Larissa Yopan: TESOL 103

  What does it mean? Talking about cultural miscommunication. We all know that cultural miscommunication exists. However, in practice, do we really consider that in our interaction with foreign people? Something I used to hear from the American people is how weird (maybe rude) Brazilians are when they are invited to come over to a party or an appointment with friends,  and they say a big "YES" for that invitation, expressing explicitly that they will show up, but when the moment arrives they don’t show up. This situation demonstrates a real example of a cultural miscommunication. This used to happen because, in our culture, interpersonal relationship is important and you don’t want to look rude answering “NO” to an invitation, even if you don’t want to accept the invitation.  Some people think that saying “NO” will hurt the feelings of whoever is making the invitation. On the other hand, if the invitation is made by an American guy and you say “YES” and don’t show up, tha...

  How Do Different Cultures Perceive Time? Monochronic vs. Polychronic   Have you ever been invited to a Brazilian party? If you haven't, I need to tell you two things? First, it will be very fun, you will find a friendly environment and a lot of food. Second, it won't begin at the time scheduled. Now you can ask me "Why won't a super cool party begin on time? Well, this is because Brazil, as well as many other countries around the world, is a polychronic country. Professor John Ivers from the BYU-Idaho University mentions the words of the anthropologist Edward T. Hall to explain that cultures around the world can be divided by monochronic and polychronic. Professor Ivers explains that "i n a polychronic world, they're [people] not ruled by the schedule.  They're ruled by relationships and family". Then Professor Ivers quotes Hall saying that monochronic time , "on the other hand, is oriented to tasks, schedules, and procedures.” 👇Below you can...

  We live in an amazing world, don't you think? Although we are all human beings who live in the same world, we have some cultural differences depending on the place where we live. These differences make our world even better. However, if we are not aware of the cultural paradigms that exist in all cultures, we can fall into the trap of misperception, misunderstanding, and even disrespect.     According to the Cambridge dictionary,  paradigm  means " a model of something or a very clear and typical example of something ". So basically, culture paradigms are patterns established in the places where we live that define the way we will interpret things and situations. Professor Ivers, a BYU-Idaho professor, explains that " our paradigms cause us to interpret the world around us" and that people from different cultures can interpret the very same event differently. I've never been abroad, but I've already experienced some cultural differences in my own count...

        Do you remember that teacher in your early years of school who made you feel excited about what you were learning? That teacher who built a real connection with you, who made you feel important, and even made you think of maybe becoming a teacher too? Well, I am pretty sure you have someone in mind as I do. Why do you think that teacher influenced you? What have she/he done in the classroom?         I know that there may be many answers to that question. However, some specific practices that teachers embrace can be more effective than others. I would like to highlight just two.     1.  Engaged in a great work:           In the article " "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?", Professor  John J. Ivers (2012) mentioned something about that, he says " Teachers should not  fear to be a little more exciting, a little more courageous, a  little more entertaining, a little more ...