Living and working overseas is a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the customs, etiquette and lifestyle of another society. The process of adjusting to another culture can take time during which you may experience culture shock and how cultural insensitivity in the classroom can affect your relationship with students. The key is learning to be aware of how cultural differences between yourself and the people in your society play a role in your sense of well-being and effectiveness as a teacher.
In whatever society you grow up in you learn to expect people around you to think and behave in certain ways. You learn this to function effectively in the society you’re living in, in order to interact “appropriately” with others, which increases your chances of reaching your goals, making friends, and finding a partner. However, the “rules” which govern what’s appropriate in one society don’t necessarily match those that govern another society. Consequently, when you go overseas you might find it difficult to adjust to how people there think and behave.
How culture affects you as an ESL teacher
Being aware and culturally sensitive in an overseas society will lead to better communication and understanding between yourself and your students, colleagues, school director and others you come into contact with in your community. On the flip side, not being culturally sensitive can lead to headaches and frustrations, damaged relations with others in your school and a sense of being treated unjustly.
How to be culturally aware in the classroom
There a numerous challenges involved in teaching across the “cultural barrier” which are covered in our TESOL course. Let’s take a look at two of these challenges:
1. Separating business from personal. Upset students, feeling the teacher has been too personal, are a common source of frustration for ESL teachers overseas. In certain societies such a Thai or Korean, students feel uncomfortable giving out information regarding their age or what they do outside of the classroom. “When were you born?” or “What did you do this weekend?” are questions frequently perceived as being inappropriate in the classroom.
Solution: Through awareness of cultural expectations in certain societies, teachers can check themselves before asking “personal” questions which they would normally consider friendly.
2. The work/fun balance. In certain societies such as Japan or Germany, students feel they are wasting their time if there is emphasis placed on learning through games and activities. ESL teachers are often astonished when students report that they felt they hadn’t accomplished enough.
Solution: Through awareness of cultural expectations in certain societies, teachers can ensure that students experience solid study occasionally combined with fun activities.
When you find it difficult to adjust to the ways people interact with you in another society, it’s possible to experience a sense of frustration, disempowerment and confusion. These are just a few of the symptoms of culture shock.
Knowing how to cope with culture shock is an important part of ensuring that your overseas teaching experience will be something you look back on with fond memories. In our TESOL course you will learn why cultural differences exist, how they affect you as a teacher overseas and what can be done to minimize these affects.
Let’s take a look at two of the cultural insights covered in the TESOL course:
- Overseas teachers who experience culture shock go through distinct stages:
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- The Honeymoon Stage
- They feel like they’re on vacation. Everything is new and exciting.
The Hostility Stage- Frustration with the host country leads them to criticize the culture.
The Depression Stage- Frustration leads to a sense of helplessness and a feeling of negativity.
The Acceptance Stage- They start to realize that there are pros and cons wherever they live. Even though they might not like things about the host culture, these things no longer affect them emotionally.
Getting advice from another ESL teacher who has been living in the host culture several months can be useful. But be aware, if that person is going through the hostility or depression stages of culture shock, their opinions will be distorted. Try to only listen to advice from teachers who are already in the acceptance stage. They will be better able to give you a more balanced view of the host culture.
Don’t try to change the world
When overseas you will probably experience behavior in local people that might clash with your own values. ESL teachers often report seeing students in their class saying or doing things that they deem unacceptable, especially from the American cultural point of view. Frequently teachers feel frustrated in their failure to prevent such behavior from happening again.
Bear in mind that the culture of a host country has developed over many centuries. Behavior that you might perceive as being unnecessary in your class can be normal to your students. Fighting this can lead to headaches. Situations like this represent challenges to learn to accept the pros and cons of the host culture.
Why Business English students want to learn about culture
Conducting international trade involves effectively communicating with suppliers, customers and colleagues from other nations. Success depends on business person’s ability to hold meetings, give presentations and socialize in English. However, knowing how to speak English isn’t sufficient. Business English students take a great interest in learning how to do business in harmony with the cultural expectations of their clients.
In our TESOL course we cover how to teach Business English students to communicate with cultural sensitivity through developing their awareness of cultural differences and how to harmonize their words, voice tone and body language with the people they are dealing with.
Click here to register on one of our upcoming courses.