By Jennifer Schultz

For Jennifer Schultz, culture is her passion. She has traveled outside of the states herself, but also takes pride in learning as much as she can about the families she works with. One of her most interesting and insightful teaching experiences was working with Burmese refugees in Milwaukee Public Schools.

When students are learning a language you must also take into account the culture.  Think about traveling around the United States and when people hear your “accent” they ask, “Are you from the Midwest?”   The accent, intonation, venacular, and situational vocabulary of our cultures all play a role in our language.  I remember being in Ireland for part of my student teaching, and in some parts of the country I couldn’t understand what the locals were saying.  They were speaking English, but their dialect was certainly different and harder for me to grasp. Some other small examples are the fact that in Wisconsin we call pop,soda or a water fountain, a bubbler.  I notice intonation differences with my step-mother who’s originally from the Pittsburgh area.  Not to mention, learning a language fluently is so dependent on the situational vocabulary you study.  I would not be able to convey much meaning when it comes to medical terminology, even in English, because I don’t have that type of vocabulary knowledge.  Just like when I used the word “pedagogy,”  the other day with a friend not in education, they asked, “What’s that?”

So, when we think about teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) we need to look at a bigger picture than just the language.  When we think of learning English, we need to give our students an opportunity to learn culture as well. We also need to take into consideration the culture and language similarities and differences that they bring with them.  These similarities and differences have major importance in teaching someone to be completely fluent in a language (and a culture).   

Try to remember your language learning experience. For some readers it may be clear as day. I know for myself it’s a little foggy. However, teachers did their best (in the age just before the internet took off), to expose students to some music, some food, and possibly some dress.  Now days we have exponential electronic resources available to give students a wide range of the world we live in. Keeping in mind that even the most amazing electronic exposure, still has no measurement to the actual experience. My point is culture is so crucial and regional dialect is a big part of that culture.

Learning a Language (It’s Not Always So Easy)

• Many other languages have masculine and feminine articles for nouns, such as French and Arabic.  And it was just brought to my attention that the Spanish language is looking at how to make some articles more gender neutral in cases of transgender individuals.

• Some languages have many words or phrases to describe something.  Spanish for example has plenty of different words to describe “love.”  In a noun sense you might use:   afición- enthusiasm, amor- romantic love, or pasión-passion, not necessarily romantic.  As a verb you may use: amar and querer- to love romantically, gustar mucho and encantar means, a strong like.

• In many languages there are words that are untranslatable.  One example would be the Hindi word jijivisha, which is used to convey a strong desire to live, and is usually used to talk about a person who loves life.

  • stuff - as a collection of things, in English is untranslatable

  • romance - is untranslatable in Mandarin Chinese

  • insight - is not easily translated into Spanish using only 1 word

  • confianza - means not just confidence, but a cultural concept of mutual respect and trust (some other examples)

Differences in Culture (You May Feel Like a Fish Out Of Water)

• In some Asian cultures it is very disrespectful to pat anyone (including a child) on the head.

• Predominantly Muslim Middle Eastern countries seperate boys from girls in school, so expecting a Muslim student to work with others of the opposite sex could make them very uncomfortable.

• Invading someone’s personal space by touching them, in a greeting (a handshake or hug) is considered disrespectful and sometimes illegal in some countries/religions around the world.

• Even talking while eating, can be considered rude by some cultures.  For example, in China the focus is on the food, food is prepared as an art form and should be respected while being eaten.

• Asian students may not look a superior (teacher, parent, etc.) in the eye, while they are being talked to. It is considered disrespectful.  

As our environment becomes more and more culturally diverse, we want to be mindful of how we approach certain situations or how we communicate with others.  We also want to teach our ELs about the norms in the new culture they are immersed.  Taking these differences into account will help your students build understanding of the new language/culture they are learning.  It also gives a means to discuss similarities and differences across cultures.  Cultural differences in the classroom should be seen as an asset.  The following are reasons to celebrate the unique individuals that walk through our classroom doors.   

The BIG Pros of Diversity

• Many parents are seeking out and advocating for culturally diverse schools, because they know this will better prepare their children for the 21st century work environment.

• Culturally diverse classrooms give students a means to hear different perspectives, and enlarge their understandings.

• Cultural diversity leads to a more civic existence.  People see others as “humane” and it provides an avenue to discuss issues and act on them collaboratively. 

We need to embrace the cultural our students come with.  They are navigating between two (possibly more) cultures.  But they need to continue to be successful in both (all).  We need to acknowledge differences and teach understandings of these differences.   We also need to recognize that knowledge and respect of differences, is a strength, in voyaging this ever globalized world.

To Further Your Learning

• From Learning for Justice (formerly known as Teaching Tolerance)--An Introduction to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

• From the Indiana Department of Education--The Iceberg Concept of Culture

• From Zaretta Hammond--Resources from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

• From Colorin Colorado--Language and Culture in ELL Education

Books

• Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, 7th Edition (2018) by James Neuliep

• Supporting Muslim Students: A Guide to Understanding the Diverse Issues of Today’s Classrooms (2017) by Laura Mahalingappa and Terri Rodriguez

• Intercultural Communication in Contexts, 6th Edition (2013) by Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama