Cultural Miscommunications

 Earlier this week I learned that I am a polychronic individual living in a monochronic society.  Today I learned that one of the habits that I have during conversation (interrupting) in some cultures would be evidence that I am invested in and really enjoying the conversation.  I am starting to feel a little bit like a fish out of water!  I am only kidding.  I know within each society there are variances in how we interact with each other, even though there are generalized "cultural norms".  In preparing for a TESOL classroom, I think it is incredibly important for a teacher to keep this at the very forefront of their mind.  Someday I will have a classroom of students from many different cultures.  Miscommunications are bound to happen in a situation such as this.  However, that does not negate the responsibility to try my best to avoid the problems that may occur because of them.  It will be difficult to avoid the miscommunications themselves.  My hope is to create an environment where students feel comfortable enough to speak up when something bothers them or they don't quite understand.  I also think it is important for a teacher in a culturally diverse classroom to put in a bit of work to understand the different cultures of their students.  A small amount of work could positively affect the classroom in a BIG way.  For example, Dr. Ivers shared a common saying from Japanese culture.  It states, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."  In Japan, they are very group-oriented.  As a teacher, this would be important to know.  Dr. Ivers' wife learned this lesson as an aide in a kindergarten class.  They selected a Japanese student to be "Student of the Week".  During the week, the student would be highlighted and all of their work on display.  For a culture that is more "individualist", such as the United States, this is a big honor!  Imagine the surprise when the student cried and the parents were angry about it!  This is an example of the types of miscommunications that can happen when we don't take the time to fully understand where our students are coming from.  We cannot assume that they will be able to adapt to our culture, because they may not even know they are doing anything wrong.  From facial expressions, to hand gestures, to body language, to eye contact - all cultures are different.  Teaching a subject such as TESOL puts an extra responsibility on the teacher to be more culturally sensitive and aware.  

Comments

  1. OliblogFebruary 8, 2021 at 11:22 AM

    Yes, I too would like to be approachable to students. I think that helps in a relationship to not offend or be offended. Dr. Ivers is a dynamic teacher.

    ReplyDelete

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