Cultural Paradigms

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May 23/05/18
Lesson5
TESOL 103

About Cultural Paradigms


“Two different people from two different cultures can witness the very same event…they are going to match them up with different paradigms with different interpretations. And so the very same-- the two people can see the very same event and if they are from different cultures they can interpret it very differently.”


The following lines are my understanding about Cultural Paradigms based on the readings.

Paradigm is based interpretation, which means the same concept, object, or behavior will be interpreted differently from a culture to another. The paradigms we have in America are not the same in Africa, Asia, or Europe. A given behavior could be considered normal or polite in the US but considered rude and impolite in China.

      The professor said, “Two different people from two different cultures can witness the very same event…they are going to match them up with different paradigms with different interpretations. And so the very same-- the two people can see the very same event and if they are from different cultures they can interpret it very differently.”
What works in one culture might not work in another because their vision of the world, their education, or their paradigm is not the same.

As a result
     My thoughts, my feelings about how to teach people from different culture are not the same. Now I feel that I must pay attention to every single behavior in my classroom, I should be careful, I should watch my words, question every comment before making it; I think I will need to learn more about my students’ culture so that I better help them feel comfortable in the classroom. I also think that I should let each and every student know about their classmates’ culture then teach them the importance of culture in someone’s life in order to create a respectful atmosphere in my classroom.

What are some other things a teacher can do in order to make every student feel comfortable in a classroom where cultures differ one from another?


Comments

  1. Unknown3:32 PM, May 24, 2018

    Hi Jeff,
    I agree with your thoughts. A language teacher should be mindful and observant to avoid offending their students. I think that it would be neat to spend some time during a class to celebrate the different cultures within the classroom. Kind of like spotlighting each one. I think it would give both the teacher and the student the opportunity to learn about the different cultures. I also think that it is important to give every student an opportunity to speak and share their point of view on different topics. I know that we can learn a lot from others.

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