Week 7: Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom 1 June 2020

Week 7: Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom

1 June 2020

     Dear TESOL teachers, this post relates to the topic, discussed last week, about emotional expressivity. We will discuss vivid examples of how cultural paradigms can make wrong impressions and lead people to misinterpret foreign behavior.

     In nowadays world, it is quite common to have students in the same classroom who have diverse cultural backgrounds. This, of course, results in new impressions and learning experiences about other cultures (positive and negative). It is widely known, that the US educational system and culture are somewhat different than those of other countries. The factors come in several aspects:

• formal/informal school environment 
• student-teacher relationship 
• uniforms 
• manners 
• expressivity, etc. 

     For example, students do not have to wear certain uniforms in school, teachers and students are considered to be equal and can develop an interpersonal relationship, the school is more informal than formal, etc. 

     Many behaviors are the outcomes of those major factors. Imagine students: 

• argue with the professor about a question or a grade 
• walk into the room several minutes late from the class 
• start to pack their belongings, while the professor is still speaking or giving a lecture (and there are a few minutes left until the end of the class)
• speak to each other during the class, while the teacher is speaking
• put their feet up on the desk, and many more situations. 

     Diverse cultures interpret these examples differently because of the norms that already are set in them. For someone who grew up in the US, those examples will not be surprising or a big deal. However, for a person coming from a diverse background, they might be shocked so much, that they have negative impressions of the locals. Additionally, “cultural outsiders” notice habits that “cultural insiders” do not see. For instance, students coming from Asia will be extremely surprised because the educational environment in Asia is much diverse. This is similar to many other countries and cultures. 

     So, what can teachers do or what are they supposed to do about this diversity? Teachers, as students, are a part of one culture and are used to certain norms and expectations. Some things that students do are frustrating and unacceptable for teachers when their backgrounds differ. However, they should treat such situations with tolerance and understanding. If necessary, they can discuss those behaviors with the families to find out more. Another helpful option is when the school applies specific rules and regulations that are compulsory for everyone attending it. 

     In Armenia, where I am from, the educational culture is very diverse from that of the US. There are things that are great, and there are habits and aspects that could be improved, in my opinion. However, I am only going to mention one of them, the student-teacher relationship. I think this factor should be improved in many places because it plays a big role in the students’ attitude towards a subject. The teacher’s welcoming/inviting attitude develops love in the students towards that subject. They spontaneously like the learning environment with that teacher, and it leads to a lower effective filter which is the key to learning.

References

https://video.byui.edu/media/06+Cross-Cultural+Students+in+the+Classroom/0_r2lcaswt

Mane Mamajanyan