Week 5: Cultural Miscommunication 23 May 2020

Week 5: Cultural Miscommunication

23 May 2020

     In this post, I’m going to discuss miscommunications between cultures and what effect they can have on learning in TESOL classrooms. I think every person at least once in a life experiences or hears about a situation where some cultural habits or norms caused a misunderstanding. There are so many examples that can be shared. For example, in some cultures, it is common to hug and kiss on a cheek when greeting, whereas, in other cultures, it is not acceptable and is considered a misuse of personal space. In another case, people can be late for a meeting because in their culture it is not uncommon and does not offend the other person, while in some cultures it is very rude to be late from a meeting, no matter what its purpose is. Here is another example, one can interrupt the person talking and show interest in the discussion, and the person talking might get offended and consider it impolite. The same effect can have the fill-in words which can show interest in the conversation or impolite interruption.

     Another concept that I want to mention is “direct” and “indirect” interaction. Now, some people talk about the reasons and leave it to the end to talk about the purpose and point of their conversation. This may lead people to guess what the conversation is about. Whereas other people mention the point they want in the first place, and then they bring up the supporting reasons. I like how it says in this video, “you do not expect others to read between the lines.”

     So, what about communication in the classroom? Are there any possible misunderstandings? Of course, there are such moments, especially in multicultural classrooms. I think, that teachers should learn about cultural differences to avoid embarrassing and conflict-causing situations. I have the opportunity to teach people from other countries, and I feel the need to study more about their cultural norms.

     Here are some questions I've always considered. How can we bring it to balance when there are many diverse cultures in the same classroom? Is it always the teacher's responsibility, or do parents need to teach their children the correct behavior in a diverse classroom too?

     I invite you to pay attention to the diversity where you live and the conflicts that may arise because of it. What can you personally do to help it?

Mane Mamajanyan