What is democracy? What is humility? What is funny? What is beauty?
Each culture and each person itself has its own perception or paradigms.
The experience of the African woman Delali Bright really impacted on me. In her culture, thin is seen as synonymous with unhealthy, poverty, and lack of beauty. When she traveled to America, suddenly she was seen as a healthy and beautiful person. People’s perceptions sometimes differ widely from one culture to another. John Ivers says, “Culture creates false needs and false problems.”
As English teachers, we must be prepared to teach students from different countries and cultures. I´m from Argentina. We have different customs and habits that differ from American habits. At school, the question is always the same: Is it necessary to teach American or English culture while we teach the language? Some professors resist the idea because they say we do not need to adopt other culture in order to speak the language. Others argue that we have enough influence due to the globalized world, and if we concentrate so much on that, we will “forget” our culture. I think it´s necessary to learn about culture to learn the language in context. It does not mean that we will change our culture. So, how should English be taught and learned? I like what scholars such as Canagarajah said, “Having lost the innocence of teaching English for instrumental purposes, we should now encourage students to represent their voices and identities. While mastering the system of the language, students should also appropriate the system to serve their interests on their own terms.” In TESOL classes we will find a source of cultural diversity. In the process of getting to know our students, we must make an extra effort to be knowledgeable about the learners’ culture. As we see in the Nat Geo Cultural differences video, people from other countries may be struggling to adopt totally different customs and habits. They had to leave their country, their friends and family, their life. Be sensitive, be mindful.
We also have to keep in mind “the danger of a single story” When learning about another country, remember that what you learn may not reflect your student´s experiences in that country.
And remember,
“If you focus on the WHO, the WHAT start to care of itself.”
References:
- John Ivers, Cultural Paradigms Video (Links to an external site.)
- Delali Bright Cultural Clashes in Defining Beauty (Links to an external site.)
- Cultural Differences National Geographic (Links to an external site.)
- TESOL purposes and paradigms, University of Manchester, page 45.
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TESOL Certificate 