Teaching Experience in Cultural Difference of Parents and Students from China and Hong Kong - Literature review Example

Teaching Experience in Cultural Difference of Parents and from China and Hong Kong Introduction Efficient content delivery requires that teachers comprehend the strategies that influence the processes that promote effective teaching. Among these is the cultural background of both the parents and students (Wielemans, 1992). A Culture exhibited by a society is a prime determinant of the modalities with which issues are perceived. Culture has an influence on the dressing code, the kind of food that is eaten, the housing pattern and the kind of education system (Sue 2013). It also shapes verbal and nonverbal reactions to situations. What is expected to be talked about openly and what are considered taboos if mentioned are inherent in the culture and subsequently impact on the teaching styles. Being the determinant of the way we live, it traverses to influence learning in terms of curriculum content, methodology and pedagogy (Alex, 2012). The influence of prior experiences on learning abilities It is imperative to recognize the fact that a child’s inability to learn certain concepts may not necessarily be as a result of their cognitive deficiency but may be due to their experiences prior to the learning sessions. Learning activities that contravene their cultural experiences may grossly hinder their comprehension of the content. Their prior experiences are a direct product of their cultural backgrounds (Sue, 2013). It is the duty of the professional teacher to create harmony by embracing a broader range of interpersonal behavior to harmonize the diverse cultural backgrounds of the learners to capture the interest of the students so that the lessons become more interesting. Teachers are advised to avoid the use of diverse interpersonal behavior in content delivery. This may be detrimental to learning, and the students may find the lessons ‘boring’. The employment of coercive behavior like dissatisfaction to control student behavior is liable to making the students lose interest in the entire learning process (Zhang & Sternberg 2005). This therefore poses a challenge to the teacher to develop a very comprehensive knowledge of the cultural predisposition of the learners. Since the class is made up of students from varied cultural predisposition, it is imperative that the curriculum adopt an all-inclusive approach. This will harmonize diverse cultures to strike a balance at a common ground. A critical analysis of the most suitable learning styles that compromise the cultural diversity is crucial. This will lead to an all-inclusive, all accommodative approach to learning. The need to adopt a culturally responsive curriculum management is inevitable to offer an all-round learning style that harmonizes cultural diversity. It, therefore, falls squarely on the teachers to acquire intercultural understanding to be able to impart knowledge to the learners for effective teaching and learning outcomes. Students’ background Of great significance to teachers is the knowledge of the students’ home country. This would be a valuable asset to make the teachers use examples that directly relate to the setup of the students’ background. This has a direct impact on the students because it facilitates the use of examples to which they are exposed. Utilization of foreign examples amplifies the reduction of interest in text materials because the students fail to relate the learning materials to their life situations. This coupled with the deficiency of the second language, compounds the problem of apparent mismatch. Teachers, therefore, need to be aware of the culture that the students are joining the learning institution with. The teachers are therefore obliged to have some knowledge of the students’ home country, differences related to culture in the expectations of the teachers and learners. This knowledge will foster the attainment of the desired learning as well as teaching objectives. Commonalities across cultures Cognizance needs to be taken of the factors that unite the different cultures through critically analyzing the similarities among the diverse cultures (Lixin 2006). Minimal recognition should be on the differences that exist in the cultural divide. Emphasis should be on the areas that traverse across various cultures. This would lead to a unity of purpose rather than a disintegration that is imminent with the emphasis on the differences (Alex, 2012). Parents, teachers and students who embrace this emphasis on the uniting factors find it easy to strike a common ground, a factor that fosters the ease of implementation of the learning modalities. Teachers who handle children from diverse backgrounds are therefore obliged to inculcate teaching strategies that are accommodative. This is to mean that the tasks to be accomplished be based on the students’ level of comprehension (Cortazzi & Jin, 1996). It should also contain a variety of tasks such that each of the students from adverse cultures will find tasks that are suitable to their learning style and cultural background (Lixin 2006). For instance, if a teacher realizes that the culture of the learners emphasizes solidarity in tasks then the most appropriate method to adopt in this set up is group work as opposed to individually executed tasks. Student-centered learning styles Teachers who adopt student-centered learning activities have higher chances of accomplishing more in terms of the learners’ achievements (Alex, 2012). Despite the huge variations in culture that is brought in the classroom, adoption of a more learner-centered approach plays a crucial role in realizing more learning outcomes. Even within the same culture, there exists some diversity. These variations tend to revolve around variables like age, gender, religion, family structure, native language, the degree of identification with others (Zhang & Sternberg 2005). This makes it very difficult to succinctly explain the genesis of a students behavior pattern. This calls for the teacher to be alert while implementing the learning styles at hand. The teachers’ beliefs and expectation will determine the direction that will be adopted by the learners who may have originated from the same culture. Teachers who believe in critical thinking skills with personal understanding would foster the culture of problem-solving and creative work. Teachers who propagate rote learning and memorization as their mode of imparting knowledge may adopt this unconsciously. So it is critical that the teachers adopt the styles that harmonize cultural orientation with the learning styles in their teaching approaches. About Hong Kong The Chinese and Hong Kong’s cultures are not homogeneous. There exist glaring differences in politics, economics, socially and the educational practices of China and Hong Kong (Bekerman & Geisen 2012). The population of Hong Kong is predominantly Chinese and Caucasians who are employees of some multinational companies. Hong Kong blends both the western as well as the eastern culture. The ancient Chinese are majorly immigrants from other places. The Indonesians and the Philippines are also found in Hong Kong. Hong Kong hosts about 1100 schools for the diverse cultures that it hosts. The school system still borrows from the British approach. This mix up in population has resulted in students that are drawn from varied cultures. The classroom in Hong Kong is therefore made up of students with a very diverse predisposition culturally. Hong Kong promotes both trilingual policy which encourages Cantonese, Mandarin and English languages and bilingual policy that stresses the use of Chinese and English languages (Cheung, 1999). Cultural diversity is indeed glaring. This follows from the fact that people from varied backgrounds occupy the island. Even though western influence dominates, Hong Kong struggles to maintain its heritage and the establishment of cultural values (Cheung, 1999). The relegation of English language in favor of Cantonese as the language of instruction raised a lot of concern as there was fear of looming inability to participate in international activities. This has made it difficult for the teachers of English to be able to influence the culture prevalent among the students and the parents. Some of them do not recognize the importance of the language and treat it as something that is of little or no significance. The education system in Hong Kong has experienced a shift from quantitative approaches to the provision of quality and effective education (Cheng, 2005). The influence of culture on the learning of Chinese students These cultural variations tend to play a crucial role in perceiving the components of good teaching and learning. The native English speaking teachers are therefore under a persistent challenge to enact the suitable teaching approaches for the Chinese and Hong Kong students learning styles. The awareness of the culture from the west is crucial in facilitating the learners’ comprehension of the second language. The native culture influences the students’ attitudes towards the learning of a second language. The Chinese students learning have been conditioned on L2 education learning styles. The Chinese culture of learning comprises of a set of behaviors, preferences, values and attitudes that is a reflection of the Chinese culture concerning the learning (Cortazzi and Jin, 1996). In the Chinese culture of learning, students are expected to exercise a lot of respect for teachers and also anticipate the teachers to have meticulous knowledge of the subject matter (Cheng, 2000). The Chinese are known to exercise the modesty of face-saving that tends to discourage their children from asking of questions in public. This makes the EFL classrooms in China to exhibit a knowledge transmission mode from the instructor to the learners (Cheng, 2000). Teachers in China are supposed to be moral role models to their students; this calls for instruction in principles, engaging emotions that provide guidance on personal actions (Leng, 2005). Teachers in china are obliged to have knowledge of their content, be considerate of learners’ needs, and take the role of a parent in the learning setup. The fabric that holds together the interaction of students and teachers is stitched with respect (Biggs, 1998). In this culture, if a teacher takes the role of a facilitator and not an instructor, then the students may brand the teacher as deviating from his central role. This is propelled if the teacher’s content presentation and class management is found not to be satisfactory. This can be made worse if the topic for discussion fails to capture the interest of the students. A negative “Pygmalion effect” may emanate when the students recognize that their teachers have very little interest in anything else about them apart from classroom teaching (Porter, et al. 2003). Students from China having acquired conditioning from their earlier experiences with culture are liable to display respect for their teachers. In return, they anticipate great interest from teachers because they have been accustomed to viewing their teachers as reliable persons to turn to for assistance of any kind. The implications of cross-cultural understanding in achieving learning outcomes A survey conducted by Lixian Xiao in December, 2006, revealed that proper comprehension of the culture of learning the Chinese language would provide a remedy to the perceived mismatch that face the Chinese students and their teachers. In order for the products of a learning outcome to be able to compete favorably in the global market, teachers should have an understanding of the diverse cultures and inculcate the same in their students. A comprehension of cross cultures has the potential to make teachers engage in broader teaching approaches and break the barriers that prohibit customizing the learner’s needs. This will make teachers communicate successfully with the Asian students. Teachers should be aware of the effects that culture has on the teaching- learning process. Understanding the effects of culture in this context will help bring control to issues that may culminate in controversy in the learning setup. Conclusion However, we must appreciate the fact that there are no clear-cut recipes to resolve cultural diversity issues. There ought to be to some extent, some level of mediation and negotiation in the school community. Intercultural learning environments being an amalgamation of cultures should be viewed as a new set of culture in itself. It is comparable to a bowl of salad that has individual flavors while at the same time has a totally new taste. Students who crisscross jurisdictions are not only products of the cultural mix, but also creators of the same (Spack, 1997).This is applicable to teachers as well. The culture of learning shapes the acquisition of second language. Teachers should be aware of this to curb problems that may arise from teaching. The awareness of the values inherent in the learning culture will facilitate common understanding and in turn impact positively on the outcomes of teaching and learning. Internationalization of education does not encourage teachers to restrict their reference to their culture (Li, 2004). References Alex, M. (2012).Teaching and Learning: Pedagogy, Curriculum and Culture. Routledge, New York. Np Bekerman, Z & Geisen, T. (2012). International handbook of migration, minorities and education: Understanding cultural and social differences in processes of learning. Dordrecht: Springer Science Business Media B.V. p 306 Biggs, J. (1998). Learning from the Confucian heritage: So size doesnt matter? International Journal of Educational Research, 29, 723-738. Cheng, X. T. (2000b). Culture of learning and ELT in China. Teaching English in China, 23 (1), 47-48. Cheng, Y. C. (2005). 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