Cultural Differences and Teacher Awareness

Working in multi-cultural classrooms can be incredibly stimulating for both the learners and the teacher but it can also be a bit of a minefield. As a teacher, in addition to the teaching and classroom management and all the other bits and bobs you need to keep in mind, it is also essential to be aware of the effect the content of the lessons is likely to have on learners who come from different cultural backgrounds. This awareness is created through gaining experience and acquiring knowledge of customs and traditions in different countries and religions. In addition to this, it is necessary to consider your own response to opinions offered by your students: our background and upbringing have instilled certain values and ideas in us that cause us react automatically in a certain way without necessarily thinking about the impact this may have on our students.

Cultural differences can be a unifying and dividing force. Recently, I have been teaching in the UK and my groups have been composed of the following nationalities: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Iraqi, Saudi and Omani. The Asians share certain cultural similarities and tend to work well together but it has been interesting to follow the Asian-Arab cultural exchanges and how the relationship between the two groups has developed throughout the course. At the beginning they tended to sit at the opposite ends of the classroom but gradually, as they have got to know each other and as they have had to work together on several projects, it seems that nationalities and cultural differences have come to mean less and personalities and shared interests have become paramount when choosing whom to sit next to.

When planning a lesson, considering potential problems is essential. A few weeks ago I was due to work on an academic text on electoral systems in class. The obvious warmer/lead-in would have been to ask learners to share information and opinions about the systems in their countries. This is what I would have normally done. However, in previous lessons it had become clear that one of the Chinese students was a member of the Communist Party, and as a result, had very different opinions from the other Chinese students. Not wanting to put anyone in a position where they might feel uncomfortable about expressing their opinion or, in fact, might not want to say anything at all, it was necessary to come up with an alternative. In the end I went with “What do you know about the political/electoral system in the UK? Discuss in pairs” and, after two minutes of everyone not saying very much, we discussed and analysed the system in open class. Language and culture was learnt, hopefully without anyone feeling anxious.

Reacting to students’ opinions can also be tricky. Whilst teaching in Slovakia, I often found it difficult when the topic of the Roma came up. Most people in that part of the world have very strong opinions about this subject and more often than not, these opinions are very negative. I learnt that instead of getting into an argument about human rights and equality etc, the best thing was just to listen and not even try to argue with them. I could never truly understand what their opinions were based on as I had not been brought up in that environment and had the same experiences as they had. Therefore I would never bring the subject up myself but would wait for them to do it and then simply let them say what they wanted to say. Expressing disagreement was pointless.

In conclusion, we could then say that when it comes to these cultural taboo subjects, it is best to take the lead from your students. If they bring the subject up, it is OK to talk about it but even then it is necessary to monitor other students’ comments and body language. Once your awareness of general cultural issues as well as your students’ personal opinions and ideology grows, choosing activities and content becomes easier and these are less likely to lead to conflict or anxiety.

 Photo: After my Chinese students asked me what the difference between butter and cheese is, I felt we had to explore British culture a bit more.