11/17/21; Week 7: Response to “Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom”

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.

 

10/27/21; Week 6: Response to “Attributional Tendencies”

As human beings, I think we have the strong tendency to find an explanation for every situation. We may attribute them to internal or external factors, depending on our culture and personal mindsets. However, almost every person has this need to find a reason behind what is happening to oneself or others. This tendency can be dangerous because sometimes victims of different crimes are blamed for what have happened to them, adding more pain to what they are already facing. Therefore, we as teachers must analyze our personal attributional tendencies, and how they could influence our teaching practices.

Cultural attributional tendencies are different for every country and even among people from the same origin. It is not the same for people with a collectivist point of view than for people who are individualists. For instance, collectivist will attribute their successes to external factors like their parents, group, or other entity, but not to their own abilities and talents; however, it will be their fault if they fail. They do not attribute mistakes or misfortunes to others but themselves. On the other hand, individualist people tend to blame or attribute failures to external factors, and praise themselves for their achievements, even though they may receive help from others in the process.

In a classroom setting, we can observe both behaviors. We will find students who attribute their lack of effort to their circumstances, bad luck, having not talent for the language, and the list has not end. And, on the other hand, students who consider they are not skillful, gifted, or who tell you all the time “I do not know” or “I do not understand”. Personally speaking, in this last case I link this self-image to a low self-esteem and a poor concept of themselves; not in all the cases, but in those who I understand this is the real problem behind their comments.

In any case, every student should be made responsible for their own learning process if we want them to overcome their challenges and personal circumstances. If we let them rest on their attributional tendencies, they will surely fail on developing their language skills and never discover what they are capable to do or overcome. 

 

 

 

10/26/21; Week 6: Response to Personal Space Differences

Personal space needs may vary from one person to another depending on how everyone has lived. It is not the same for people coming from crowded cities or villages than for those who were raised in the countryside. Even those coming from a numerous family may manifest different space demands than those who pertain to a small family group. However, in every case every person has his own unique space demands, and teachers should identify and make sure those needs are met and respected.

This is especially paramount in a multicultural classroom setting, with people coming from so many different places. It is not the same for students from Japan with little personal space demands than for students coming from the United States or England. Every culture has its conventions on this matter, besides of those situations where exceptions can be made. E.g., in a public transportation or an elevator where the space available is reduced, and we need to share it tightly. Even in such situations there are not written rules about how to behave to show respect towards others. Therefore, knowing our students’ origins and cultural traditions related to personal space needs surely will avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations of teachers or students’ manners. In my opinion, it is something to not underestimate since people could really misjudge our careful attitudes and attribute them to any obscure intention, and we do not want to face that situation for sure.

We all are equipped with a sense of protection linked to our personal space. We only allow our affections and people we trust on to get into it, and we feel invaded for strangers surpassing this limit. Usually, students trust on their teachers because they expect only good things from them. However, never forget to keep a convenient distance to make sure they feel safe and comfortable with you, no matter how close and positive your teacher-student relationship is. Sadly, we live in a world where bad things happen, and great damage is caused. For this reason, people sometimes may overreact or misjudge others’ intentions; obviously, we cannot blame them, but comprehend these reactions and their origin.

To conclude, personal space needs vary from one person to another, and from one culture to another.
However, everybody has his or her own limits where they can feel safe and protected. To avoid invading your students’ secure space, make sure you and the rest of the group keep a proper distance when talking to each other, when working in pairs, or when they reach you for help. Having these limits will create a proper learning environment in your classroom, and it will become a refuge for everyone in it, including you.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

10/22/21; Week 6: Response to “Differences in Emotional Expressivity”

I knew that some emotional expressions are considered inappropriate in some cultures like the British or the Asian. Besides, as a Latin American, I know we are highly expressive, and it can be difficult to understand for people coming from countries like England, Japan, or Turkey. Nevertheless, what surprised me the most was to learn that there are people like us in the United States.

I had the wrong idea that people in North America were not used to show their feelings to others through words or physical expressions like hugs or kisses. Even though this may be certain in some regions of the country, there are other places where people can be truly affectionate and do not hesitate to demonstrate it. For instance, people coming from the South of the United States or New York. Obviously, it is a generalization; we can encounter people in those places who tend to be more private about their emotions than the rest. However, we can be surprised by the naturality with which they show their emotions publicly.

On the other hand, there are places like the Midwest were people have low tolerance to emotional expressions. It does not mean that they do not have feelings but that they demonstrate them privately., and so do many others coming from different places around the world. We may vary in the way we communicate with others depending on our origins and culture, but, as human beings, we are wired with the same ability to feel love, sadness, empathy, anger, and so on. For this reason, we need to learn how to express ourselves according to the person in front of us. We can not infer they are going to react the same way we do to others’ behavior or are going to speak their minds out freely like we may do. It does not mean they do not have an opinion or ideas related to a matter, but they probably prefer to manifest them in a different way or environment.

These cultural differences about emotional expressivity must be considered especially in a TESOL classroom setting, to avoid misunderstandings about our intentions and values, and to create a safe and comfortable learning atmosphere.

Have you experienced some confused episode related to emotional expressions? Share your story in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!

 

10/20/21; Week 5: Response to Culture Miscommunication

The biggest problem

From my point of view, miscommunication must be one of the biggest problems in todays’ world. It is not a matter of culture but of effective communication skills, or the lack of them. Even among people of the same family, country, or culture there are misunderstandings and conflicts arise from them. Friends turn into strangers, and families fall apart because we do not put enough efforts in understanding others’ points of view. What could we do to improve this situation?

Learning to listen

One of the key points, in my opinion, is that we need more listening and less speaking. We speak a lot without caring much for others’ feelings or concerns. We do not pay enough attention to body language, face expressions, or the look in the eyes of people surrounding us. If we would do it, we would realize how much they have to say. It is of paramount importance to increase our ability to listen with our ears and hearts wide open to learn from others, and to avoid being misunderstood in our intentions and thoughts. In normal conversations, it is common to interrupt to speak our ideas out and we lost the opportunity to listen carefully to our interlocutor. We are often more preoccupied for what to answer than for learning from the person before us. As a Latin American person, I grew up in a greatly talkative culture and this is the most common situation: talking to each other is an act of camaraderie, but it can become a problem if we do not pay attention to what we say or how we say it.

 

Avoiding miscommunication

Tesol teachers must pay special attention to this important matter. I imagine myself in a culturally diverse classroom and my first thought is “I need to be careful”. And my second thought is “Do not take things for granted”. Since students come from a great variety of backgrounds and cultures, we as teachers should avoid practices, words, or any other thing that could be misinterpreted by our students. Moreover, it would be recommendable if we learn a bit about our students’ origins and beliefs because it could avoid us several problems in the future. We surely will avoid jokes and idioms that can create confusion or offend anyone not used to them. It is a good practice to ask our students to talk about their traditions and what they consider to be acceptable and respectful, and what could be taken as an insult or offense. It takes time to get to know our students’ cultures, but it is crucial if we want to avoid misunderstandings and that everyone may feel welcome to our class.

Conclusion

Nowadays, miscommunication is a great challenge for every person in the world. We can be misunderstood even among our own people and our own family. However, if we learn to listen and pay attention to others’ body language and expressions, we can notice when the trouble is arising and make the necessary adjustments to stop the wave. As Tesol teachers, it is not only a good practice, but a key element in an L2 welcoming learning environment.

If you have other ideas and suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

10/17/21; Week 5: Response to Culture Differences Concerning Time

Monochronic vs. Polychronic

As a Latin American person, I behaved most of my life as monochronic people do. I have lived worried about time, routines, procedures, and schedules. Being a mom of four children and knowing the importance of having bed routines or fixed activities to help them feel safe and comfortable, this obsessed me most of my young years. However, as I have passed my 40’s, things do not appear to be that urgent or rigid, or I am allowing myself a bit of freedom and relax about it. I am learning to be more polychronic and put family and relationships first and not the clock or the routines, yet without neglecting the importance of them.

Finding a balance

Both extremes of this matter may produce misunderstandings and misconceptions among people; hence, it is a good practice to learn how to establish a balance between the clock and relationships. There are moments where time must be our priority, and others where caring for our relationships must be our number one concern. Besides, we need to be aware that not all people act the same way or have the same attitude about time and schedules. Or, in other words, not all people are monochronic or polychronic. Therefore, to avoid these problems, we will do good in adapt ourselves to the person and the situation at hand. It is not always easy because sometimes you have not an idea how the person is; in these cases, being punctual and careful about time is better than offending others. On the other hand, there will be moments were that person’s feelings are the most important aspect to consider. Only through practice and a great sensitivity we can manage to find a balance and avoid being excessively concerned about both degrees of time conceptions.

Application in the TESOL classroom

Why is it an important topic for us Tesol/Tefl teachers? Well, from my point of view, being on time for classes is a requisite in all work settings. Besides, students are always pendent of you arriving at their classroom to deliver your lesson. Secondly, having routines is paramount for L2 learners, since they give students security in what is going to happen, and they already know what to expect. This is the reason behind writing an agenda as the first step in the lesson. Thirdly, finding a balance between monochronic and polychronic points of view will help you know what parts of your lesson prioritize when you run out of time at moments where the unexpected occurs. It may be a student’s misbehavior, a school activity or meeting, assemblies, and the list has not end in a common school day. On the other hand, establishing a good class environment and positive teacher-student relationships is crucial if we want our teaching practices to be effective. We cannot learn from people who we do not admire or respect, and this is the reason why I consider it so important.

Conclusion

I have experience being on both ends of this path called monochronic-polychronic lifestyles, and both are too much to manage. In my opinion, learning from both and finding a balance is an effective manner to care for people who lives at a different pace and rhythm.

The question is, how can we do it? How can we learn to be at the middle of the line? How can we educate ourselves to abandon our extreme points of view about time, schedules, or procedures? How can we learn to be more direct about our feelings or desires?

 

10/15/21; Week 5: Response to Culture Paradigms

 

What is a paradigm?

This is the first question I asked myself. How could I explain this term to others if I do not have a clear idea about it? Hence, I went to Google for a definition. On the online Cambridge Dictionary, I found this result: “a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something.” As I understand it, a paradigm is a model we use to explain or interpret our reality and our behaviors, and it is modelled by our culture. Nevertheless, are our paradigms correct?

A Change of Mind

After watching the Ted Talk titled “Cultural clashes in defining beauty” by Delali Bright¹ I realized how wrong my cultural paradigm was about our bodies and the concept of beauty. As she did, I struggled my whole life with my self-image and self-esteem aided by others’ criticism and comparisons, besides of body-shaming. Even as an adult, I found it challenging to overcome these false models about what it means to be beautiful. I concluded I am definitely in the wrong place and surrounded by the wrong people. Well, I love my country, so it is not the place I was born in the problem here, but the concept of what a “beautiful” person means according to our culture. A few months ago I decided I am beautiful, no matter others’ opinions or ideas about it. I decided to start loving myself and appreciate what I can do thanks to the body I am in. I make the decision of never again allow anybody body-shame me or make fun of my imperfections. Why did I decide it? Because the concept of beauty varies according to the place where you are; therefore, if it is that different, then it depends on the person who is looking at you, not on you nor your physical appearance. In conclusion, it is not your problem what other people believe an “attractive” person is.

Why do we need to change our paradigms?

As a future Tesol teacher, I am worried about my own paradigms and how they could affect my teaching practices. Students come to your classroom from a wide variety of backgrounds, and you do not know what their cultural beliefs are. Therefore, you have to be careful about everything you do and say. Even a simple, innocent joke may offend any of them if they have a different concept of the things you are talking about. These cultural differences may be encountered even among people of the same nation due to social-economic backgrounds and education. For this reason, we should not underestimate this matter and be extremely careful about our words and actions at the front of a class. Our own paradigms might influence them for good or for worse, and they will impact our students in the same way. As I always say, we should not take things for granted or jump to conclusions. We should assess our students’ ideas and concepts about the things we want to discuss about to not offend or damage their minds and souls.

As I did, I found several of my students struggling with many wrong concepts and ideas on different matters. The question is,

How can we help them overcome these false concepts?

What can teachers do to address this topic from their teaching practices?

How can we help students change their own paradigms and raise awareness about their consequences in our lives?

 

References

1. Bright, D. (2013, November). Cultural clashes in defining beauty. [Video]. Ted Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/delali_bright_cultural_clashes_in_defining_beauty#t-242618

9/25/21 -Tesol 103 Week 2: Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

 

After reading all the material included for this week assignment, I could not avoid reflecting upon my own experiences as a student. Along my elementary and high school years I have the blessing of having great teachers; those who ignite the love for learning and create an inviting classroom environment, and those who put you to think why they chose this career because of their doubtful actions.

I remember one time in high school when a physics teacher made me cry so badly, I thought on quitting the course. I worked part time and attended school, sleeping only a few hours a day and being tired most of the time. That day I was exhausted and fell asleep during her class. This got her crazy and started to yell and tell everybody that was better to stay at home and skip classes instead of going to sleep during a lesson. Oh gosh, I was so ashamed. And after she left the room, I cried with my heart all broken. I was doing a great sacrifice living on my own and working to meet my needs, besides of studying to complete high school at the age of 18 and got humiliated for doing that. At the time I could not imagine I will become a teacher, but I decided never to behave that harmful way with others.

Now that I work for a living as an EFL teacher, I have the goal to be the best teacher ever for my students. I want to be empathetic, receptive, affectionate, kind, a bit crazy, and passionate about my subject. I would like to teach them with love and energy and communicate effectively and properly, according to my students’ characteristics and needs. I do my best to create a safe environment where respect, cooperation, kindness, and generosity rule all our actions and behaviors. Is it easy? No, of course it is not, but it is worth all the effort put on it. When you meet your former learners, and they greet you effusively and smiling at you, you may assure you did something right.