10/31/19; Week 7: Response to “Culture and Psychology”

Culture can have a big effect on our emotions.  In all cultures, they have their things that make a real man, a real woman and it’s common to have shame if you don’t live up to those things.  People usually struggle to live up to these stereotypes or cultural expectations.  The animated movie The Book of Life illustrates this.  It tells the story of Manolo, a young man who is confused about meeting his family’s expectations and/ or following his heart.  He is from a family of bullfighters.  His father, grandfather and many ancestors were famous and brave bullfighters.  His family and his culture bestow a lot of prestige on being a bullfighter.  However, Manolo loves music and playing his guitar.  He does not want to kill bulls.  In Manolo’s culture, being a bullfighter is exalted while his talent for music is minimized.     

     

According to Professor Ivers from BYU-Idaho, the culture into which one is born has a significant effect on one’s self-esteem.  Every culture has the culturally-created ought-self.  Every person has his/her real self.  However, the real self may or may not correspond to this culturally-demanded ought-self.  If the correspondence is high, the self-esteem is usually high.  The higher the correspondence, the higher self-esteem one will enjoy. 

Research has documented that high self-esteem plays an important role in academic achievement, social and personal responsibility (Redenbach, 1991).  In fact, in some studies, self-esteem has come out to be the most important factor in academic achievement.  During childhood and teenage years, if individual’ feelings are respected, thoughts valued and abilities recognized then self-esteem strengthens.  The opposite is also true.  As teachers, we can play a crucial role in our students’ lives.  We can be the ones who listen to them, respect their feelings and recognize their abilities.  We can be the ones who increase their self-esteem and touch their lives forever and ever. 

Oh, just a little spoiler: At the end of the movie, the message is “Write your own story”.  A great movie! 

10/29/19; Week 7: Response to “Differences in Manners”

In my previous posts, I have talked about some cultural differences such as personal space, emphasis on punctuality, expressivity, etc.  However, cultural differences also include differences in manners.  Every culture has its own rule of etiquette: what is considered polite or okay in a country, can be considered rude or even very offensive in another culture.  For example, some cultures like to argue with you and they don’t consider it rude.  Many places in the world (Latin American countries, for instance) have high tolerance for noise, especially loud music. 

If we take a quick look at the Internet about the issue, we’ll see that there is etiquette for tipping, dining, driving, greeting, dressing, etc.  There is also cell phone and business etiquette (how to receive a business card, for example). When traveling abroad, no matter if you are going to live in another country, doing business or just have fun as a tourist, it is very important to learn about the new culture you’re going to face.  Professor Ivers from BYU-Idaho also gives a precious tip: “See what everyone else is doing.”   

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3684369/Give-four-kisses-Nantes-NEVER-fold-arms-Finland-etiquette-guide-greetings-world.html

Source: https://tablebabel.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/table-manners-the-international-differences/

Cultural diversity in an ESL/EFL class offers both teacher and students the opportunity to meet and become familiar with various aspects of the students’ home countries.  However, the gap between what is considered appropriate or inappropriate in a classroom setting can be embarrassing if the the teacher does not interpret those behavioral displays properly.  Teachers and students can have different paradigms concerning students’ participation in class, use of first name, discipline, error correction, promptness, etc.  The students’ cultural background often affects the way they interact in the classroom and how they learn English.    

As an ESL/EFL teacher, we should be aware of teaching without bias, discrimination or prejudice.  Developing cultural awareness is a process.  It begins with developing a sensitivity and understanding of our students’ beliefs, attitudes, behaviors and values. It is important to be proactive when it comes to learning about the different cultural background of the students.    

Sources:

https://www.teach-this.com/ideas/cultural-awareness

https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/AZSLAT/article/view/21305/20882

10/28/19; Week 7: Response to “Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom”

                                  Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV36efjBKRU

In an ESL/ EFL classroom, it is not unusual to have students from different cultures.  Therefore, there may be differences concerning several aspects such as: cultural paradigms, differences concerning how each culture handle time, differences in emotional expressivity, personal space, attributional tendencies, etc.  We may find individualist and collectivistic cultures inside a classroom.  For example, students from Africa, Latin America and Northeastern states in the U.S. have higher expressivity than students from Asia, North of Europe and American states like Wyoming, Idaho and Utah.  Asian students are usually less participatory and very respectful.  They rarely question or disagree.  Because the United States are an egalitarian society, students usually question and participate more.    

This cultural diversity can be extremely enriching and beneficial for both teachers and students.  However, it takes time and effort.  It is is important to learn about the backgrounds of the students.  It involves reading about their countries of origin, visiting their homes and meeting family members, connecting with parents, developing relationships with community members and organizations, and going to cultural and religious festivals.  By learning about my students’ lives outside the classroom, I am more prepared to work with them in the classroom, avoiding miscommunication and bigger conflicts.    It is also important to follow Professor John Ivers’ advice: “Whenever a student is from a different place or ethnic group or someone does anything weird, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.” 

If cultural awareness is developed, classroom can be a welcome environment where there is respect, tolerance, harmony, cooperation, curiosity, motivation, social-emotional development and personal and educational achievements.

Sources:

https://lessonplans.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/the-cross-cultural-classroom/

10/25/19; Week 6: Response to “Personal Space Differences”

Today I am going to talk about personal space differences.  We all have an invisible and protective bubble around us, as if it were an extension of our body.  Each person has his own personal territory, which includes the area that exists around his/ her possession.    

This personal space is partially culturally determined and can expand or contrast depending on the local circumstances.  How far the space extends depends mainly how crowded the conditions were.  That’s why some cultures, such as the Japanese, who are accustomed to crowding, have smaller personal spaces.  Countries from Latin America or Southern Europe usually have smaller personal spaces as well.  Other cultures prefer the ‘wide open spaces’ and like you to keep your distance.  If you watch a Japanese and an American talking, the two will slowly begin to move around the room; the American moving backwards from the Japanese and the Japanese moving forward.  Because of these cultural differences, they can look at each other with suspicion in a business meeting for example.  We can see how personal space is important to Americans when we look for this issue on the internet.  We will find lots of articles, children’s books, classroom activities, etc. If we look for it in Brazilian Portuguese, we will find little material since it is not a big question for us, Brazilians.  In his class in BYU-Idaho, professor Ivers tells us that personal space is sacred for Germans.  This can be clearly shown in the image below with Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany.

   

Source: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2017/03/30/youre-in-my-space-how-preferred-interpersonal-distance-varies-across-the-world/

In a cross-cultural classroom, it is extremely important to be aware of these personal space differences.  This lack of awareness between cultures can easily lead to misconceptions and inaccurate assumptions about one culture by another.  We can be invited or rejected, depending on the respect that we have for others’ personal space.  The more teachers and students are aware of these differences, the more they will be able to respect and be respected.  The video below is a wonderful example for teaching about personal space in the American society.  It is based on the children’s book Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook and I found it very useful if you want to teach your students about personal space in the U.S.      

Sources:

https://content.byui.edu/file/b224d5c7-20ff-4f88-9660-7bfb4d1669fc/2/Personal%20Space%20Differences.html

https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap9.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44bQRoEmHAY

10/24/19; Week 6: Response to “Individualism vs. Collectivism”

Source: http://www.foresightguide.com/cultures-of-china-and-the-usa-implications-for-global-leadership/

Today I studied about Individualistic and Collectivist cultures. In a society oriented to individualism, for instance the United States, people are encouraged to be independent.  Children have freedom to express themselves.  As youth enter adulthood, they expect and are expected to make decisions about their own lives.  There is great emphasis on self-sufficiency, self-determination, self-competence, self-responsibility.  There is more competition.   People are more likely to blame themselves and feel shame or guilt if they don’t meet expect.  Knowledge is freely available to anyone who wants it.  People should take care of their own needs and only turn to their families as a last resource.  

Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-individualistic-cultures-2795273

On the other hand, in a collectivist culture like Asia countries, people are encouraged to be interdependent.  Children are rarely allowed to do their own thing without the consent of their parents.  There is emphasis of group-oriented values, togetherness and harmony.  There is more cooperation.  People are more likely to feel shame or guilt if their behavior is judged to being disgrace on the group.  People of high social status holds knowledge that is transmitted orally to people who have passed ceremonial milestones or belong to a restricted group.  Family members may desire or feel obligated to care for relatives in need.  Accepting help may be viewed as evading family responsibilities.

In 2014, here in Brazil, we had a great demonstration of how a collectivism culture has responsibility for everyone.  Brazil was holding the World Cup.  After a soccer match, Japanese supporters were filmed cleaning the stadium.  Brazilians were astonished because we have never seen such attitude.  Many TV programs talked about it.  It was a great example to us and now I realize that it is part of their group-oriented culture.    

                           Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-2794962

We also read a very interesting article about positives and negatives in the real world of these two cultures or the myth of Chinese schools.  According to Yong Zhao, Chinas has the best and the worst education system in the world.  It is the best because it produces the highest test scores.  However, it sacrifices creativity, divergent thinking, originality and intrinsic motivation. 

These studies made me think about my role as a teacher and as a mother.  It made me think about what kind of education I want to provide for my son and for my students.  As a mother and teacher, I will do my best to promote cooperation, group unity and harmony as well as creativity, curiosity, social-emotional development and intrinsic motivation.  

Sources:

 https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Individualism+vs+Collectivism/0_ojon0rjc

http://www.ncset.org/publications/essentialtools/diversity/partIII.asp

http://www.redeseducacion.net/articulos/Informes/The%20Myth%20of%20Chinese%20Super%20Schools.pdf

10/22/19; Week 6: Response to “Differences in Emotional Expressivity”

This week we are still learning about cultural differences in our TESOL Pedagogy Course and professor Iver’s lesson today was about differences in emotional expressivity.  People around the world usually express their emotions the same way when they are in a private environment.  However, there are some differences on how to express these same emotions in public.  Some cultures do not permit a lot of public showing of emotion.  They have low tolerant expressivity and are represented by people from Asian and Scandinavian countries.    Some cultures have high tolerant expressivity like Hispanic, Middle East and Southern Europe people.  Other cultures, North-Americans for instance, are somewhere between.  This emotional expressivity is usually passed down subconsciously, from generation to generation.  According to University of Wisconsin social psychologist Paula Niedenthal, people from countries with long-term migratory history will be more emotionally expressive than people from low historical heterogeneity countries. They will, for example, smile more broadly and more frequently than people who live in countries with no history of immigration.  It happens because immigrants must adapt to a situation in which basic communication is hindered by the lack of a commonly spoken language. One way to adapt is to encourage people to show their feelings freely, thereby making it easier to form social connections with strangers and build social trust.

When we are not aware of these cultural differences, we may judge or label others according to our paradigms.  For example, people with low tolerant expressivity may see the high ones as less civilized, less disciplined or even less intelligent or more dangerous while high tolerant expressivity people may see the low ones as boring, dull and holier.  When we are not able to understand how other cultures express their emotions, misunderstandings, prejudice, intolerance or even serious conflicts may arise. 

There is a story that the Persian Gulf War could have been avoided if American and Iraqi diplomats had known more about cultural norms regarding the public display of emotions.  In January 1991, James Baker, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Tariq Aziz, Iraq's foreign minister, met in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Seated next to Aziz was Saddam Hussein's half-brother, who periodically gave Hussein his assessment of the negotiations.  James Baker, a reserved man who rarely raised his voice or showed emotion, said very clearly and plainly that the United States and its partners would launch a counteroffensive if Iraq did not pull its troops out of Kuwait.  Unfortunately, the Iraqis paid too little attention to what Baker said and too much attention to how he said it. Hussein’s half-brother reported to Baghdad, "The Americans will not attack. They are weak. They are calm. They are not angry. They are only talking.”  Six days later, President Bush unleashed Operation Desert Storm.

Since teaching is touching lives, we will be more able to touch lives, if we know how our students express their emotions and how they express their emotions is deeply influenced by their culture.  This knowledge can really impact teacher-student relationship.  It can also impact teacher-parents relationship or even student-student relationship.  If we are too busy judging others, we won’t have time to love them or learn from them, or even teach them and touch their lives.    

     

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-conscious/201907/migration-patterns-predict-emotional-expressiveness  

Secretary of State James Baker

Source: U.S. Department of State

10/19/19; Week 5: Response to “Cultural Miscommunication”

This week, in my TESOL course, we are learning about teaching and assessing cultural differences.  As part of our assignments, we’ve watched two videos: a lesson by professor Ivers from BYU-Idaho concerning Cultural Miscommunication and some advertisements from HSBS about cultural differences.  In the lesson, professor Ivers says that miscommunication can cause a lot of difficulties and it’s always a big possibility.  He then talks about some cultural characteristics of people from Latin America, Japan, German, India, etc.  He also says how facial expressions and gestures differ from culture to culture.  In the HSBS ads, we can see many cultural differences that may cause miscommunication such as personal space, gestures, gifts, table manners.  The company talks about the importance of local knowledge when doing business.                                                                        Local knowledge is crucial when doing business.  But it is also important when you are living abroad, visiting a country as a tourist, etc.  The more we know the culture of a country, the more we are prepared to avoid conflicts due to cultural differences.  It is important to highlight that each country or even state in a country has its own culture.  For example, people outside Latin America tend to look at it as one single thing.  However, Latin America consists of 13 dependencies and 20 countries.  Most of the countries speak Spanish.  However, there are countries where French is spoken.  In Brazil, we speak Portuguese.  Although there are similarities among these countries, each one has its own culture.  A simple situation that happened to my aunt can illustrate a small cultural difference between Brazil and Argentina.  My aunt is Brazilian and moved to Argentina two years ago.  One month later, some sisters from Church told her they would visit her in the afternoon.  She waited the whole afternoon but the sisters did not show up.  Finally, the sisters arrived at 6:30 p.m. My aunt asked them about the time and they realized that in Argentina  6:30 p.m. is considered afternoon while in Brazil it is considered evening.                                                 Cultural awareness is so important that is named among the 10 most important skills for the future workforce by the Institute for the Future.  In the article “Why is cultural awareness important?”, it is stressed that “being culturally aware is not about compromising your own culture or sacrificing your values or identity for ‘another’s’.  It is simply about helping us understand how we can best adapt our approaches, thoughts and decisions to ensure we create positive outcomes in cross-cultural interactions.  It is about respecting others’ cultures as well as our own.”                 (https://www.commisceo-global.com/blog/why-is-cultural-awareness-important)  In a school scenario, this skill is essential for both teachers and students.  Cultural awareness certainly promotes respect, tolerance, positive communication, greater cohesion and synergy.  Since this competency is so important in our world today, I’d like to see in the comments some suggestions on how to improve our students’ cultural awareness and avoid cultural miscommunication.