Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
April 25, 2017
TCHLRN 339
Culture Quiz
1.
Schools and the social norms are very different here in America, then in Arab
countries. With not being able to speak a lot of English he is probably trying to connect
or show his want for friendship through touch. In Arab countries, they are more open
with accepting hugs between males, they view it as a way to share friendship. That kind
of sharing of emotion between young boys isn’t really accepted here so it can make the
boys uncomfortable and that could be why they act out in a fight. I would talk to the
other boys involved and try to explain to them the situation and talk to the new boy and
explain why the boys could be uncomfortable with his behavior.
2.
In the Korean culture their food has very distinct and powerful smell, so the girl
could be picking up the smell from the cooking when she is at home. If that isn’t what
the problem is then I would try to cover all my bases with the whole class. I would bring
deodorant for every student in the class and talk to them about why they need to wear it
and how to put it on. That way she isn’t embarrassed and we can solve the smell
problem.
3.
The reason for this could be that the parents don’t fully understand what you’re
trying to tell them. They keep answering in “yes” and nodding, this is probably their way
of being respectful and show that they are paying attention to what you are saying. In
many Asian countries it is seen as the teacher's job to figure out what to do with the
child at school. They don’t normally go to the parents for help, but to tell them their plan
for their child. The parents could think that I’m just trying to check in with them, instead
of ask them for help.
4.
A reason that the boy could be disruptive is because the schooling that he was
giving was normally very informal. The schooling in Arab countries are known for being
based on a religious schooling. He isn’t used to having such strict rules to follow for the
students, so it will take a while for the students to get used to it. Coming here from a
such a different form of schooling could be a huge impact on students and not knowing
the expectations they face. Teachers also must realize that just because a student is
behaving badly doesn’t mean that they want to behave badly. The students could be
unaware that what they are doing is bad, so as teachers we must be aware that we
can’t stereotype these students as bad, just because they don’t do it. We need to help
the student realize and get used to the different expectations that we have for students
in America. We need to be understanding and not get bad at them all the time as they
are adjusting to the different rules here.
5.
She is probably excelling in math because it is a universal subject that isn’t
hindered by language differences. The Chinese characters are very different from the
American alphabet, so her struggle with reading is completely normal and to be
expected. A single character can mean a word, while several letters can make a word. It
will just take time for her to get used to the English alphabet and to begin to get
comfortable with reading.
6.
There is a chance that he doesn’t fully understand you. Arabic is the Native
language and he might not be fluent in English enough to grasp what you mean.
Another thing is that your student might do well in subjects like math, they could
struggle with speaking or reading English because it is so different from Arabic. In the
article, it discussed that the students and the parents could need how schools are run in
America explained to them. They are used to a teacher based school, so to explain it is
student based and how the American culture is like could be beneficial for them and
your communication to them in the future. Always remember to be understanding
because they are trying to understand a whole new way of living on top of everything
else.
7.
Normally in Korea they start the children later than we do in America. She is 8
years old and in first grade because she wouldn’t have started school until a year later
then if she was born here. She is in the grade she is supposed to be in but will just
continue to be a year older than the other students in her grade.
8.
This behavior is common with students that move from that part of the
world. She is a happy and respectful student and that is why she won’t look you in
the eye. It would be viewed as disrespectful or even like a challenge to look your
teacher or elder in the eye. They are largely focused on respecting your elders
because they are wiser and have been through more things in their lives.
Guadelupe is just trying to show you respect when you are talking to her. I think it
would be good to explain to her that in America it is respectful to look someone in
the eye when talking to them because it shows that you are listening to them.
9.
The color red is commonly attributed to mistakes or something bad. By using the
pen that you use for making corrections on your students work, it is a visual sign of
something bad. They will think that the note is something negative or that they are in
trouble. You should explain to your student that you using that specific pen doesn’t
mean that they did something wrong or that they will get in trouble. Maybe avoiding that
pen when writing future note you will be able to avoid future misunderstandings.
10.
In the Japanese culture, they don’t share their emotions openly with people that
aren’t their family or close friends. She probably isn’t trying to be rude or unfriendly but
trying to be professional with you. I would guess that she wants to respect you for being
her child’s teacher and not cause any misunderstanding between her respect in your
ability.
11.
The two brothers are probably late because they have to wait for their parents to
be able to take them to school after or before they go to work. Another reason for them
to take turns being absent could be that they are taking care of a younger sibling while
their parents are at work. Haitian people are very focused on family so it would make
sense that they are missing for their family.
12.
One reason for him being lethargic or tired is because he isn’t used to the time
change. He could be sick because of new allergies or that his immune system isn’t used
to some of the bacteria we have here and it’s trying to fight them off. You should be
understanding of the differences that he is experiences and try not to be too tough on
him until he can adjust better.
13.
Exams are given very differently in Russia. They give students a couple of
questions and give them 30 minutes to prepare for it the test. This is the time that
cheating happens the most but it doesn’t really matter what the student writes down on
the paper because the actual test is verbal. All exams are oral or verbally given, so he
probably thinks this is just the time for him to prepare for the actual test that will come
later. You need to explain to him that that is the test and figure out the best way to get
him comfortable with written tests instead verbal exams.
14.
She could be a naturally very social person and speaks English fluently. She
should try focusing on her ability to read English more and build on things she needs
more work with. Being able to speak English fluently will make learning how to read it a
little easier because she will be able to learn how some words are written how they
sound. She will need to learn all the different sounds for letters and rules that come up
in the complicated language that is English.
15.
It is common in Malaysia to focus on memorization. He probably excels in these
subjects because they are all about memorization. He struggles with reading simple
passages because he has to know how to do that, it isn’t something he can memorize.
You need to work with him on comprehension and understanding why things work the
way they do, not just know that they behave that way.
16.
A simple explanation for this is that geometric concepts are covered later in their
schooling then they are here. I think the best plan to deal with this would be to just start
having refresher courses or to reteach some of the concepts. They will need to
understand the concepts so to go over them again with the students would only prove to
be beneficial for them.
17.
One of the reasons for Thi Lien being better at writing English then speaking it
can come from the different teaching style in Vietnam. Many Vietnamese students are
very good at writing in written English but lack basic communication or listening skills.
Students are taught to listen attentively to their educators and not interrupt or ask
questions. Vietnamese students are often seen as shy because in Vietnam they don’t
often work in groups or in pairs, they are used to working by themselves. The way that
things are pronounced in the Vietnamese language is very different from how things
are pronounced in English. Her parents likely are trying to learn English as well and
are having a hard time helping her. They could also be trying to get settled into their
new lives in a new country, so are not paying as much attention to or can’t give as
much of their time as they normally would for her work. As her teacher, we have to be
aware that she is likely has things going on in her life outside of school and need to
support her.
18.
Pablo is probably trying to be respectful because he is referring to your position
would be a way to show that he knows you hold the authority in the classroom. Similarly
seen in Argentina they students refer to their teachers as “maestra” which comes from
the Latin “magister” that alludes to someone with a high level of expertise. They refer to
their teachers by this as a sign of respect and to show that they are aware that their
teacher is more knowledgeable about the subject. The culture in South America is
largely based on respecting your elders because they are seen as wiser. Like in Brazil
they view adults with respect because they have lived through more things and deserve
to be respected and thought well of. In Brazil, it’s not uncommon for the students to refer
to their teacher as tia , or aunt. This is just another way they show respect and that they
view them as important as they view their family. Just like in Brazil and Argentina, adults
are treated with the most respect by students in Peru. Children in Peru are raised to
respect their elders and teachers because they hold many of the leadership positions in
the community. When Pablo refers to you as “teacher” instead of your name, just be
aware that he is trying to respect you and basing it off his cultural norms.
19.
He could not be used to group discussions and to have them involved in his new
class would make him feel intimidated to be involved. In some countries such as Russia
it is polite or normal to interrupt someone when they are talking, it shows that you are
listening to what they are saying. You should explain to him that he needs to be paying
attention to his fellow classmates like he does when you are talking. He needs to know
that it’s rude to interrupt and he shouldn’t talk when others are.
20.
The student could be experiencing these difficulties because the Arabic language
is very different from English. He could not be used to using a pencil and paper and
then add that the English alphabet is very different from Arab characters’ is would make
writing very difficult. I believe that they also write and read from right to left so that could
also confuse him on how he is supposed to copy the work.
21.
I believe that Maria and her family do care about her education. In the Mexican
culture family is an important part of their culture. Having her aunt sick and her family
way to help them, she could be put in charge of caring for her younger siblings. We also
need to realize that just because her parents might not help with her homework or
something like that, doesn't mean that they don't care about her education. If they don't
speak English they would be unable to help with homework and because of that, they
could seem uninterested in her school work. We need to understand that everyone has
different things going on in their lives and we need to be accepting of that as their
teacher.
22.
In Asian countries, they are very big on being punctual and they are often
supposed to be in the class already before the teacher walks in. They also have longer
school days, I believe some have close to 10hour school days, so she could have
believed that they had to be there that early. I think the best thing is to explain to her
that she doesn’t need to be there that early as well as write a letter to her parents
explaining the situation to them. I would also show up early to work the next couple of
days in case she still shows up at 7am, so she isn’t there by herself in a dark
classroom.
23.
They give it and are humble apologizing about the gift lack of significance even if
it has a lot of value. It is viewed as horribly rude to open a gift in front of the person that
gave it to you. You are never supposed to open the gift in front of them. You should
apologize and explain that you weren’t aware of this fact and make sure not to do it
again with someone from Korea.
24.
The student probably doesn’t feel comfortable borrowing a sheet of paper from
his classmates. You should discuss with him why he always refuses them and see if you
can help him. Another thing you could do is give him a little pack of loose paper for him
to have and use in class. That might save him the embarrassment or being
uncomfortable with declining a sheet of paper.
25.
In the Chinese culture, you are never supposed to wrap a gift in something white.
Black, white, blue, and gray and viewed as mourning colors, so they represent death.
The recipients of the gifts were upset because your gift was wrapped in white tissue
paper and it reminded them of mourning or a lost loved one. You should explain that you
were unaware of this custom and refrain from wrapping gifts in those colors when giving
gifts in the future.
26.
The head of a person is regarded as the most important part of the body. Its
viewed as rude and disrespectful. They view touching the head of a sculpture as being
rude also. Only family and close friends are allowed to touch someone’s head. She is
understandably upset about this behavior so explaining it to your other students would
be a good idea so they don’t do it again.
27.
It is a learning style that a student can learn languages easier by going back and
forth between both languages. Translating between languages will build off what they
know about their own language to help him with his new vocabulary. By only allowing
him one language it will make is transition to English that much harder. Another thing is
that the parents might not know enough English to be able to only speak English at the
house. The teacher might have embarrassed the parents in front of their child because
they aren’t able to only speak English at home.
28.
I would say that he is embarrassed. He could know some English but not
enough to explain what he wants to say or to understand what you are trying to
explain to him. The students that he talks to at recess could be the friends that he
has made and feels comfortable talking to. He could not want to seem stupid in front
of you or the other students in class just because he isn’t able to articulate what he
wants to say. You just have to make sure he feels comfortable to talk to you and try to
get him to open up to more of the class. You should also make sure the kids don’t
tease him because he might struggle with words because that will only make him
more selfconscious.
29.
Many students struggle with fractions, even if they aren’t from a different
country. You should take your time and explain it to her more. You might also want
to think about having her and other students that struggle with fractions stay after
school for a couple of days and work with them more. You want to pinpoint exactly
where she struggles with involving fractions.
30.
When given a gift, Japanese student tend to only take part of it to leave the rest
of it to share with you. It isn’t necessarily about how much the gift is but the thought
behind giving a gift to begin with. My dad had a foreign exchange student from Japan
when he was younger and he would only accept part of the gift. They view it as polite to
share the gift and not take all of it for themselves. They also believe it is polite to decline
the gift once or twice before accepting it.
31.
The student is probably doing mental math. It also could be that he does have a
perceptual problem. He could think that he has to do math like he reads. He might be
trying to start the problem from left to right like how he reads. You should try spending
more time explaining how to do long division and tell you class as a whole that they
have to show their work, they can’t just do mental math.
32.
In America, we are very lucky to have many things and one of those
things are our math manipulatives. Students from America are even distracted
when they are given manipulatives, even people in my college math class, so
we can’t single him out too much for his behavior. Our manipulatives are often
colorful and can resemble somethings like a toy. The boy is probably curious
about them or believes that they are meant to be played with. I think this can
easily be solved by talking to your student about not touching the manipulatives
until they are supposed to be used. You can also not hand out them until it’s
time for the students to use them.
33.
After the war in Bosnia education was viewed as the way to build a new sense of
understanding and accepting of multiple ethnicities. There was a war that ended not to
long ago in Bosnia, so the student could have been frightened about being outside and
all the activity that goes on during recess. During the war they had a lot of ethnic and
religious “cleansing” going on so it could have been scary for the child. In some
European countries, the students won’t have recess or have sports involved in the
school. The student could have been intimidated by all the activities going on at recess
and had just wanted to get away from it. Another thing that could be difficult is if you
tried to discuss it with the students’ parents. Many times, that parents could lose respect
for you as a teacher because they view it as the teacher’s job to control the student. The
wouldn’t view you as a proficient teacher if you ask for assistance from them.
34.
I know in the Japanese culture the motion of your pointer finger beckoning
someone forward is the same as flipping someone off or saying the Fword to them. The
students anger is probably coming from having a jester that he views as rude done to
him by a teacher. The reason behind his attitude could be because teachers and
students could have been making this gesture to him and he felt disrespected and
bullied. You need to explain to him what the gesture means here in America and explain
to him that you never meant to hurt his feelings or be rude. Another thing you could do
is explain to the students what that means to him and have them try to avoid using it
towards him.
35.
Touching the student's head when trying to count them is something that many
teachers do but the behavior that these students showed aren’t abnormal as well. Many
students grow up where physical contact isn’t a normal thing. They aren’t comfortable
with physical contact so to have you try to touch their heads, even to just count them,
would be strange for them. I think something to keep in mind is to make sure that your
student is comfortable with any contact that you have with them and to keep it
appropriate for yourself and for them.
36.
In the past, the Chinese people believed that having a picture taken of
themselves would steal their soul. The grandmother is probably old enough to be from a
generation that grew up believing this. She is upset because she believes that by taking
her granddaughters picture you have stolen her soul. You can try explaining it to the
grandmother but she grew up with this belief so it will be hard to convince her otherwise.
Another thing that you can do it try to avoid taking the young girls picture for the
remainder of the year.
37.
In Brazil that hand gesture can have a different meaning to them. She was
shocked so it would be a good assumption to guess that the hand motion is something
inappropriate. It would be a good idea to look up what the hand motion means and other
hand motions that could mean something to the students. You should also explain to the
student what the hand gesture means here so the student understands that it doesn’t
mean anything bad.
Work Cited
Egbert and ErnstSlavit. Views from inside: Languages,
cultures, and schooling for K12 educators.
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/Egbert_ErnstSlavit
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