As a future Tesol teacher, I have been reflecting
upon my future classroom and the diversity I may encounter there. Students
coming from different cultures, paradigms, and social backgrounds with
different ways of seeing things that other may consider as normal or correct.
How could it affect my teaching practices?
First of all, I imagine their participation in the
class will be as diverse as their origins. Some students may be more open or
extroverts and some may be more reflective and active observers. Depending on
their culture and how teachers are treated or considered, they may find other
students to be rude or disrespectful. On the other hand, students who do not
feel intimidated to talk to their teachers or treat them as equals, may
consider them as weird. In any case students’ behaviors in the classroom will be
highly influenced by their cultures, and teachers should be aware of it and
plan how to address this matter.
Personally speaking, I would start by setting the
rules from the very beginning of the course and making sure every student knows
what the proper behavior to keep in class is. Secondly, I would let them know
how they can reach the teacher for help and address him or her in an acceptable
way. Finally, I would make clear how I expect they treat each other in the
class to discourage any problem that could arise due to their cultural
differences.
Summing up, in a Tesol classroom we may encounter
a wide variety of cultures and mental paradigms, and teachers should be aware
of it and how this factor may influence their teaching practices and students’
learning experiences.
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