Statement of Culture and Teaching ESL to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

1. Define “culture.” Think about such questions as: What is culture? What does culture consist of?

What are characteristics of culture? What is the relationship between culture and people?

Culture is learned knowledge that is shared and passed on generations after generations. It is also

a set of beliefs, norms and values that a group of people hold which drives their daily lives’

practices. In order for something to be considered cultural, it has to be obvious or common

among the society in which it was formed but distinctive to outsiders. Greeting in Vietnam is one

of the prominent examples. Greeters must use proper pronouns to address each other; these

pronouns are determined mostly by people’s ages, gender, family relation, occupations, etc. This

is a common thing in Vietnam, however, rather strange for Western foreigners.

Culture cannot exist without people and pretty much the other way around. A person born and

raised in a particular community is expected to represent certain attributes of the culture which

have been established for a long time in that community. For example, traditional Japanese

women are supposed to always speak in a soft high-pitch voice to show their femininity and

respect to others. One who fails to follow this norm is considered outcast of his/her own culture,

an odd individual.

2. Based on your definition, briefly describe what your culture is. Again think about such questions

as: What does your culture consist of? What are characteristics of your culture?

I was born and raised in Vietnam so I was influenced quite heavily by Eastern cultures. As a

Vietnamese woman, I was taught to be family-oriented, to value collectivism and embrace

 femininity. However, since my country has been more open with foreign affairs, people living in

my current time are less confined by the traditional prejudices and norms than previous

generations. (For example, before 1945, people were expected to dress basing on their social

classes and women were forbidden to show off skin. The French influence after 1945 changed

how people dressed drastically. Traditional outfits were replaced with vests, long-sleeve shirts

for men; jeans and miniskirts for women.) Therefore, I would describe my culture as being

modernized and simplified. I am still expected to treasure traditional values but not forced to

follow them unwillingly.

3. In your view, what is “multicultural education?” Think about such questions as: What is the

purpose of multicultural education? What does multicultural education consist of? How should

multicultural education be implemented?

As we are living in an interconnected world, people have more chances to be exposed with

different cultures. Thus, preparation for this encounter is, without doubt, necessary. This is where

multicultural education takes place. Examples of multicultural education, in small scale, can be a

regular class where exists students from two different villages/regions, or in larger scale, a

cultural exchange programs. Implementing this type of education requires careful planning and

investigation on different cultures. Through multicultural education, distances among people will

be shortened and participants will be more prepared for future interactions.

4. State in what ways a teacher of the culturally, linguistically diverse students can contribute to

multicultural education. In your opinion, what can or should a teacher of the culturally,

linguistically diverse students do to promote multicultural education?

Teachers play an important role in the success of multicultural education as they are the models

that their students look up to when interaction with multiculturalism. The students may be aware

that there are different cultures exist around them but they rarely know how to respond to those

or how to act with people from a community different than theirs. Thus, they expect to learn

from the teachers who are always assumed to be “more knowledgeable”. For this reason,

teachers need to deal with diverse students in a careful manner. Besides being knowledgeable,

willing to listen and respectful of each individual’s culture are also the keys for teachers to

spread out positivity about multiculturalism.

5. Ornstein, Pajak, & Orenstein (2007) define culture as “the broadest sense of the term includes

not just artistic and scholarly products. It encompasses the institutions, and practices, rites and

rituals, beliefs and skills, attitudes and values, world views and localized modes of thinking and

acting of all members of society over a whole range of contexts”. In light of this definition, how

is your understanding of culture and teaching diverse children the same or different?

I totally agree with the scholars that culture does not only contain tangible entities but also

intangible ones. I believe each human being is somewhat a mini version of the community in

which he/she lives. Every behavior or expression a person makes is the reflection of what he/she

was taught and familiar with. Thus, in order to explain somebody’s actions, we need to
 understand the culture behind that. A lot of funny stories are caused by cultural

misunderstanding among people such as an awkward handshake between an English

businessman and his Japanese business partner (Japanese usually bow when greeting). Knowing

differences among cultures of different countries is essential when teaching diverse children.

Students will be more engaging knowing their cultural views are being valued. A cultural-

conscious teacher will be more likely to anticipate problems in a diverse class and help mingle

all distinctive individuals.

6. State your expectations of linguistic, cultural, and other competencies of the culturally,

linguistically diverse students. What kind of linguistic, cultural, and other competencies do you

want your culturally, linguistically diverse students to acquire?

When teaching students from different backgrounds especially in a linguistic class, I expect my

students to understand cultures of the targeted language. Because language is a part of culture, in

many cases, words by words interpretation without study about the related culture is not enough

for the students to fully comprehend the conveyed message. I also want my students to be

mindful of the cultural diversity exists among their classmates. Exploring different cultures

enriches their knowledge about the world and prepares them for future encounter with people

from unalike communities. Being open-minded and respectful of different culture is the quality

needed for anyone who wishes to succeed in this interconnected world.