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6-11-2019; Response to Deep Culture in the Elementary School

This week we are going over how to -teach- young kids about other cultures.  This seems like a Very Large task, yet one that has the opportunity to be fun - if only I can figure out a way how!  Professor Ivers shared some thoughts about the benefits of having understanding of more than just your own culture.  Since each culture has distinct traits and ways of thinking, learning to think with more than one point of view can jump start creativity and innovation.  For example, think of the different styles of body decoration favored by different cultures in different locations.  Some places worked metal to make jewelry, other places used shells, bone, fibrous textiles, and even scars on the skin to decorate the body. None of these items is inherently good or bad, just different from each other.  Imagine then, what happened when various cultures interacted- what might a textile using culture think to do with metal? Probably something quite different from the ...
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6/6/2019; Week 7: Response to Culture and Psychology

Professor Ivers' lecture (BYU-I circa 2013) hit a lot of points today: witchcraft/mass hysteria, mental illness, cultural stereotypes, the effect culture has on self-esteem, and more !  The point of the lecture was that our brains take what our culture teaches us - whatever that may be- and train us as people to act as though the culture was 100% accurate. I would really like to address the mental illness aspect, since mental illness runs frolicking through my family, but it would take a couple thousand words, at least, and that is too much for the purposes of this assignment.  Instead, I  will touch briefly on Schizophrenia from my own personal studies and family experience.  The hallmark of Schizophrenia is confused thinking. There is no cure, only treatment.  Each afflicted person must consciously sift through what their brain is bombarding them with and decide what is accurate.  People with firm standards and strong support systems - no matter what ...
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6/4/2019; Week 7: Response to Differences in Manners

Having culturally appropriate manners is important for the future teacher - as well as anyone else who wants to be polite.  Professor Ivers, in this sections lesson (BYU -I, circa 2015) comments on some of the differences around the world for manners.  A few of them surprised me as an American as well: I was always taught that it is proper to cover a yawn, but apparently in parts of the US, that is not common.  In addition, in many places in the US, it is common for people of all ages to call each other by their first names.  I have lived in Texas for about half my life now, and I can assure you it is not so in the South.  The rule of thumb seems to be if a person is old enough to be your parent, you call them by their formal name until they ask you to call them by their first name - and that may not happen.  It is also considered Very rude for a child or teen to call an adult by their first name if they are not family.  If the child is emotionally cl...
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6/4/2019; Week 7: Response to Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom

This weeks focus on Cross-Cultural students in the classroom was puzzling to me at first.  Professor Ivers lecture (BYU-I circa 2015) was principally concerned with the perceived differences in the US educational system for Asian students.  Some of the comments were positive: Being able to interact with the professors, ask questions and have dialogue. But the comments regarding American students were negative. I am 53, and live in the South, so perhaps I am atypical for most university students, but I was shocked at some of the things the American students did as well.  Interrupt the teacher ?  Eat in class?  Read the newspaper (or use a phone) during class?  Walk out of class?  I can't imagine doing any of these things in class. It seems very rude to me. As a teacher, I would have to adjust to the students of my own native country more than to the students of other countries ! However, the list included a few things that I've seen myself while tea...
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5/30/2019; Week 6: Response post to Attributional Tendencies

Whoa !  This topic makes me glad I'm not studying psychology!  Prof. Iver's lecture on how people judge their own success and failures and others success and failures was pretty clear. A person who attributes successes/failures internally assumes all the credit/blame goes to themselves.  A person who attributes successes/failures externally assumes all the credit/blame goes to others. It is common in the USA for people to attribute success internally ("I did it") and failures externally ("Someone else stole my idea").  Thus far, it's pretty clear.  Then we throw in stable vs. unstable and it becomes like a math problem gone all exponential on us ... Here is a Very Simple example: Suppose a runner wins a race.  A person who attributes successes internally-stable  might say "I am talented." A person who attributes successes internally-unstable might say "I worked out really hard this season." A person who attributes successes ext...
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5/30/2019; Week 6: Response to Personal Space Differences.

For this part of our lesson, we learned about a variety of personal space needs from around the world.  Professor Ivers of BYUI, in his lecture, mentioned how 'personal' the personal items of Americans are.  In other places, it would be a non-issue if one roommate used another's Iron and ironing board, but in the US, it is expected to ask permission first. One of my sisters' taught ESL in Spain for a few years, traveling to other European locations on school holidays.  She became accustomed to the European "quiet" talking.  Upon returning to the USA, my sister was often asked to speak louder, since Americans are accustomed to loud speaking.  This lesson, and my sister's experience, moves me to speculate that some of the "rude American" label that we from the US have in other places may simply be the cultural differences in our speech volume.  (I hope that is all it is!)  For classroom purposes, it would help to know a students home culture....
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5/29/2019; Week 6: Response to Individualism vs. Collectivism

 As part of our cultural differences section, this week part of our lesson delves into the differences between an individual mindset (found in the USA) and a collective mindset ( found in 3/4 of the world, particularly in Asia and Latin America.)   Professor Ivers, of BYU-I, lectured us on this topic, using the common Japanese saying "The nail that sticks up, gets hammered down." In a collective oriented mindset, this is a reminder/warning to not be different from the group. In the USA, youth are expected to think for themselves, be self-motivated and to learn to be independent adults.  Both mindsets are valid and offer positives as well as negatives.  This blog will  explore how an American teacher of ESL students from a collective-type country might successfully help their student integrate into the American-individual mindset.  On the surface, it would seem that the student is the only concern, but no one lives in a vacuum, and it will help the ...
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