What is the time for you? What do you consider a waste of time, or an investment of your time?

If a good friend tells you that after months he wants to visit you at the same time as your medical appointment, what would you do?

If you were a private teacher and you were waiting for your student and he never comes, would you feel like it was a waste of time or a time gained for you?

Each person has its own perception about time and different perceptions about what is to spend, invest, or procrastinate time. Moreover, cultures have different paradigms about time.

Problems appear between two different cultures when they have different rules as a result of their cultural paradigms.

According to the anthropologist Edward T. Hall, in monochronic cultures, “M-Time, as he called it, means doing one thing at a time. It assumes careful planning and scheduling and is a familiar Western approach that appears in disciplines such as ‘time management. Monochronic people tend also to be low context. In Polychronic cultures, human interaction is valued over time and material things, leading to a lesser concern for ‘getting things done’ — they do get done, but more in their own time. Polychronic people tend also to be high context.”

The Communication specialist Brett Rutledge explains, “Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager’s office in a polychronic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time. Though they can be easily distracted they also tend to manage interruptions well with a willingness to change plans often and easily. People are their main concern (particularly those closely related to them or their function) and they have a tendency to build lifetime relationships. Issues such as promptness are firmly based on the relationship rather than the task and objectives are more like desirable outcomes than must do’s.”

Therefore, the schedule is like the Holy Scriptures for monochronic people, and polychronic people are very sensitive towards people´s feelings, says John Ivers, BYU Professor.

As I live in a polychronic culture, I know firsthand the need to have friends and connections to achieve goals, to get a job, or even to not be in a queue when I wait for make a service payment. I have also been the woman who has to wait two hours because the doctor allowed her friend to be seen first. I really like the example that Hall gave in one of his books and John Ivers recreates with humor in his TESOL class that allows us to understand the differences between monochronic and polychronic cultures:

“For example, let’s say you’re an American woman who wants to go to the hair stylist, and so you make an appointment.  You made an appointment for 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  And being monochronic, that appointment is sacred.  It’s sacred time.  You will definitely—nothing will impinge upon that sacred time.

 But a polychronic hair stylist, that time is not sacred because relationships are important and family comes first, receive a phone call.And let’s say, then, that the polychronic hair dresser’s best friend calls in and says, ‘Man, can I have an appointment at 3 o’clock?’  Well, the hair dresser says, ‘Oh, man.  I’ve got someone else at 3, but do you really, really need it at 3?’ ’Oh, yeah.  It’s the only time I can get it.”  And she says, ‘Okay.  Why don’t you just come at 3.’

 And then the polychronic hair stylist’s aunt calls.  And she says, ‘You know, can I have an appointment at 3?’  The polychronic hair dresser says, ‘Well, was 3, like, the only—really the best time?  “Oh, yeah yeah.  3’s the best time.’ ‘Okay, just come in at 3.’

 And so all three of them arrive at 3.  Well, the aunt’s going to get her hair cut first, then the best friend’s going to get her hair cut second, and the one who originally made the appointment is going to be—the monochronic woman, is going to be sitting there steaming, saying, ‘I had an appointment at 3 o’clock! I called first!  I was the first one!  That’s my sacred time!’  And then when the monochronic woman is angry, the polychronic hair stylist is wondering, ‘Why is she so upset?  This is my aunt, my best friend.  There were some nice magazines to read here, you know?’

So, as we can see in the previous example, the different perception of time that people from two different cultures have can create unnecessary disputes. In a TESOL class, we can find students from different cultures who have different perceptions of time and different ways to see the same reality. It´s essential that a TESOL teacher be prepared to recognize and accept those differences and help students to be respectful of others. But if we do not focus on these kind cultural differences, it will be difficult for us to differentiate and accept certain behaviors from others.

References:
1. Edward T. Hall,

 www.changingminds.org/explanations/culture/hall_culture.htm

2. Brett Rutledge,

https://thearticulateceo.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/08/cultural-differences-monochronic-versus-polychronic.html

3. Professor John Ivers,

https://video.byui.edu/media/04+Cultural+differences+in+Concerning+TIME/0_1cjop6lc fff

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:

1. John Ivers, Cultural Paradigms Video (Links to an external site.)
2. Delali Bright  Cultural Clashes in Defining Beauty (Links to an external site.)
3. Cultural Differences National Geographic (Links to an external site.)
4. TESOL purposes and paradigms, University of Manchester, page 45.

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Grammar Translation and Audio Lingual methods

     Since I learned English on my own for most of my life, I realized that I used some techniques of these methods unconsciously. I translated the songs word by word, or I memorized what I heard and tried to repeat them again and again.

     The Grammar-translation method was developed for the purpose of helping students appreciate foreign language literature. The Audio-Lingual method or Army method was developed in response to the lack of effectiveness of the previous one in communication skills.

     The disadvantages of the Audio-Lingual Method are that students are not encouraged to reflect in the meaning of the words because they learn by repetition, and they do not develop writing and reading skills. The pros of this method are a high development of listening and speaking skills, correct habits of pronunciation, and the effective use of visual aids to remember concepts.

     The negative aspects of the Grammar-Translation Method are that learners are not able to communicate in spoken language. They see the language as a collection of isolated words, they do not learn to read, this method takes a lot of time, and it´s focused on accuracy, not fluency. However, we can find positive aspects such as that learners know a lot about grammatical rules of the target language, and they develop skills in writing through compositions.

     Even though these methods are not very used today, we can take advantage of some of their techniques to develop the different skills. The use of visual aids is very effective to keep the concepts students hear in their brains. Repetition, pattern drills, and overlearning can enhance retention of concepts, and students can figure out the patterns. As one of the main goals of Grammar-translation method is to learn grammar and gain grammatical accuracy, techniques from this method such as the use of words in sentences, fill in the blanks, or make compositions can help students to develop writing skills. A typical approach to this method is to present the rules of a particular item of grammar, illustrate its use by including the item several times in the text, and practice using them through writing sentences.

     The combination of techniques of these two methods is optimal to develop the four skills in a real-world context and reflective activities that can help students not only to learn the language but also acquire it.

I like the story of Satyrus and Demosthenes. He was upset because of his lack of success in his speech. His friend Satyr gave him the lesson of his life. He recited the same words in a different way and opened Demosthenes’ understanding of the importance of delivering messages. “Public speaking and teaching are cousins. At the core of both is communication, and education is more than just exposing people to the facts. It is an acquisitional process that without the proper delivery system, tends to fall flat.”

According to the anthropologist E. L. Cerroni-Long, U.S. universities were replete with competitiveness, lack of compassion, cultural casualties, psychological insecurity, and students anti-intellectual in their attitudes. He felt that mechanisms of teaching were bad in the U.S and American University world is not the place where inspirational, deep, and inspiring teaching can flourish.

Teaching is full of challenges and, as I learn more about this, I agree with William Purkey: “The most important aspect of a teacher is being romantic.” As a teacher, we need to be enthusiastic and inspire others. We must not deliver the information we need to be connected to the information, to feel it, to live it. In the TESOL environment, we must also know other factors that may limit the acquisition of the language. Anxiety, low self-esteem and lack of confidence can delay learning and language acquisition. According to J. Ivers, we must consider some specific and important elements to be a good teacher. A positive teacher-student relationship is essential. They should help them achieve their goals and help them in the process of acquiring knowledge. In this way, teachers can create a non-threatening and non-competitive environment, and allow them to reduce the level of anxiety characteristic of foreign language classes. But, how can I generate positive experiences with indifferent students? How can I create a positive environment when every student has their own level of spiritual fragility and personal goals?

Good delivery is necessary too. We need to plan meaningful and inviting lessons to keep them interested in learning. “A good teacher gives many examples of the real world and tells relevant stories,” because it’s the way we learn, and it gives students variety instead of monotony by inserting something interesting, exciting or participating every ten minutes or so. I think it’s significant in the TESOL class that students can look for real-world experiences with the language outside of class and then share them. Teachers can impart wisdom from their own experiences of language acquisition, and they can nurture each other.

Teachers should encourage deep and critical thinking. This promotes self-thinking and keeps them motivated. We have to be careful when we give them feedback, to avoid damaging the self-concept of the students. Statistics say that foreign language is the second most producing anxiety in the U.S.A (math is the first). I have experienced more anxiety in English than in any other subject, so I know the importance of edifying comments that encourage students to move forward and be assured that there is nothing impossible to learn. However, I know the challenge that this entails. How to get to know each student in order to give adequate feedback according to their own level of spiritual fragility?

I will appreciate your comments and experiences regarding these issues.

Hi everyone. I will really enjoy sharing with you the insights and experiences I gain during this learning process.

  Teaching is a source of great satisfaction. We make a great deal of effort to seek and acquire all the possible knowledge we can with the goal of teaching it to others so they can improve their lives. As teachers we need to remember that the student is the center of the experience; we are there to help them, support and improve their strengths, and shape or reduce their weaknesses to their benefit. For some students, the L2 acquisition can be an extensive and challenging process, but for others, it can be a short and a hassle-free one. However, every student can reach the main goal of acquiring the knowledge necessary to handle the language. The L2 learners must receive comprehensible input according to their proficiency level, and teachers must incorporate new concepts step by step, allowing students to be responsible for their own learning. Teachers can give them opportunities to develop their skills not only in classroom but also outside of it, where the most part of the language acquisition process takes place. Assigning assessment activities that are outside the classroom, and asking for a report on what they learned will increase students’ motivation and improve their capacity to be seekers of new knowledge. One of the most challenging goals I want to reach is to create a non-threatening environment where students can feel that I am there to help them. This will reduce the anxiety level characteristic in the language acquisition process, and will help them to keep motivation, a necessary quality in any learning process. To reach these goals, students must receive encouragement, assessment activities according to their proficiency level, real-world experiences, well-defined lesson objectives, and a teacher who knows them individually. As teachers, we need to achieve a balance as we teach the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) so that the students can know the target language from all its facets. I would like to improve the way I teach speaking skills because, for L2 learners, it is one of the most challenging facets due to the affective filters that they must learn to deal with.   9