My name is June Wong. Emigrated from
My goal in pursuing graduate
studies is to continue challenge myself and become part of the larger force
that contributes to social development.
As I continue to develop professionally, I wish to hold seminars or
publish booklets that aid my audience to develop a new sense of awareness. My main audience includes teachers and
administrators of K-college levels, sports and art coaches dealing multi-ethnic
groups, expatriates, and parents of school-age children. Through partnerships with a diverse
group of fellow graduate students and advisors, I will be able to refine my
project.
Here I need to state the
distinction between my concentration in intercultural communication and
multicultural education. Efforts in
multicultural education as practiced currently include such elements as food
festivals, exchange programs, language classes and inclusion of cultural
specific contents in the curriculum.
What I am more interested in investigating are the interactions between
personnel in a typical teaching environment, particularly between teachers and
students in the classroom studying any subject
matter. Hence my work is more at
the micro level, and falls within the frame of postmodernism. Teachers play a significant role in
creating and preserving culture through their everyday activities and
communication. Teachers pass on and instill values, often subtly, through the
daily classroom experience. In
turn, these values perpetrate through many paths to the society.
Fig.1: The Culture Onion
Source: http://www.csp.edu/maco/maco/Courses/THY573/OnionDiagram.doc
As an introduction to my
presentation, I use an analogy to help conceptualize the importance of
improving intercultural communication in the 21st century, in the
same manner as rethinking how some subjects are taught:
Imposing values within the dominant
frame of reference
Vs
Mindful, Effective intercultural communication
Is analogous to
Teaching how to use a math formula
Vs
Teaching for understanding of math
concepts.
I came to realize from my
interactions with teachers trained in the western world that, for their
cross-cultural work to be effective, one of the keys is to understand their own
biases first¡Xin particular that Western culture practices and promotes linear
thinking.
Balance, collectivism, guilt, Logic, individualism, action, sin,
harmony,(external)
relationships,
past orientation, emotions,
sense of being,
high context communication
symbolism
problem-solving
management, order,
future orientation, cognition,
low context communication English Semitic Russian Oriental
FILL
IN SPIRAL
(itself a diverse
group)
Fig.2
Cultural Influences on Patterns of Thought
Source: Toward Multiculturalism:
Without knowing their own thinking
pattern, they are prone to be casually judgmental on (or invalidate) others¡¦
irrational behaviours and expressions when
experiencing culture shock. They
need to understand that it may also be the linear thinking pattern that causes
some people in other cultures find their postures and speech intimidating (this
could make a research topic on its own).
I will illustrate with a few brief examples that may be used in my
seminar. Paradoxical as it seems, I
should admit that my presentation style is linear, though I hope I can expose
my audience to various kinds of expression.
Having said all that, I should add
that White teachers/school staff is not the only group that needs heighten
their cultural sensitivity.
Teachers and staff of visible minority backgrounds also have the
responsibility to pay attention to their own biases and make the stretch across
to students¡¦ traditions.
Scenarios:
¡P
Case 1: Making mindful, culturally
sensitive statements
Have we ever made statements, such as:
¡§All Canadians/Americans are
immigrants or descendents of them¡¨,
¡§Ethnic Chinese immigrants are reticent/shy compared to Canadians¡¨.
With regard to statement 1: There
are occasions when we make these well-intentioned statements to downplay White
dominance and imply equality among Canadians/Americans by acknowledging that we
are all immigrants.
Questions:
What do these statements have in common? Do we sometimes commit oppression
unconsciously? How could we neutralize influences from the media?
What really is the Canadian
norm? Also, should we say
¡P
Case 2: Plagiarism
There has been shared concern about
¡§borrowing content from the internet¡¨ in completing written assignments
predominantly by Asian students. Some
schools implement policies to address the issue. The borrowing phenomenon is partly
rooted in the past-oriented value of adherence to traditions and the expository
mode of learning in many Asian cultures.
In Imperial China, the selection of government officials was based on
the capability of the candidates reciting the old books. The knowledge in the old books was
passed on and became that of the students.
In both the past and present, the competition for spaces in higher
education and jobs gear students to place more emphasis on exam results rather
than process in learning. Added to
the challenge is the need to introduce the concept of ¡§original ideas of an
individual¡¨ to a collectivist culture.
The above causes are only one tip
of an iceberg. However, being able
to find out even one more contributing factor is enough to ease our frustration
considerably.
Questions:
How can we effectively introduce the concept of intellectual
property, initiate changes in school policies while respecting the worldviews
of other cultures? How could these
be done without violating an institution¡¦s core principles and ethical
standards?
¡P
Case 3: Prior knowledge
When I reviewed the concept of
simple and compound interest to my Math 11 group, a student newly arrived from
Questions:
Given that we should try not to make casual assumptions on
people¡¦s prior knowledge in planning our activities, how should we communicate
and perhaps turn this situation into a teachable moment?
¡P
Case 4: Dating/Sex Education
The ban on dating is a written rule
in Mainland Chinese high schools. I
happened to come across a female student¡¦s written assignment for Social
Studies, indicating that she ¡§wished to have the freedom to court
(males)¡¨. I was in a strange mood
that day. To fulfill my curiosity,
I asked, ¡§Imagine one day you become a mother, would you allow your son or
daughter to have the same amount of freedom to date¡¨? Without hesitation, she shook her
head. She could not give any
reasons when asked. I hope I could
have tried with some more students.
This exercise came spontaneously but at the end I found it valuable in
the way it questioned one¡¦s inner values and in turn helped them understand
their traditional Chinese parents and teachers.
We should also note that parents of
East Indian heritage are relatively authoritative in their children¡¦s
relationships. Arranged marriages
are not uncommon.
Questions:
How could we take caution to communicate our own beliefs
without imposing them, respecting the parents? Any creative ways to
handle the above situation?
¡P
Case 5: Minorities¡¦ interpretation
of ¡§mainstream¡¨ concepts
I
remembered times when my White colleagues were exhausted by the endless teasing
at lunch by several Chinese office staff in their 20s¡Xbecause they believed
that if White people have a strong sense of humour
they should always be able to take jokes!
Another
case in point is that some parents see that granting freedom to children in
Western culture means spoiling. Not
only may this affect their childrearing practices (as some of them may try out
¡§mainstream¡¨ ways to help their children succeed), but it may also affect their
perception on the ¡§mainstream¡¨ education system.
Question: How should we make
clarifications when there is seemed to be a misinterpretation of ¡§mainstream¡¨
concepts?
¡P
Case 6: Writing styles and Thinking
pattern
I asked a group of Chinese
nationals to write an observation for a Physics experiment. I emphasized my expectation that
observations should be written in a precise and concise manner, saying ¡§less
words and to-the-point¡¨ repeatedly.
The assignments turned out ¡§not satisfactory¡¨. Before I returned them, I read out a
report from a student who was up to my standard. I stressed that this was what we called
¡§good reports¡¨, ignoring the fact that many non-Western cultures express in a
relatively ephemeral, subtle manner.
I, unconsciously, positioned myself on the dominant point of reference,
invalidating other ways of expression.
Similar differences were noticed by
TAs who marked college essays written by Persian students. Related to non-linear thinking pattern
is the use of non-verbal cues to avoid confrontation. Being able to read non-verbal cues is
seen as a wisdom.
Question:
This is not to say that we should not introduce foreign ways
of writing to students. Cultures are constantly changing at both the giving and
receiving ends. How can we communicate so that we can deliver new methods to a
different culture while acknowledging diversity?
¡P
Case 7:
A parent told a teacher her worries about her daughter who, at her own will, lived on her own and made her living by teaching piano. The parent was not convinced by the teacher¡¦s assurance that the student will succeed as an independent learning in college. Like many traditional Asian parents who pave the paths for their children, the mother expected her to get good marks in high school then proceed to university. Knowing that she had only 70% for Calculus, the mother had her doubts. Mother and daughter both have responsibility towards each other.
Question: If you were the teacher, how would you bridge the gap between contrasting values?
¡P
Case 8: Afternoon Nap
Some agrarian cultures have a more
frequent work/rest cycle. A
one-hour nap in the afternoon is a routine in schools in
Question:
¡§Is the 7-day week universal¡¨?
¡P
Case 9: Hard work
The school I taught in
A
Culture Piece: It is true in Chinese culture that living through
Spartan conditions and hardships is viewed as a valuable training. Ironically, under the one-child policy,
parents today neglect this aspect of upbringing.
As a teacher, I could have made use
of the traditional values in guiding the students. Rather than simply seeing the washing
machines as amenities, we can help them to recognize that having washing
machines in the dormitory is more than getting comfort. Students do not escape duties such as
stocking washing powder, maintenance and scheduling of machine use. Students can take those duties as an
opportunity to gain management skills.
A cultural twist of the issue, if
not successful in convincing the owner to reconsider his decisions, can at
least educate students the concept of management while respecting the traditional
value of perseverance.
Still there are many other topics
worthy of discussion in terms of enhancing intercultural communication:
¡P
the need to establish trust and
bonding in some cultures as a prerequisite to communication
¡P
differences
in tolerance level in terms of physical contact, comfort, convenience and
privacy.
¡P
different definitions of
happiness
There are pragmatic factors to
consider in developing and promoting new ways of thinking. Given today¡¦s teachers have so many
items to invest, for example, are they willing to invest in such software? Nevertheless, in retrospect, I hope I
could have had this sort of training prior to entering the profession. A multicultural education policy should
be complemented by appropriate cross-cultural training and channels for
discussions for teachers.
Thank you for your attention.