Role of Culture in the Classroom
I'm not sure where this topic belongs but here goes- I teach non-western students overseas but only have them in the classroom for 1 to 14 days. I find all cultures are familiar and comfortable with a lecture but not so with more interactive discussion types environments. Many students are concerned about loosing 'face' in front of the class; others will carefully avoid challanging any remarks from their 'superiors'; some cultures do not value timeliness (in attendance) and etc. any suggestions/recommendations for increasing group discussions?
Good idea. It will be a challenge to break down an intro class for small group discussion but thats what I get paid to do. Thanks again.
Hi Joseph,
You raise a good question because I have encountered the very same situation here at my university. To help the students feel a part of the discussion I put them into learning groups. I gave each group questions to answer over case studies. By being in a small group the students felt more at ease in speaking and sharing. Then each student took a turn at sharing the answers they came up with. When they were speaking they remained seated in a circle surrounded by their peers, even though they were talking to the entire class it didn't seem so because there were five other groups located around the classroom so they didn't have to stare into the eyes of 30 other students. I kept them in the groups for approximately half the class so they got comfortable with the other members of their group. I changed groups so the students would get to know 4-5-6 other students well as a result of being in a new group.
Hope this helps you. If you have any other questions about this let me know.
Gary
