2/16/2021

Week7 Response to “Cross-Cultural Students”

 

Boyd K. Packer a member of the twelve apostles of the ‘Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ once said, “The gospel might be likened to the keyboard of the piano- a full keyboard with a selection of keys on which one who is trained can play a variety without limits: A ballad to express love, a march to rally. A melody to soothe. And a hymn to inspire: An endless variety to suit every mood and satisfy every need. How shortlisted it is, then. To choose a single key and endlessly tap out the monotony of a single note, or even two or three notes, when the full keyboard of limitless harmony can be played.” If you are an ELL teacher, it is essential for us to know the ‘Cross-Cultural Students’ behavioral traits in the classroom in order for us to understand and teach harmoniously with them. I remember what brother Ivers shared about some of the cultural differences of students that I would like to share also with you.

Brother Ivers a professor in BYU- Idaho said that the white students in the United States tend to be less expressive unless they come from New York City and if they come from the Northeastern part of the United States they are kind of expressive, very dynamic, and expressive. Students from Wyoming is also not very expressive. People from New York City and whatnot-Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey - can be very expressive according to him. African Americans have a very expressive subculture they have high expressivity tolerance that often teachers often misunderstood them as a bad student and rude but they’re only acting in accordance with their cultural rules. So, if you have very active African students in the class, we need to realize that they’re not bad students they’re only following their paradigms of being expressive. Asian students tend to be less expressive than white students, in general, it seems this is true to my own experience when I was on my mission my American friend, tends to laugh in the solemn ceremony without hesitation, I was shocked because she didn’t feel shy to the facilitators of the program. One more thing about Asian students is that they’re not very participatory because they are less expressive especially in Japanese culture, they’re too respectful to the teachers. In the Philippines we also have high respect for the teachers we raised our hands if we want to answer or have something to ask for, we also ask permission to leave the classroom if we needed, we didn’t eat inside the classroom, we didn’t put our feet in the desk, we didn’t read magazines while the teacher is talking, we pack-up our things when we saw our teacher is already finished talking, we didn’t talk to our seatmate unlike what brother Ivers said to the American students they tend to do in opposite but it doesn’t mean they’re bad students but they also follow their paradigms.

Some of the traits of the cultural differences of the students and teachers are in the United States the teacher will ask for an apology if they’re late to the students but if the students are late, they don’t ask for an apologize this is an opposite fact in other Asian students’ culture especially in the Philippines. On the other hand, Asian students have two positive comments about the American Students first is how they treat the physically handicapped and the system of the university as a Filipino, I also admire this kind of traits that I can see not only for the American students but to all American people that I want to say thank you.

 Mrs. Rita Pierson a professional educator since 1972 said, "Teaching and learning should bring Joy" I certainly believe that if we know these cultural differences of the students in the classroom, we will be able to help students achieve their potential in a harmonious way. We will become less judgmental and more understanding teacher where love, peace, unity, and joy are present in the classroom.