Understanding Cultural Differences/Activities

Both my parents were australian, so that may have some significance over here. We always celebrate christmas and mother and fathers day, and we have personal family traditions which I think are our own and relate not to a national culture so much as a family one. But because they’re immingrants perhaps we have lost those defining australian traditions, certainly I’m not aware of them. We never really had many BBqs but in New Zealand that’s quite different from the recognised culture too.

As for tutoring peoples from differeing cultural backgrounds, things that you might do caussually and in an offhand way might be the most shoking to someone who has different attitudes, to see their values in such a different light, in such a way. Things that may have to be pointedt out, or noticed by the tutor, or the reactions of the tutee as they take note of an offence or “faux pas”.

Possible benifits would be the lightening of a new context or concept that had not, form one view or another been thought of before, or even copnsidered as a possibility. What you thought was quite serious, and important to the way you lived your life, might be taken as light hearted and as lightly by the person sitting opposite you.

To encourage an inviting environment, I might ask the student to tell me of an example of the subject we were discussing in their own terms, about their own country. How or Where, and in what way did this effect you , and do they still in this way? What will you do with this perspective – would it be accepted at home, or in your own country, will you share it with your friends, would your friends find it new or intersting? Also, I might have them bring along some music, if tere was the option, and I could bring along some of my own, or a snack to have between times, of that culture that they were wanting to discover for themselves or share with others. And I could do the same. These are all ways of breaking dsown barriers, and becoming more attuned to each others ways of thinking about the woyrld around them.

One cultural interaction I experienced involved having dinner with some afghanis. We all sat around on a tarpaulin and ate with our hands. There wereknives and forks but I thought I do what they were doing and wrap the curry we were eating up in the bread they’d ordered. We had serviettes though, and somehow I got confused and had a mouthfull of serviette in my curry. So evryone started handing me knives and forks. It was very humourous. In that situation being open and friendly and easy going with a bit of cautious reserve was a good rule.

communication Test

The communication test results I thought were quite accurate as far as a percentage out of a hundfred could be and the number of options you’re aloud to pick. On a good day the time spent on one of these quizzes might reveal different results, and as a lot of the question seemed to be mood based, and which is often reflected in tihe the person you’re talking to , it was quite a subjective and inaccuarate test.

Some of the questions were about what most people would do to get along and establish a rapport with their peer. Pretending to listen when not really or thibnking about something else is something everyone trys to do at times. Did this answer count for or against the final result if your responded with a positive?

Alot of the questions seemed to assume a lectureres role for the tutor, a position which in my opinion relfects badly on the role of a teacher to help their peer think for themslevs.

Think question about interrupting was difficult to answer because it is something which is all based on the situatuion at hnad. Is appropriate to interrupt if somone has stopped talking? Or should their be no attempt to break the flow of a speaker?

When I tell people what I think feel and believe, I think it’s important for them to know that’s what I believe, that to have people know how I feel inside about the things going on a around me is how people teach and learn.

Sometimes the best thing is not to be overly apologetic because it can burden others with feelings guilt.

Often becoming ooffensive when critiscized is not constructive in a possitive way for the other person. Becoming offensive can be very effective in asserting and defending your position

When angry it is probably good for the tutor to let the peer know that they havedone something to encourage this response. It is often a useful teaching aid to attach an certain amouint of character to the topic at hand.

What conclusions and assumptions a come to can be talked about with openly topics that have led to these assertions

Peers telling you to raise your voice or quieten it may be experiencing difficulty understanding you.

To establish a rapport it is probaly first best to watch and listen and look intersted in your tutee. Then when it becomes time to speak, because of time limitations and your role as a tutor it would be best to not speak too much where it wasn’t needed or appropriate. But instead be firm and decision will be made with as little fuss and trouble as possible. Try not to be involed too personally with your peer or attached to their opinions of you yourself. When appropriate make a humorous remark of course material content.

It is important to understand the motives of your students enrollment in the course. You must notice and understand the reasons for your tutees choice. They may not know when you ask them or may not be too willing to tell you what they know. It is possible that you and your peer may set off on the wrong foot down different tracks if your intentions or the other are different. Then misunderstanding when finally reached could be greater and more dramatic at the end.

Socrartic questioning is the ability to question a student and draw out there response so they discover things for themselves by their own methods and conclusions. Some techniques invlove knowing the answer to a question you’ve asked and incouraging a student to find their own. Another is to ask a question that directs the speakers attention to the reasons or bakground behind their assumption or supposition.

Another is to dig deeper and reach the possible conclusions, outcomes and logical assumptions that could come out of a statement from the start.

Or to become more accurate and specificly target what the facts are which an argument is supposed to be in sctrucured form.

My most often used question and method of probing would be

How can you verify or disprove that assumption?

But first I would ask the student if they could disprove it and then try and and find as many different ways ways of disproving to challenge and making the student work. This way we would see together thwe assumptyion and other possible conclusions in as many lights as posssible.