Economic diversity: Kids need food for their minds

Success

The environment in which children from vulnerable families grow shares certain characteristics that affect their cognitive development, school performance, motivation, and the setting of clear educational objectives.

Poverty is closely related to the lack of self-esteem and frustration. If students think failure or low performance is likely, they’ll probably not bother to try. Similarly, if they think they aren’t smart enough and can’t succeed, they’ll probably not put out any effort.(Jensen, 2013).

Poor nutrition plays a crucial role because children who grow up in poor families are exposed to food with lower nutritional value. This can adversely affect them even in the womb (Antonow-Schlorke et al., 2011). Moreover, poor nutrition at breakfast affects gray matter mass in children’s brains (Taki et al., 2010). Skipping breakfast is highly prevalent among urban minority youth, and it negatively affects students’ academic achievement by adversely affecting cognition and raising absenteeism (Basch, 2011).

Poor health care can affect attention, reasoning, learning and memory, and adverse educational and family models that affect the cognitive development of children(Jensen, 2013).

Overcrowding produces intrafamilial tensions (Me Lanahan, 1985), and it affects the concentration, retention capacity, and discrimination between auditory and visual stimuli, skills necessary for success in school.Great shortage or absence of material to support homework.The lack of material to support school tasks limits the exercise of motor skills to manipulate objects, visual motor coordination, perception and visual discrimination (perception of shapes and colors) and imagination, basic functions that must be developed in advance at the beginning of school.

The habits, the family interaction model, and the linguistic communication within the home can affect them due to their low educational and sociocultural level, using a colloquial language, different from the one the child should use in school and different from the one used by the teacher. The children often do not listen to abstract terms or hear well-structured sentences, which discourages them from schoolwork (Bravo, 1990).

Another important part of the frustrations and psychic conflicts of the poor, is closely related to the dissatisfaction of basic material needs which, due to their pressing nature, do not allow the satisfaction of other needs such as affection, intrafamilial communication, psychological support, development of adequate self-esteem, taking care that the child acquires experiences related to success in school, etc., since they must spend their time developing survival strategies prioritizing the satisfaction of the most basic needs.

Little mother/child interaction is related to school learning strategies. The degree of cognitive development achieved and the strategy used by the child to acquire experiences that involve learning is essential for the acquisition of reading and writing skills. These are achieved through experiences that the child acquires at home before the beginning of homework. In these homes, no one reads to children what from a cognitive perspective restricts their ability to learn to read.

(Wigfield and Asher, 1984).

There are greater risks of delay or of alterations of the cognitive development in children, which in addition to the unfavorable home characteristics are affected to poor nutrition, precarious health care, and adverse educational and family models. These children have “insufficient cognitive and verbal capacity and performance to integrate, organize, codify, and categorize information and school experiences and express them in adaptive and creative behaviors.” (Bravo, 1990, p.138).

Children from low-income families need to be fed physically and intellectually. They need to increase their level of self-esteem through the teaching of useful tools for their formation as individuals that allow them to be useful and feel useful. They need to be shown a world of success and that they can reach their full potential, and be successful and good people.They need to grow with hope and be socially included. ”Making positive connections with students should begin with teachers being prepared to navigate issues of racism and cultural illiteracy.”(Julie Landsman , and Chance W. Lewis,2009)

Case Study

Introduction

I have the opportunity to serve in a day center where children from poor families of all ages are fed. There are roughly 20 kids between 6 months to 12 years old. Parents take them there to receive support in homework, and for breakfast, lunch and/or snack. Some of their parents, mostly single parents, work several hours a day, others prefer to take the children there because it is the best place they can be during the day and because they do not have enough money to feed them.Four people are in charge of the place.Mrs. García cooks, Mrs. López who cleans the rooms, and two managers, Mrs. Perez and Mrs. Gomez. They are paid by the government. There are volunteer teachers who help them two hours a week in school tasks and an educational psychologist who only attends when the manager asks for him. My role is to help three brothers with homework.Two of them suffer from learning deficiency. They do not receive support at school or home. Two of them, Juan 9 and José 11 years old) are not literate yet. Therefore, I try to help them understand the tasks, teach them how to read and write and make the effort to complete the tasks, even when they have no faith that they can do it. It is very important to make them feel that there is someone who cares about them.If my communication is effective and loving, they respond positively and want to make an effort. I do not know if they receive any support to learn moral standards. So I also try to guide them to do good things and to have higher expectations for their lives. Working in this place help me to find some answer to the question of How social-economic class impacts them every day and how they can be affected academically.

The passive “give up”

There is not inherited laziness. Students from poor families seem unmotivated because of lack of hope and optimism due to their financial hardships. The kids I observed live in an unstable home where the mother and the father have an intermittent relationship, they are allowed to walk around the neighborhood without supervision, and they barely know a positive world, where people can success through effort.I noticed that José is criticized by his brothers because he finds it difficult to understand tasks, and they make jokes about him. As a result, he prefers not to improve anything because he feels that it will always be that way. Therefore, he adopts a “give up” posture that is a symptom of stress disorder and depression. Although we can observe this behavior in him, everyone needs firm examples to follow.

“Get them to believe in the goals by showing them real-world success stories of adults who came from the same circumstances the students did and who achieved their goals.” (Jensen,2013)

The theory of failure

We tend to relate socio-economic disadvantages with academic failure because there are so many negative factors that a child from a poor environment has to face. It’s easy to make predictions of failure, and it’s hard for some teachers to think positively. However, being a responsive teacher means that a teacher will make the effort to not stereotype, and allow them to develop their capacities because of all the students have a talent or an ability.

When I saw The Blind Side, I realized the importance of knowing our students well.

Each of us has strengths. I like one of the teachers did: she looked for his strengths and had faith in him. A responsive teacher finds students’ strengths and works with them to strengthen weaknesses. But, each student can achieve their goals and develop their strengths if they have someone who cares about them.

Like the private teacher in the movie, a good teacher can avoid thinking in the theory of failure and keep looking forward. Mike was not so smart in some subjects, but he did it well on others. Some students need more support than others, but every one of them has talents and intelligence. “It is now firmly believed that intelligence can be modified through experience and learning (Ormrod, 2010).Unfortunately, the worldly voices and cultural biases are so strong. I’ve read some notes from the teachers in their notebooks, and I’ve perceived that they want to help them, but they try to involve their mother, and when she does not, they suffer the consequences. Juan told me that the teacher always reprimands him.

“Poor children need dedicated, passionate, and effective teachers and principals to be successful” (Pedro A. Noguera,2011).

Building the Road to Success

The primary factor in student motivation and achievement is not the student’s home environment; it’s the school and the teacher. Eric Jensen.

A responsive teacher must be aware of the factors that can avoid school performance. Children show cognitive problems, including short attention spans, high levels of distractibility, difﬁculty monitoring the quality of their work, and difﬁculty generating new solutions to problems (Alloway, Gathercole, Kirkwood, & Elliott, 2009)Therefore, a teacher can help students from poor families develop cognitive abilities, memory, acquire a better self-concept, and a greater acceptance of the needs of others. Some specialists explain that ” game stimulates the development of thinking skills, of children’s creativity, and creates potential areas of learning.” (Garaigordobil M. 2005)

Juan and José repeated the 3th grade two times. So It’s important that teachers know their students, the circumstances in what they live, and concentrate their sources in helping their special needs. Teachers do not need to do it by their own. They can consult specialists to adapt their lessons because the cognitive capacity, as well as intelligence, is a teachable skill (Buschkuehl & Jaeggi, 2010).

“A culturally responsive teacher sees every student as a capable learner regardless of any cultural or linguistic background.” (A.M Villegas and T. Lucas,2007)

Commentary

What can we do to help these children achieve higher expectations and achieve their dreams?

I could observe that these children need a different teaching approach. The activities that they do at school are not sufficient to fulfill their needs, and they are not adapted to their cognitive capacities.

There is a need for a change in the way children from low-income families who do not have a chance to live a variety of experiences. They need receive instruction experientially. There are new training demands …

One of the characteristic features of experiential learning is that it involves the individual in a direct interaction with that which is being studied, instead of a mere “contemplation” or intellectual description.(Smith,2001).

Children need a school where creativity is encouraged through play, factors that will improve children’s cognitive performance, allow them to learn a world of disciplines that they can develop over time, and obtain educational goals and clear objectives. These also help children to stimulate the exercise of personal freedom to choose between various activities and alternative experiences according to their interests and prior knowledge; cooperation between peers through the formation of classroom work teams that motivate the improvement in the level of performance; the inclusion of the game as a trigger for creativity and as a possibility of freedom.

They need responsive teachers who know about the factors that can affect their academic performance, and teach them that they can learn whatever they want and be the best person they can be.

Students in poverty are not broken or damaged. ( Jensen,2013). I know that kids I observed can do well in school, and they can achieve whatever they want if there is someone to guide them in good ways, find their strengths, and inspire them. Through purposeful teaching, educators can address the differences, nourish their minds, and create the path for a better future.

References

Pedro A. Noguera. (2011). A broader and bolder approach uses education to break the cycle of poverty.

Eric Jensen.(2013).How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement

Ana María Villegas & Tamara Lucas.The Culturally Responsive Teacher

Jadue, Gladys.(1996). Características de los hogares pobres que contribuyen al bajo rendimiento o al fracaso escolar de los niños.Revista de Psicología de la PUCP. Vol. XIV. No l. 1996

“The Blind Side” movie (2009)

Julie Landsman , and Chance W. Lewis.(2009).White Teachers, Diverse Classrooms : Creating Inclusive Schools, Building on Students’ Diversity, and Providing True Educational Equity.

2/25/2019; Week 8;Deep Culture in the Elementary Classroom

“Exposure to cultural diversity may force children (or even adults) to form new neural connections in the brain to be able to sufficiently interpret meaning in things to which they are not accustomed.” (Ivers)

The study of culture in the classroom is very important. Each culture has its own paradigms and ways of seeing the same reality. Research has shown that “people exposure to other cultures generates new neural connections may be at one’s permanent disposal to assist in a myriad of potential cognitive processes such as language processing, knowledge acquirement, formal operational and dialectical thinking, problem-solving.”(Ivers)

When we refer to culture, in general, it comes to mind to drink mate in Argentina, the celebration of Halloween or the way in which the Japanese greet each other. However, we can deepen and realize that culture is not just about the visible actions we do, the festivities we celebrate, or the stories of national heroes. These are the tip of the iceberg. They are only the small and visible part. 90 percent of an iceberg is below the surface and is not visible. In recent weeks, we have learned about cultural manners, collectivist versus individualistic societies, polychronic and monochronic cultures, degrees of emotional expressiveness in cultures, etc. “Underwater” we can find many psychological factors that influence people´s behavior from different cultures, direct the ways in which we see the reality that surrounds us and can limit understanding between people from two different cultures.

As we can see, culture has a profound impact on us. It is an important topic to address in the classroom. It is a great challenge to deepen the culture, but we can teach it from the first grades. As age increases, the teaching can be deeper. For example, a good way for children to learn about different cultures is to look for the customs of the ancestors (our grandparents always have a good story to tell us) or family members who live in another culture. My husband’s grandfather was Japanese, and inherited from him the collectivist point of view, respect for adults and thanks for the food. Not in the same way, because he belched and said a few Japanese words later, but the feeling of gratitude. My grand-grand fathers were Italian. I inherit from them the importance of the family union.

As Ivers &Ivers advise, “One should probably begin with cross-cultural information that is not extremely complex, but yet it drives home the idea of diverse interpretations.” Personal experiences are always beneficial because we can catch the student´s attention, and we can discuss different points of view of the same experience.

“Here are a few examples, and again, we don’t see the need to have the cultural items be exclusively target culture phenomena:

One that might be in this realm would be the diverse interpretations of gestures.
Manners can also provide an area where simple yet diverse interpretations can be taught.
Discussing intensity and expressivity levels from one culture to another may push the limit on keeping it simple but we still think it can be accomplished with a modicum of success.
Stories of personal experiences with other cultures are beneficial for several reasons. First of all, they are extremely helpful in maintaining attention. If the students are not attending to what you say, it will matter little how adroitly you say it. Second, by cautiously discussing some of your personal experiences (or those of an acquaintance) you may be able to somehow work in the idea of diverse interpretations of reality. Third, even if you are unsuccessful in touching the deeper, interpretive realm, any discussion of foreign culture is usually valuable.”( Ivers &Ivers)

As educators, we can go deeper into the culture. If we allow our students to see different ways of facing the same reality, they can better understand the psychological reasons why people behave in different ways, will be more tolerant of others and will reduce prejudice and the image of superiority. We can take into account this formula:

A. Event or circumstance …….. B. Beliefs (or culture)…….. C. Reaction (Albert Ellis (2001))

References

Cultural Diversity Creative Genius Cognitive Development: Teaching Deeper Culture in Elementary School Foreign Language Classes, Ivers& Ivers.

2/20/2019; Week 7; Response to Culture and Psychology

Professor John Ivers told the students, “A man and his son, they’re in a serious car accident. The father is killed, and the son is rushed to the emergency room. Upon arrival, the attending doctor looks at the child and gasps, “This child is my son!” Who’s the doctor?”

When we talk about culture, traditions, customs, and beliefs immediately come to mind. We rarely think of the consequences this may have on our daily lives. We are so complex, and culture can influence our decisions, about what we think about ourselves and others, and direct our behavior.

“Who is the doctor then? The mom is the doctor. But our culture teaches us that doctors have to be men.”

Ivers also said, “Culture has a way of shaming people in situations where they would not be shamed in other cultures. There is such a thing called culturally-created shame, which accounts for maybe the majority of shame out there.”

As we know, each culture has its own paradigms and determines how people see the same reality in different ways. In Argentina, we have an effusive way of saying hello. It does not matter if it is our best friend, a relative or a stranger. People from other countries stay frozen when we face them to kiss them on the cheek. If we do the same, for example, in the United States or Japan, we will surely feel embarrassed because it is not the way they greet each other.

One of the negative phenomena throughout the world is the conception of beauty that affects young people in Argentina. I read an article in a newspaper that says: “Being beautiful is comparable to the thinness, success, and happiness according to Argentine girls and adolescents. Only 3 percent of them feel that way”. This causes low self-esteem and an inferiority complex. And “Argentines are among the least likely to describe themselves as beautiful.” However, they see the future with enthusiasm and expectation of personal improvement. (Low self-esteem, Infobae.) If we compare our culture with African culture, for example, the parameters of beauty are totally opposite. They compare thinness with malnutrition.

Among other things, we have a culture of psychoanalysis. It´s very common in Argentina to go to therapy and talk with a psychologist about the problems of daily life. The psychologist Daniela Frankenberg says, “This is a culture that, compared to other places, consume much less alcohol and substances, there are far fewer children and people on medication, which is something that I personally think is really bad in other countries. In Buenos Aires, psychoanalysis is seen as a tool to overcome difficulties.”

In the Argentine culture, academic achievement is very important. In Argentina there are a total of 47 Public and Free Universities that depend on the Ministry of Education of the Nation. Unfortunately, there is also a high percentage of dropouts due to constant economic changes. It can cause frustration in a large part of society that cannot reach their expectations. As instructors of the TESOL classrooms, we must be aware of the differences between cultures. Students have expectations and paradigms according to their cultures, and it is necessary to guide them and accompany them on the path of personal achievement. They learn a foreign language because they may want to improve their job opportunities or simply because they feel that the more they learn, the more accepted they will be in society. We can be a very positive influence on their way.

References

Differences in manners

When you arrive at a meeting, do you greet everyone as a group or greet each person individually? If someone gives you something, do you wait or open it when you receive it? Is it good to burp after a meal?

It is very funny to see different ways when we look at each culture in detail.

In a TESOL classroom, we will face challenges because it is an intercultural class. People from different cultures learning a target language, and try to adjust their behavior for the benefit of the group, or sometimes for individual goals. As instructors, we need to be aware that there are differences in manners and that they can be shocking sometimes. We need to learn how to be tolerant and understanding persons. However, I think that we can establish some general rules to facilitate coexistence. For example, seeing your cell phone or your laptop while someone is talking to you is it disrespectful or not so important? If someone in my class were doing this, I would think that he or she is not interested in learning, or that I´m not engaging enough. It is important to be objective, and do not make wrong attributions because what is disrespectful for me may not be for others. But we can agree on some rules that do not generate discomfort. These can be about arrival times, class interruptions, and dressing.

It´s important to get to know our students, their cultures, and involve their parents during the process. If a problem appears due to a misinterpretation of manners, parents and teachers can solve it together and avoid the disagreement.

In general terms, in my culture we have a high tolerance for emotional expressiveness, we are polychronic, so we value more the personal relationships over agenda, and we consider disrespectful belching in public or leave the plate with food after meals (although this may vary in subcultures.) Entering or leaving the classroom while the teacher is talking is not well seen either. There is a great article about our Argentine manners here: https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/argentine-culture/etiquette-1b7ca7cb-bf45-425e-909e-b15c4f4456ae

Now I know many more things of my culture that I did not know because they are part of our unconscious behavior. Each instructor must know the differences to avoid misunderstandings and wrong judgments.

2/18/2019; Week 7; Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom

One of the things I liked the most when I started studying online is that American instructors really want to help us achieve our goals, they are friendly and kind. The general conception is that a teacher is the source of knowledge, we have to do the things the professor says because he or she has the whole truth, and she or he has power over future. It may be a conception of a third world culture because there are so many people who have not had the opportunity to study because they have had to work and provide for their families. Unfortunately, the friendly and kind teacher who wants to help you and makes the effort to get to know you is the exception to the rule. Another thing that I love about the American teaching system is that teachers have more relationship with parents, in some cases, they visit to help students get it right. They have a program for that. In general, teachers here expect parents to approach when a child does poorly. When I was in my fourth year, I was going wrong in math. I could continue all year in this way, but my mother asked to meet with the teacher to see how she could help me.

The university here is not that different. We share some customs and others do not. This week I spoke with a teacher about the things we must do or not do if we are teaching, and she told me that there was a teacher who closed the door when the class started and that those who arrived late stayed outside. Of course, not all teachers do that, but there is a conception that if you´re late, you do not have respect for the teacher or for the rest. While Prof. Ivers was teaching, I noticed that many students entered or left the class without permission, and others were searching for something on their computers or phones. Here, these are a lack of respect, and a teacher would not overlook it. If I was in this situation, I would probably think that I am not able to engage the students, or that the students are not interested in learning. So I can make an internal or external attribution to the situation.

That´s when a teacher must take into account the differences between cultures to avoid misinterpretation and be partial in judging the student´s behavior. We all have different paradigms, and a good teacher creates an environment where those differences can coexist.

References

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

2/14/2019; Week 6; Attributional Tendencies in Cultures

Attributions are inferences that people draw about the cause of events, others’ behavior, and their own behavior.

It´s a very complex and personal condition. Every one of us tends to justify the consequences of his or her actions and blaming others or blaming himself.

There are two dimensions of attributions: External and internal, and stable and unstable.

External vs. Internal

Example: Maria’s car breaks down on the freeway. If she believes the breakdown happened because of her ignorance about cars, she is making an internal attribution. If she believes that the breakdown happened because her car is old, she is making an external attribution.

Stable vs. unstable

Example: Lee gets a D on his sociology term paper. If he attributes the grade to the fact that he always has bad luck, he is making a stable attribution. If he attributes the grade to the fact that he didn’t have much time to study that week, he is making an unstable attribution ( https://wattersattribution.wordpress.com/)

When I watched Attributional tendencies in cultures video, I realized how complex we are. If we are religious, we tend to attribute to God our failures and successes because they are part of our earthly life. The reason we are here is to grow spiritually and show obedience, but sometimes we tend to attribute to God all the things that happen to us. If we fail, we can attribute it both internally and externally. Internally when we feel that we are not worthy enough, or that we are sinners. Externally when we say that God punishes us. As Prof Ivers says, “Every circumstance is different.”

What misunderstandings and problems could potentially surface in the TESOL classroom?

Each of us has its own spiritual fragility and different ways of seeing the same reality. Some of us tend to justify failures and successes in internal stable/unstable attribution or external stable/ unstable attributions. Depending on the culture, students may have different attributions styles. People in collectivist cultures tend to be less susceptible to the tendency to attribute other people’s behavior to internal factors such as personality traits, abilities, and feelings (Fundamental Attribution Error) than people in individualist cultures. People from collectivist cultures are more likely to believe that a person’s behavior is due to situational demands rather than to personal attributes. People from collectivist cultures are also less susceptible to the self-serving bias (the tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to situational factors.)

Prof Ivers told that in Japan, the typical Japanese person will attribute personal successes externally. “The reason I am successful is because of my parents, my great teachers, and so on.” But he or she will attribute personal failures internally. Every time they fail, it’s their fault, it’s always their fault. And Japan has a high suicide rate.

I remember an experience that makes me realize the importance of knowing our students and the tendency we have to attribute failure internally or externally.

I had a peer who every time she failed her English exams, she immediately cried. She was crying once and told the professor why she was failed. She told him about the problems that she had had during the week for which she had not been able to study for the test and that she was totally responsible for not knowing how to handle the circumstances. She attributed the result to external circumstances, but she felt guilty. The professor must be prepared to face psychological situations like this.

I agree with Prof. Ivers when he says that every circumstance is different. We can be rational and evaluate each situation objectively. As teachers of an ESL class, we must be prepared to handle situations in which students have different susceptibilities, and attribute his or his failures and successes differently. We also must to analize student´s performance objectively in order to avoid wrong expectations and attributions.

Here is a good explanatory video:

https://study.com/academy/lesson/teacher-expectations-attributions.html

References

John Ivers, Attributional tendencies in cultures video.

https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Attributional+Tendencies+in+Cultures/0_u45682wd

Attribution processes article.

https://wattersattribution.wordpress.com/

Social psychology summary, SparkNotes

https://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/socialpsychology/section3/ ; \lsdp

2/12/2019 Personal Space Differences

We all have our invisible and protective bubble around us. It´s the space where we feel safe. It´s the personal space that can vary widely from culture to another and can be different from one person to another.

Have you ever seen how the Japanese push passengers into the train and look like sardines in a can?

In Argentina we live similar situations when we travel in a train or a bus in “la hora pico,” (the highest traffic flow schedule) but there are no people pushing others inside the train or a bus. We just have to wait for the next one. Since we live in a polychronic culture, it is not a big problem, except for those who have an obligation to maintain a rigorous schedule. There is not a personal space bubble that counts in those situations, and they have to sacrifice their space to meet their schedule. This is an intercultural similarity. We can see it in all the big cities where there is a high concentration of population. Every country around the world have their own parameters of personal bubble space. A study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology says that participants from Argentina, Peru, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Austria don’t mind if you chill about 90 cm away, or less than three feet.

Argentines usually greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, whether he or she is acquainted or is a friend’s acquaintance. This is already a great approach. We are seen as a less affectionate person if we do not do it. And a couple of weeks ago I realized the difference. An American returned missionary came to my ward to visit us, and when I saw her, I gave her a kiss and a little hug in welcome because I was really excited. She remained motionless, and not knowing what to do. That´s when I remembered the differences in our bubble space. I imagine she was felt like me when an Italian woman greeted me with two kisses a couple of years ago. It was too much for me, but I respected her way of greeting me. Each one of us has their own personal space bubble based on her or his own cultural paradigms and personal experiences.

In Germany for example, personal space is sacred. In England, overheard a conversation is rudeness synonym, while American people do not care about it.

In http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap9.html there is a good article about other factors of distance zones: Rural vs. City Spatial Zones, Territory and ownership, and the territorial rights of the car.

We must be aware of personal space differences because cultures and persons have their own paradigms. This can cause misunderstanding. In an ESL classroom, we can find students from different places and cultures. In order of getting to know them, we need to observe and respect their parameters. One important thing we must do is model good personal space in order to establish a norm of self-respect and respect others.

“Personal Space is a very important social skill for children in elementary school to learn, practice, and grow. Understanding and keeping good personal space helps children to engage more successfully in everyday interactions and in personal relationships with peers and adults, as well as helping them to stay safe.” (3 Key Points When Teaching Your Students about Personal Space, Socially Skilled Kids)

References

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022022117698039
3 Key Points When Teaching Your Students about Personal Space, Socially Skilled Kids.

https://sociallyskilledkids.com/personal-space/

2/11/2019; Week 6; Response to Individualism vs. Collectivism

I want to talk about the differences between individualism (individual-oriented) and collectivism (group-oriented) which is another dimension that can cause misunderstandings among different cultures.

In an individualistic view, people are considered independent persons, responsible for their own choices and their consequences. “A person’s identity (i.e., the sense of self) in an individualistic society tends to be based mainly on one’s personal experiences—accomplishments, challenges, career, relationships with other people, etc.” (NCSET) EE.UU, Australia, Canada, and England are extreme individualistic countries.

On the contrary, in a collectivist culture, people are interdependent, which means that they are not separate units. People are part of a larger group and have shared responsibilities. “A person’s identity in a collectivistic society tends to be based on one’s roles and experiences within the group context. (NCSET) Turkey, Greece, African countries, China and most of South America are extreme collectivistic countries.

Individualists and collectivists people have perceptions and face situations in a different way, and there are places more individualistic or more collectivistic than others, but “there are elements of both individualism and collectivism in any culture.” (Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, Greenfield & Quiroz, 2001) This factor depends on people´s culture, socioeconomic status, and historical era.

Poverty, for example, is more related to collectivism because people need others to survive. In Argentina, we are considered in the middle of the individualist and collectivist extremes. We can see both trends coexisting in the same society. For example, throughout the country, we can find needy families who share the land and build houses for all family members, collectively paying taxes on electricity, gas, and housing.

On the other hand, we can find people with a more competitive heart who want to be the best in what they do, take care of themselves and develop their careers in an individualistic way. However, in a polychronic culture, even those who build their lives based on their own efforts and competencies need others to make their dreams come true. In the classroom, we can also find those who firmly believe in the power of groups to achieve their goals and others who prefer individual challenges and be the best in the class. This usually depends on their socio-economic background and environment in which they live.

Individualist societies teach their children and students to be competitive– in some cases, ultra-competitive, and sometimes to a fault (Faitar, 2006).

“Students work independently only; helping others could be considered cheating,” (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2010).
Students from an individualist cultures will be more engaged in discussions and arguments. This teaches them how to think critically in the society’s eyes. We teach from kindergarten up that personal property is personal property. Students may not touch one another, or another students’ things without proper permission (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2010).

In collectivist background, parents promote “adherence to social norms, respect for authority, and group consensus,” (Trumbul, Rothstein-Fisch, & Greenfield, 2000). “Students are inclined to work with peers and provide assistance when needed,” (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2010). “Students from the collectivist societies are generally quiet, sometimes silent (from personal experience) and respectful in class.”
Ashley Atkinson

As TESOL teachers, we need to be aware of these differences and not judge the student´s trends. It will allow us to be more effective teachers and accommodate our approach and goals for the benefit of our students.

“Keener awareness of how individualism and collectivism shape goals and behaviors can enable teachers and parents to interpret each other´s expectations better and work together more harmoniously on behalf of students.” Trumbull, 2001.

References

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition.

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

2. Ashley Atkinson, september 17, 2016

2/8/19; Week 6: Response to Differences in Emotional Expressivity

Differences in Emotional expressivity

People all over the world feel the same emotions: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, anger, pride, shame, embarrassment, and excitement. And they feel a combination of them day by day. In private, we express our emotions in a similar way, facial expressions for strong emotions do not change that much from culture to culture. But what is interesting is that in public, we express our emotions differently and this may vary from one culture to another.

For example, a study was conducted in a classroom showing a real bloody operation, and researchers observed the students reactions in the classroom. Reactions were expected depending on their cultural tolerance to expressiveness.

People of ethnic groups from high tolerant expressivity culture in the classroom that were viewing that film, they were going, “Ewwww! That is gross! Eww!”

People like Asians in the classroom took a posture with their hands clasped in front of them with an undaunted face. But when one of them was the only in the room, his facial expressions completely changed and expressed his disgust.

People can control their emotions according to their cultural rules. As Frijda (1986) stated, “people not only have emotions, they also handle them” (p. 401). People regulate how they feel about certain emotional events (control of feeling) and how they behave or respond to emotional events (control of emotional expression). When persons encounter situations where the other communicator controls his/her emotions in a different way than they would predict, misunderstanding occurs.( Fumiyo Araki- Richard L. Wiseman)

In the scale of emotional expressivity we have: On the left side of the scale the low tolerant expressivity culture( Asian, Scandinavian) On the right side of the scale the high tolerant expressivity culture( Hispanic and middle-east Europeans). EEUU is in the middle of the scale.

People from low tolerant expressivity cultures consider that people from high tolerance are more dangerous, less civilized, and less discipline. People from the right side of the scale consider that people from the left side are boring or dull.

As we can see, differences in emotional expressiveness can cause misunderstandings among people. In Argentina, as we have a Hispanic culture and a very tolerant expressiveness, we tend to be enthusiastic when we speak. In every culture, we can also find people with a greater or lesser degree of emotional expressiveness. I must admit that I make many gestures when I speak and can cause some misunderstandings even with people of my own culture. What we need to know is that, in a TESOL class, we will find people from all over the world with their personal way of expressing their feelings and emotions, and as teachers, we have to recognize the existence of these intercultural differences. In the process of getting to know our students, let us be patient and knowledgeable about their cultures, and take care of the way we express ourselves. We are human beings and can adapt and control our emotional expressivity in accordance with cultural norms.

References

1. Emotional Expressions in the United States and Japan , Fumiyo Araki- Richard L. Wiseman, California State University.

https://web.uri.edu/iaics/files/02-Fumiyo-Araki-Richard-L.-Wiseman.pdf

2. Differences in Emotional Expressivity, John Ivers, Brigham Young University.

https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Differences+in+Emotional+Expressivity/0_753le546

2/6/19; Week 5: Response to Cultural Miscommunication

Do you notice that some people watch you closely when they hear you and other people who, on the contrary, avoid eye contact? Do you notice some others who enjoy interrupting the conversation and others who remain in silent until you stop talking? Do you consider excelling in class a fault or a virtue?

We can consider rude or sympathize with certain behaviors. We tend to judge more promptly than to take time to think about why people act in one way or another. This is one of the thing we must consider when we relate to people from other cultures because each culture has its own paradigms and perceptions of the same reality. Moreover, if we are teachers and want to help others, we need consider cultural-based differences.

“Miscommunication is rampant between cultures. It causes a lot of difficulties; it may even cause wars. It can cause murders, sexual assaults, etc.” John Ivers.

As I said in the previous post, there are differences between cultures that we should pay attention to.

There are many cultural variables to evaluate: Environment, time, space, competitiveness, thinking, and others.

For example, in a monochronic culture, the time is perceived differently than in a polychronic one. The schedule is like the Holy Scriptures for monochronic people, and polychronic people are very sensitive towards people´s feelings. That´s why it´s probably that in an ESL class you will find students from fixed-time cultures who place value in being on time and getting things done on time while fluid-time students are comfortable with flexible deadlines and shifting priorities.

“The time variable also has other implications. Since teachers in the United States tend to be single focused, students ought to interrupt a teacher for questions or comments in an indirect way, for example, by raising their hands. A simple verbal interruption may be interpreted as being rude. One method that Americans use for polite interruption is apologizing in advance: “Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I had one question.” (Linda Callis Buckley)

I always remember an experience with an American missionary. I was talking about my experience in Pathway, the differences in teaching and vacation periods and he remained silent. I did not know if I was being bored or uninteresting until I finished talking and he started telling me about his experience. I was confused because I was not used to talking to people who do not interrupt me by showing their interest in the matter. In my culture, if you are interested in the conversation, you maintain eye contact and ask questions or at least try to make a sound.

There are other factors such as individualism and competitiveness. American people tend to be very individualist and competition is accepted to achieve personal goals, while in collectivist cultures, “group identification and decision-making are emphasized and compromise, cooperation, and consensus are promoted to create harmony.”(The CATESOL Journal)

Another important thing to keep in mind when teaching in an ESL class is what John Ivers said, “ all people on earth have the same emotions, and we all have similar facial expressions in private, but public facial expressions can vary immensely. While in American culture smiling is associated with happiness and cheerfulness, in Asian cultures it can be associated with confusion and embarrassment. ”

As we can see, there are many cultural differences that can generate misunderstandings. In the process of getting to know our students, knowing their cultures, customs and paradigms will allow us to help them in a more effective way. Be aware of students’ postures and facial expressions and give them opportunities to work the way they feel comfortable. Remember that we are facilitators, the person in charge of helping them reach their goals and acquire the new language.

References