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W07 Blog: Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom (30/05/22)

 

Each person acts according to his or her cultural rules. Therefore, for a TESOL teacher, the interpretations given to certain actions are of utmost importance. Jumping to conclusions is never ideal, especially in a multicultural environment.Understanding, tolerance, and patience must be fundamental in the classroom.

For example, African American and Hispanic students tend to be more expressive because it is part of their culture. Their expressiveness does not imply that they are bad students or want to be imposing, as they may be perceived. On the other hand, we have people from Asia who tend to be more quiet and reserved, because in their culture the teacher is an authority figure who must be highly respected.

Many factors as expressiveness, emotions or timing vary from culture to culture. Therefore, something key is the benefit of the doubt. Professor Ivers explained this principle when he said, “Whenever a student is from a different place or ethnic group or something does anything weird, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Even though you may be interpreting it negatively, it may not be meant negatively.” These words make me reflect on my own culture and patterns within a classroom. In my country, Venezuela, it is common to engage in conversation with teachers and be treated as equals. They are not represented as unattainable figures. Talking in the classroom between students is considered totally disrespectful, however the more participation and expressiveness there is from the student to the teacher about the topic related to the class, the better it is for the teacher because he/she feels that his/her class has been productive. What patterns have you noticed within your educational system?

Comentarios

  1. M.Human31 de mayo de 2022 a las 4:19

    In South Africa, the city schools can have many different cultures. The principle of giving the student the benefit of the doubt is a good practice. Teachers also need to learn the cultural rules of her students to avoid misunderstandings.

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  2. iSABEL31 de mayo de 2022 a las 20:05

    HI. I like your question. In Mexico, we are like in Venezuela. The students talk with the teachers openly. I am 63 years old, and it was very different for me. I agree that tolerance and patience are the keys to being successful as teachers. Thanks for your post.

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  3. Tatiana Cevallos3 de junio de 2022 a las 8:19

    In my country it is the same as in Venezuela, the students speak without problems with the teachers, of course as long as it is in a polite way.

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