10/23/21; Week 6: Response to Individualism vs. Collectivism

 

To clarify these ideas, I am going to start with two popular expressions. On one hand, collectivism tells you “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down”. And, on the other hand, individualism proclaims “do your own thing". In a Tesol classroom setting, we are going to face the challenge of students coming from these cultural backgrounds, and we need to decide before hand how we are going to manage this diversity. How will we help our students to succeed in a collaborative learning environment?

I have felt hammered down so many times in my life, even as an adult, because of my personality and my points of view, that I can tell you how negative it can be to diminish someone’s ambitions or opinions. Besides, those who excel the rest of the group many times are envied and criticized, without considering how much effort he or she put to reach to the point where they get. On the other hand, the education system tends to stop those students’ learning process to accommodate or level it to the rest of the group’s achievement. This discourages them, kills their creativity, prevent their learning, and generate feelings of anxiety and boredom. As a result, students sometimes lost their motivation to study and avoid making extra efforts.

How could we create a safer and welcoming classroom environment for every student?

First of all, knowing our students’ backgrounds. We need to be aware of their origins and if they were raised in a collectivist or individualist culture. This will help us avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments of their behaviors. Some may appear a bit shy or as if they do not know the answers, and the real thing is that they are not used to show how much they know. Or some of them may know all the answers and have an individualistic attitude. After analyzing the different responses we get through the activities set, we need to decide how to build a cooperative and positive class atmosphere, where each student can reach their potential and shine according to their abilities and talents. They need to know that it is okey to demonstrate who we are if we care, at the same time, for the rest of the group having the same opportunity. Furthermore, we can assure them that helping others does not take their successes away. Contrary to what sometimes it is believed, we reach more knowledge and understanding when we teach others the things we learn, and they can better remember concepts through sharing them with other members of the class. 

As I have stated before, in my opinion it is a matter of balance, respect, and understanding of the culturally diverse backgrounds our students come from. Setting the vision of a cooperative and helping learning environment from the very beginning will guide our teaching practices and our students’ individualistic or collectivist tendencies.