too many rights. If a marriage lasts 30 years, the house in which family lives belongs to husband, and they divorce after those 30 years, the mother finds herself without a shelter. This is why most women in Romania have a job. They want to avoid to get older and to have no pension in difficult times. Some legal steps began to be made towards doing justice to those mothers but there is still a long way to that.

In fact, attitude towards women is discriminatory. According to statistics, women’s wages are 15% lesser than men’s wages. It is more difficult for women, except they are 60/90/60, I refer to their appearance, to find well-paid jobs or just jobs.

It is important for students to understand that we all are equal, that we have gifts and skills that make us unique, that we have to show respect to each other.

Also as a mother and grandmother I tried to instill those concepts in my son and grandchildren. 

10/24/17; Lesson 07: Response to “Differences in Manners”

Being polite might seem easy. But after seeing “Differences in Manners” video and reading about the manners in various countries, you find out that all depends on your location. Manners are different all over the world. Manners can differ from region to region, from neighborhood to neighborhood. Sometimes, the same sign has different meanings in different countries.

I searched the Internet and read the article “Modern Etiquette: Different cultures have different greetings.” (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-etiquette-olympics-cultures/modern-etiquette-different-cultures-have-different-greetings-idUSBRE87519320120806 )

The article offers information about greetings in different countries. People in most Asian countries are not comfortable with physical contact. It is not a good thing to initiate handshake when you want to start a friendship with an Asian person. In Japan, the bow is the customary greeting. But most Latins are more accustomed with physical contact.

Smiling is a gesture of friendliness in almost entire world. It is considered as such in America, but in some Latin cultures, the smile might be used to say “Excuse me” or “Please.” And, in some Asian cultures, smiling is a gesture used for informal occasions. An Asian person does not smile while being formally introduce because it would be considered disrespectful. Some of the manners I read resemble with those in Romania. For example, Romanians smile when introduced to someone in informal setting, but they do not smile in formal circumstances.

Readings on this topic, Manners in various cultures, help me to have a broader image of how a multicultural class might be. Knowledge about the differences in manners in different cultures and countries helps teachers to understand their students’ reactions and behaviors and find out ways to foster cross-cultural understanding in the classroom.  For example, a student from Asia is asked a question, but he does not answer; instead, he smiles. In Romania, this would be considered defiance. A teacher knowing that the smile means confusion in this case, will have an approach appropriate to the moment.

Sharing the knowledge with the students, as professor Ivers did in his videos, and offering them explanations will help and encourage students to be more inclusive and friendly to each other. 

10/24/17; Lesson 07: Response to “Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom”

People travel very much in our days. Many of them relocate with the hope to have a better life for themselves and their families. USA is a conglomerate of nationalities. The information provided by the video “Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom” and my previous readings indicate that there is a diversity of students in schools. Students come from different cultures. In Romania we do not have such a diversity. There are people from Turkey and China. Lately, from India and England too.

Professor Ivers teaches about the difference between various cultures including the Asian culture and American culture, about the respect students in the former category show to their elders and teachers. In Romania, people used to have the same behavior but we began to lose it. Western culture brought good things and bad things to us. Asian students may not volunteer to speak in the classroom due to the influence of Confucianism’s concept of formalism. Formalism emphasizes accuracy, rather than fluency. In most Asian cultures, being talkative is not valued. The students need to be sure that the answer is correct, otherwise they may refuse to speak.

Should cultural diversity not be taken into consideration when teaching? My answer to the question is the following:

Teachers need to take into consideration the cultural and social background of students. They need to relate with them, to understand them, and be empathetic with them. They need to be aware that students are human beings who have their own lives, experiences, difficulties, and challenges. Knowledge about students’ socio-cultural environment helps teachers to better understand the diversity of students, the diversity of behavior, of maturity. The lessons should respond to the needs of all students in the classroom, to help them acquire the needed knowledge.

I have a question for you too:

Is the socio-cultural consciousness needed in order to be an effective teacher?

Dina 10/21/17; Lesson 06: Response to “Attributional Tendencies"

Every day, we make judgments or inferences about the behavior of others, about our own behavior, about the cause of events. That’s because we want to determine the reason behind the actions. Those inferences are called attributions. Attributions theory divides attributions in internal and external. An internal attribution is when a behavior is attributed to internal or personal factors. An external attribution is when a behavior is attributed to external factors. The theory also divides attributions in stable and unstable. A stable attribution is due to unchanging factors and an unstable attribution is due to temporary, unstable factors.

Generally, humans have the tendency to attribute other people behavior to internal factors such as personality traits, abilities, and feelings. But when people explain their own behavior, they tend to attribute it to external factors, like circumstances.

According to research and as professor Ivers underlines in his video, cultural values and norms affect the way people make attributions. There are differences in the way attributions are made between individualist and collectivist cultures. According to the examples mentioned by professor Ivers, when they are successful, Americans – USA belongs to individualist culture – attribute the success to themselves, but when they fail they attribute the failure to others or circumstances. In Japan, a country belonging to collectivist culture, when people fail they blame themselves, not others.

At the end of his lecture, professor Ivers urges students to ponder on questions like: Are culturally-created attributions rational, reasonable, or logical? Should we judge things based on circumstances. “Life is not black and white, it is very, very complex.” For me, it sounded like an urge to be informed, to know as much as possible before making judgments/attributions, as teachers or in our own usual lives. 

Dina 10/21/17; Lesson 06: Response to "Personal Space Differences"

The distance surrounding a person forms a space. Anthropologist Edward Hall was one of the pioneers in the study of man’s spatial needs. His research in this area helps us to understand human’s relationships with each other. Hall divided the interpersonal distances of man in four distinct zones: a. intimate space; b. personal space; c. social space, and d. public space.

I’ve read that women stand closer to one another, face each other more and touch more than men do with other men. This is contrary to my experience, because men in Romania and other countries, starting from very young age, shake hands each time they meet.

The behavior of nations as far as personal space is concerned varies across the world. For Americans, Caucasian and African Americans the personal space is 18 to 36 inches, for Asians close personal space may be acceptable within the cultural group, but they avoid touching, and Europeans prefer distant personal space.                                                 

                                                                                              

I liked the article “Why do Argentinians love invading your personal space?” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/south-america/argentina/articles/argentina-personal-space/) 

The article tells us that it is difficult for a person, foreigner or not, to avoid being at “a rather intimate distance from Argentinians.” Argentinians greet their family, friends and even persons they just met with a hug and kiss; less than that is considered rude by them. A study on the field reveals that Argentina is the country where people require the least amount of personal space: they generally stay 2.5 feet away from strangers, while Romanians need about 5 feet (at least 140 cm).

“Argentinians are very touchy”, as the article mentions. When they are talking, they are touching. This might be an explanation for the fact that milonguero, a style of close-embrace tango, originates there, in Argentina. Tango is an expression of this culture. Personal space is a barrier on the way of foreigners who want to learn how to dance tango. They need to break that barrier to be able to dance. Tango comes from a culture where people embrace people. In other countries, this dance is sport-related, but in Argentina it is more culture.

The article also presents the experience of an Argentinian who visited USA. He remembered that at a party in USA nobody said hello to him, that he had the feeling he did not exist. His presence was noticed after one hour. At a party in Argentina, people go and say hi to everyone and kiss them, even if they do not know them. Argentinians consider rude to just sit down and not talk.

The knowledge I obtained about personal space will help me. I will understand better people in the countries I will visit and students I will teach.

10/19/17; Lesson 06: Response to "Individualism vs. Collectivism "

The video “Individualism vs. Collectivism” and the readings opened a new window towards exploration for me. Exploration of two concepts that are in place and functioning for, in some cases, thousands of years in this world.

Professor Ivers’ comment starts with something we are facing in Romania right now, “political travelers” as they are called, a phrase which, in this context, is synonym to disloyalty and betrayal in local view. But, it was not a surprise for me to hear that this is an acceptable decision and behavior in the United States because I read about it. Now I find the explanation. So, I started to look deeper into the two concepts.

I found out that the list of individualistic countries includes USA, Australia, Western Europe, with the Great Britain being at the top of the list. The list of countries belonging to collectivistic or group-oriented culture includes Japan, China, Korea, African countries, some of Latin American countries. 

As general features, people belonging to individualistic cultures may be allowed or even encouraged to make choices based on what is best individually, while people belonging to collectivistic cultures are more likely to give priority to what is best for the group. But there are elements of both individualism and collectivism in any culture. Individualism and collectivism are parts of broader  worldviews, which have been called atomism and holism. Atomism refers to viewing things in terms of their component parts. Holism refers to viewing all aspects of life as interconnected. So people in individualistic cultures are seen as separate units, they are considered to be independent. A person’s identity is considered to be based mainly on one’s personal experiences – accomplishments, challenges, career, relationships with other people. In collectivism, people are not viewed as separate units, but parts of larger groups (extended family, village, or tribe). People are interdependent. A person’s identity is based on one’s roles and experiences within a group.

What I am interested in is the impact of those two concepts as far as education is concerned. As professor Ivers says “American children are known throughout the world as having extra rights than many other children because they can express themselves.  They can express their opinions to adults.  They can make their own choices very often.” But, as article “The Myth of Chinese Super Schools” tells us “American students have never received high scores on international tests” while China produces the highest test scores. On the other hand, no person educated in China since 1949 won a Nobel prize. It seems the Chinese system discourages creativity, originality, invention.

The video and the readings triggered many questions for which I am looking answers. All are related to my main question: “How would be better for a teacher to approach teaching in a classroom as a TESOL classroom might be?”

10/17/17; Lesson 06: Response to “Differences in Emotional Expressivity”

Emotional expressions are those expressions in people while talking as well as the observable verbal and nonverbal behaviors that communicate an internal emotional or affective state. Emotional expression includes both facial movements such as smiling or scowling, or behaviors, like crying, laughing, being angry, or sad, or thankful, as well as body movements that accompany the internal experience of emotion and communicate it to others. Emotional expressions can occur with the person being aware or not of that.

For being effective, a TESOL teacher should know the cultural background of her/his students. As professor Ivers explains in his video “Differences in Emotional Expressivity,” there are nations that have "low tolerant expressivity" such as most Asian and Scandinavian countries. Public showing of emotion is not permitted in their cultures. And there are nations that have "high tolerant expressivity," such as Spain, Italy, some Middle East countries, and some Southern Europe countries. Knowledge on this topic helps a teacher to be culturally responsive, to consider every student as a capable learner regardless of any cultural background.

I will present a few examples of emotional expressivity I have read about and its relevance in a classroom context. For example, native American culture and spirituality teach the group the value of living in harmony with the earth, honoring each other, and respecting the interdependence of life. Many tribes have a custom that younger person looks down at the ground to show respect when and adult is speaking to him or her. The indigenous child is always mannerly but needs to be in motion.

Koreans may use a smile or laughter in a difficult situation. When a child is in trouble, he or she may smile. A teacher may perceive that as disrespect or not taking the problem seriously. The student is most likely just feeling confused or embarrassed.

Often East Asians will remain calm and polite during a conversation or disagreement. Westerners may take that to mean everything is in accord, that there is not any warning signs for trouble. Then suddenly, they will become very hostile seemingly without reason.

As professor Ivers mentioned, in U.S. schools, it is normal for boys and girls to interact with one another.  Muslim children may not interact with each other in this way; Islamic law prefers segregation by gender. Cross gender touching is not appropriate in most Muslim societies.

Knowledge on this topic “Differences in Emotional Expressivity,” can help teachers to be more responsive to the needs of her/his students. 

10/15/17; Lesson 05: Response to "Cultural Miscommunication”

As a result of immigration or globalization, there's a good chance for an English teacher to teach students from another country or cultural background at some point in her/his career. Teaching foreign students can be a tricky job, because even simple communication differences can cause major miscommunication issues. A teacher can be given hard times by several issues the result of which could be miscommunication: language, nonverbal communication, gestures, personal space, timeliness.

Language

If a British student tells another – "Let's do something some time", this is a just an expression; she/he just wants to be polite, the expression being similar to the well-known "Hi, how are you". Or if a Polish student just directly asks her/his teacher to help her/him with something, without using at least two "pleases", one or two "could you's" and "would you's", as an English person would do, it doesn’t mean that she/he was rude. In many languages, such a multitude of polite expressions in one sentence tends to be considered excessive and according to those languages – a simple "would you" already implies softened message and a polite request.

Nonverbal Communication

In the U.S., making eye contact with someone shows interest and engagement in the conversation, but when speaking to someone from Latin American, Middle Eastern or Asian countries, looking someone in the eyes might be considered rude. Showing the soles of your shoes can be very insulting to a Middle Easterner. Simple body language is enough to offend other cultures, so being aware of some of the things other cultures find offensive can help to create good relationships with foreign students.

Gestures

Before using the "OK" hand sign, peace sign, thumb up or pointing at anything, be aware that these all can be disrespectful to a foreign student. Depending on the country, these gestures can be equivalent to "giving someone the bird" or treating them like an animal. Foreign women often do not shake hands with men, so men from these countries may not be accustomed to shaking hands with women in general. A handshake may also be seen as aggressive in other countries.

Other Communication Issues

At some point in life, a person will likely have an experience with a "close talker." The amount of personal space required varies by culture, and differences can create an uncomfortable interaction for both parties. Americans, for example, tend to require more personal space than others, so Americans may see a lack of personal space as pushy or aggressive. But Mexicans’ approach is that of “close talkers.”

Timeliness is another issue that may arise in the teaching process. For example, Americans value timeliness, while in Latin American countries appointment times are often not as strict. You, as a teacher, may think it's rude if students arrive late, but it could be something usual for them.

A good cross cultural training will empower a person with knowledge, understanding and skills she/he needs to communicate and communicate effectively across cultural barriers. Cross cultural communication improves relationship with people who belong to different cultures.