Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e7DEv7P18964; Sun, 13 Aug 2000 10:57:07 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 10:57:07 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <200008131440.JAA25098@iac12.navix.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Anna Silliman <anna@handsonenglish.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:4786] cultural expectations/differences X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 2027 Lines: 56 I'm really interested in the examples of differences in ideas about learning that have come up in this discussion. Susan Finn Miller said: >clip< I recall reading about a teacher (Brian Morgan) who went to China to teach and learned that his notions of what good teaching were had to be adjusted -- even though these ideas were based on a good foundation of language acquisition theory. Morgan, now teaching in Canada, reflects on the important role that culture plays in his students' learning as well as how culture has influenced his own ideas about good teaching. For instance, Morgan notes that we Westerners tend to believe that new ideas are usually better ideas. Similarly, in the example I gave of the adult learners in South Africa. Research is unequivocal that a solid literacy foundation in one's first language will benefit learning in a second, yet the learners' goals were in conflict with this well-founded research. >clip< and Kay Jones said: >clip< As a novice adult ESL teacher, one cultural difference that I find is that my ESL learners do not expect to have "fun" in school. Most of them remember school as very serious business and hard work and the teacher is the absolute authority. This is very different from the American student's expectation that learning MUST be fun. >cip< I have another example--American students tend to think of learning as something you do independently, alone, and pretty much in competition with other students. Other groups place a higher value on helping each other. A few years ago I was frustrated with my Polish students, who appeared to be "cheating" on quizzes. They worked on them as a sort of collaborative project. They also saw nothing strange about discussing the lesson with each other while I was talking. Finally a light bulb went on and I realized that a collaborative teaching technique was the best way to work with these students--I became a much better teacher after that. Anna Silliman Hands-on English anna@handsonenglish.com
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