My Quilt of Arenal volcano

End-of-Quarter Self-Evaluation

This has been an interesting term for me. As of writing this, I’m getting married in about 6 hours; I’ll be moving house on Monday and have had to deal with some mayor changes to do with two of my three children. Nevertheless, I feel I invested quite some time in the projects and presentations required for this course and liked doing it very much. My strengths have usually been in doing these kinds of presentations, as opposed to writing the reports. I enjoyed participating with the other students and laughing at everyone’s comments. I feel I learned more about structuring a lesson plan more clearly and how better to appreciate other people’s points of view. I think it’s difficult to stick to a schedule when everyone has many comments to make. The cooperative learning approach is very good because it guides students along the main points of the lesson without offending anyone by cutting them off. Again, I feel it has been one of the most entertaining courses I’ve taken. Thank you very much Neli, Peter.

Essay on Culture and the quilt patch presentation to European students

In our course on teaching culture related to the English language, it has been important to understand what is truly being understood and assimilated by our students as new information that can be useful for them to apply. One of the ways of doing this is by having genuine interaction with foreign students to see how they feel about an unfamiliar culture. This practise has shown us as teachers what we need to improve on to be able to get the message across in a clear and concise manner, while obtaining the needed feedback so as to improve our methods.
The cultural activity we had with the students from Europe had with us was a success. We were able to share in some cultural interaction and learn more about Costa Rica and its traditions. The activity consisted of folkloric dance and typical food, together with the explanation of the patchwork quilt we were asked to individually present to them. They were asked to guess which of the quilt pieces belonged to the specific person that was talking with them.
The design of my part of the quilt reflects the most obvious differences between the country I grew up in and the landscape that is found in Costa Rica. We do not have volcanoes in The Netherlands. We don’t even have any real hills. We do not have the same type of trees and greenery. There are a variety of flowers and fruit here that aren’t found in Europe. The climate there is temperate, not hot and humid like many places in Costa Rica.
The volcano depicted in my patchwork is called Arenal. It is one of 9 active volcanoes in Costa Rica. There are more than 200 volcanoes in the whole country, of which most you can tour. My patchwork illustrates the most famous volcano in Costa Rica that nearly all tourists visit. Overall, the visiting students seemed interested in learning about what makes Costarican culture unique. We spoke about the people and their various practises and how they compare to their part of the world. The way of dancing, the rice pudding (arroz con leche), and the filled tortillas were very much appreciated. It was useful in my discussions with them when trying to point out the differences in, for example dress and cuisine and how that relates to the practises, products, perspectives and communities found here and in their countries.
Because these students are studying Sustainable Development they were interested in knowing how the nature of the country is being preserved. I told them that Costa Rica does a lot to keep the natural areas protected and left to nature. The greenery on my patchwork sparked interest in this point and I was happy to discuss the natural beauties of what I’ve seen in Costa Rica.
Everybody interacted well and they expressed their desire to come back to ULACIT to repeat the activity again next year. The feelings that were expressed showed that the foreign students gained a greater appreciation for the Costarican culture and were able to speak with deeper understanding about their new experience. As a future professional teacher I was able to understand their apprehension about some cultural aspects, but at the same time I was able to help them relate to the different way of living and see how it is not that dissimilar to what they already know.

Do's and Don'ts when teaching about cultural differences

Do talk about everybody's differences:

Why? Because it clears the air. It puts us on the same footing. It shows the ridiculousness of racism. It helps us laugh at ourselves. It helps us think outside of the box. It makes us more empathetic.

Don't single out specific people or ethnic groups:

As teachers we MUST consider all races, cultures, peoples, and nations, to be clear about the good things as well as the bad things of each culture's history and present customs.

The values Americans live by

Would I be making myself enemies if I gave my direct opinion on why Unitedstatesians act the way they do based on the points that are mentioned by L. Robert Kohls, PhD? Probably, yes, and I don't even have a B.A. yet, but here goes anyway...

People from the US try to show how unconventional they are, but frankly they are as scared of being different as anything. They fear that other countries will over-run them with culture and so they act the way they do to try to preserve their young nation. Democracy is their biggest asset and argument. All the values mentioned in the article have their basis in the freedoms that they are (rightly) proud of and will go to war over if threatened. From time control, competition, and equality to efficiency and materialism, each one shows their fear of someday not being able to do what they want; whereas other cultures show more confidence in themselves by accepting that each country has their own way of doing things.

I once saw a bumper sticker referring to the USA that said: DO AS WE SAY OR WE WILL BRING DEMOCRACY TO YOUR COUNTRY!
The fact is, however, that they don't want to be different and that they want others to be more like them. Choose for yourself, but there are things about my culture and the countries I've lived in that I like the way they are, thank you very much! I think it's fine to take two hours for lunch, instead of running in and out of McDonnald's because you have to be back at your desk in 30 minutes.

So they make up for it by trying to be alternative. A friend from the US spent a whole hour trying to convince me that the best culinary combination he ever experienced was when (by accident) he combined chocolate milkshake with french fries. He thought no one had ever considered consuming both at the same time. He had no clue of what the French are able to put together, and sincerely thought he was being revolutionary.

Or what about this author's name: L. Robert Kohls? Did his mum call him "L". Why switch it around just to look special? If you don't like your first name because it's "Leslie" or "Lyman" or whatever, then leave it off and we'll call you Robert. If you do like it, use it.

STOP.
I love the United States of America. It's the best place to be to achieve your goals. No one will try to stop you or tell you you're nuts for trying. But I do want to keep my eyes and heart open to other people's feelings and other country's cultures. After all America wouldn't have the culture it has now if others hadn't brought it there in the first place.

What about the American Dream then, that has created these values they now live by? I'll tell you. I don't dream the American Dream, because I am awake!

Response #6

Description of the differences found between the two movies "Shall we dance?"

By contrasting the Japanese movie from 1996, and the American version from 2004 we find culture specific differences that reflect their respective societies.

Shall we Dansu?

Involves characters who are repressing their true emotions because they don't wan to be found out. The tacit or underlying message is that they feel embarrassed about what is going on and don't want to be found out. The interaction is impersonal, event hough it goes on long enough to create a strong relationship. It remains very formal.

The Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez version:

The relationship quickly becomes more intimate. The tacit message is more one of feeling entitled to being allowed to do something different. The dancing requires a close relationship, but not necessarily an inappropriate one. They are showing the need for a person to be allowed to express themselves through dance.There is a lot more "invading of space", touching, and eye contact in this movie version.

Week 6

This a state of the art equipment designed to suck up the mess of oil currently found on the beaches of Florida and Texas. It can be used by tourists, environmentalists and capitalists that want to produce their own gasoline from crude oil, or simple help clean up the beaches. It works like a vacuum cleaner, but has a mini oil refinery built into it to help with sustainable development. On sale now for only 99.95$, "El Sucko" is available at your local hardware store, or order one at
www.bpcares.com

Week 5 European cultures

This was a popular poster that went around in the early 90's leading up to the circulation of the Euro and the joining of the different European States. Even though we have a common currency, we still differ greatly in culture and the way we see each other.

Week 4

From Culture in Second Language Teaching by Elizabeth Peterson and Bronwyn Coltrane

Finding a way to transmit cultural understanding when teaching students of second languages is an exciting challenge. The difficulty lies in helping them realise the nuances that arise from the deep differences in language expression. Why a certain sentence structure or a specific personal pronoun is appropriate in one context and not another is not easy to teach, without expanding their cultural background. The teaching aids that include role plays, culture capsules, film, and literary texts are very useful. I have had the chance to use these more interactive methods when trying to convey understanding that cannot easily be taught through grammar study only. This use of authentic materials forces us and our students to become true anthropologists. It will gradually increase our level of empathy for the customs of the target culture and give us more insight to be able to teach the language better.

Week 3

I enjoyed the concept of connecting the different principles that are taught in the various classes of our mayor, and have been looking for the similar points that are at times repeated in one course to another. I think that it becomes easier to learn when we see the whole picture and are able to make links that help us to remember the main or important ideas.

Week 2

For me culture doesn’t assume as much what is right or wrong, but rather what and why certain things have been accepted by the majority of people in a specific place or context. It isn’t always easy for me to adapt to a foreign way of living, especially when I have seen another way that I like more or feel works better. However, when one takes the whole culture into consideration, with its history and problems, it becomes easier and I find myself becoming more understanding.

This is me...

Hello possums,

I'm a mutt. A mix of some English (oh hello), Scottish (ay noo), Indian (gudness me), Russian Jewish (oy vey), Trinidadian (comon man) and Portuguese (?). I like it that way! Nobody can call me racist. Because of my "dysfunctional" family background I have been able to live around the World and consequently learn a few languages. I enjoy learning about new places and the reasons why people live and behave in strange (to me) ways. This world is mostly enjoyable, and I hope to make it a better place.

Comment on my posts and I will make sure I answer...

Peter.