Summer starts here..
On Monday the 3 month summer pre-sessional courses start at my university. These are designed to get students up to speed with academic life here in the UK. My classes usually contain a great variety of different nationalities, sometimes more than 10, so one of the challenges for a teacher is to try to cater for so many different expectations and such a wide range of educational backgrounds. The importance of educational background is something which, as a teacher, you can’t underestimate. Higher educations systems around the world are very different – what is normal for a student in the UK, may be completely alien to someone from another country. My job on these courses is to try to prepare people for what to expect when they start their degree courses. What is the expected structure for an essay? How should students include references? What is the purpose of seminars? How can students improve their reading skills? How can I find reliable information online?
As you probably know, London is a multicultural city. Over 300 languages are spoken here, there are many different communities living side by side – go out on the street, on the bus, on the tube and you’ll hear myriad tongues and see people from all over the world. It is truly a melting pot. This can come as a shock to many students – perhaps their view has been informed by watching Mr Bean or studying from old coursebooks where everyone carries an umbrella and a briefcase, drinks tea at 5 o’clock and is absurdly polite. Often, the first reaction is culture shock.
Hang on a minute! It’s 5 o’clock – If you would be so kind as to excuse me, I’ll go and make my tea.
Ah, that’s better! In class today we had a really interesting seminar about culture. We talked about acculturation, and how students can adapt to the new culture in which they find themselves. For me, any opportunity for cultural exchange, whether it is educational, professional or social has to be a good thing. That’s one of the things I like about this blog – it’s a cultural exchange. It’s much easier to dismiss other cultures, simply because you don’t understand them. What I’ve learnt as a teacher is that any preconceived ideas I had about certain cultures or nationalities are constantly being challenged, and the only way this can happen is by interacting with other cultures. Insularity and the belief that one culture is superior to another can surely only cause conflict. Do we really want to live in cultural bubbles, separate and cut off from others? We’re all human beings aren’t we? Perhaps if an alien turns up one day, we’ll suddenly all realise we have more in common than we think..… anyway, I should probably get off my soapbox now. Besides, I guess I’m preaching to the converted… If you all weren’t interested in other cultures, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog!
Your homework! Look up the words and expressions in bold and try to write sentences for a few of them to provide a context. I’ll give you some definitions and pick out some good examples in my next post…
Answers to the quiz: Well done to those of you who answered my quiz about Taru’s post (15 June) Good work! Here are my answers:
1. in recent days, at the table
2. It has been raining and windy recently/the last few days
3. my hobby
4. I took photos of people, children and nature or The photos I took were mostly of people, children and nature
5. decrease
6. on
7. We should be careful of one thing or A word of warning or There is one thing you need to watch out for
8. looking at a photo
9. consist of
10. How are they made? What colours do they use?
11. impressed and impressive – in this context ‘impressive’ fits. (impressionable adds 2 suffixes –ion and –able and has a rather different meaning)
12. addicted to
13. There are a lot of (useful) books and websites or A lot of books and websites can be found
Comments corner
Hi Cheik Vall. Where did your definition of culture come from? What’s the context? Does it mean after a certain community has been destroyed? It’s quite hard to get the sense of it without more context. I didn’t hear Obama’s speech, but I think what he means is that Islam and America can (and should) co-exist side by side. If we have one, it does not mean that we cannot have the other. The phrase often used is ‘mutually exclusive’.
Thanks Vijay, for your long and interesting comment about culture. I agree that an individual is a product of the culture in which they are raised as well as of their genes (nature vs nurture).
To everyone who wrote about the naked bike ride – it’s difficult to know what impact it had. It wasn’t widely reported in the media here as far as I could see. There are quite a lot of strange demonstrations and events in London so perhaps people grow a bit weary of them. For me, it was just a bit of fun, something a bit different, but I doubt whether an event like this can have much of an impact. What will get more people on their bikes in London? Proper provision of cycle lanes and facilities for cyclists, better education of drivers, especially bus and lorry drivers, better weather (a bit difficult that one!) Greener cars and car sharing schemes must be the way forward. Anyway, this protest was a laugh, people enjoyed it, no harm was done so why not? Vladimir says he wouldn’t be ready to join a demo in his birthday suit – nor would I (it must be quite uncomfortable..!)
The public and government response was minimal, although you can read what the government think about cycling more generally on their website here.
The picture in the park is of a couple of good friends of mine – we met at university, a (very) long time ago. My friend Matt is on the left, with his two boys, and his wife Gema from Spain (at the front, wearing sunglasses). John, in orange, is going out with Joanna, from Poland, (next to Matt). Joanna’s sister, on the right, has two boys (born in London, Polish parents)! Phew! That was complicated…a real United Nations as you can see! It was a lovely day.
Hyoshil, your story made me sad. Since when was a teacher’s job to stifle creativity and punish imagination?? I think it’s a great idea, sending soldiers into battle with no clothes on! How could they possibly take it seriously? Having said that, maybe your teacher did us all a favour – we’ve read and enjoyed your story, and your burning resentment may have made you more determined to use your imagination and learn all those idioms…
Ana Paola, it sounds really cold out there - did you see the naked bike ride? Did it get much coverage in the press? Abdisamad, there’s a very simple answer to your question. ‘No’. When you use the pronoun ‘I’ it always has to be capitalised, whatever it’s position in the sentence.
Keep those comments coming - bye for now!
Comments
Hi JIm! Not enough time today. Yesterday, the programm on czech Tv was about young African women casted out from families due to AIDS. They said it was being from cultural reasons. How cruel and sad it has been for this century. However, it may happen wherever I suppose. A kid feel that from the early childhood. It might become alien to its own family. It used to listen preconceived opinions about people just walking along the house. The kid may reach quite an old age and stil would listen the same preach to follow ´the right´ way at last and change oneself. Would stay as a strange being out of the golden insular belief cage. How sad and disappointing for ones life. Child is being always child and longs to be happy and loved. Maybe next time a happier story to follow the meanings better! BYE
Hello, Jim! I have a story for you, the teacher, to read and correct: Some of my colleagues have been out of work since February . I guess, it’s my job now to get them up to speed with all the latest improvement and changes that took place in our line of work. Our new software is completely alien to them, so I’m supposed to show them the ropes around here. I’ll do my best to cater for their educational needs so that they can develop their skills fast. This summer, a few of us, the closest friends from work, are going to the Exit, a music festival taking place in Novi Sad. For that period of time while the festival is being held, the place turns into a melting pot and we can hear a myriad tongues spoken by people from all over Europe. It’s not the music that much that appeals to that place but the opportunity to meet people coming from all these different countries bringing a part of their culture with them, about which I can learn some things . When I moved to Serbia, after living 21 years on the Adriatic cost, I experienced culture shock and then I managed to acculturate. These are two neighbouring countries which have much in common, but because of the things in which they differ, I have embraced the best things from the both of them and now I’m the proud ? what do you call a person who has undergone acculturation and now lives it? I think that in the world of today, where there is enough cosmopolitan people and with the globalization at our heels there is no fear of insularity. In addition, with all these mass media and the Internet, there has come an end to all the preconceived ideas. Just like you, our teacher, I’m getting off my soap box now and letting the better ones to speak. Soon you’ll find out if we,the learners, share the same opinion with you and if you were preaching to the converted or if we disagree in some minor points. Your blog is fun and it’s great to learn new things with you. Benka from Serbia
My wife is a higher Secondary school teacher. She was transferred from school in rural area to the semi urban area in the same region in my place. My son and daughter were studying in the rural school where my wife was working. They performed very well in that school. My daughter was outstanding student in her school. My son was also a good student but not like my daughter. Since my wife got transfer I thought of enrolling them in any one of the good urban area. I was afraid of how they will be managing in the new circumstances. As I was worried, my son did not do well in the entrance test even though he knew most of the answers very well. Is it because of cultural shock? My daughter very much worried about the new teachers in the new school. She had to complete 40pages of writing in a single night because of the punishment she may get from the new teacher. Though I coax her do not afraid of punishment she was very reluctant to finish the work. Why I give this here the students find it difficult to cope up the new conditions even they are from the same region and same culture. Surely there must be vast difference between the students from different countries. To fulfill their expectations will be the great task for the teachers. I am sure Jim will be fulfilling the students aim. We will be happy to hear all your experience with the students and their culture.
Hi Jim, I hope you're doing good. As always I appreciate your great job, and I particularly appreciate the explanation of my question, and I always knew you could do it. By the way, I'm not taking any English courses at the moment, but I do practise on my own, and of course by visiting the BBC LE website every single day. Do take care and God bless you. Best wishes to you and your family, Abdisamad.
Hello Jim! Yes, I do. I support Juventus and Padua. As you probably know, Juventus plays in our first division whereas Padua has just been promoted back to the second division and I am over the moon. Besides Arsenal, I have already heard of Chelsea(the new trainer is Italian), Manchester United and Liverpool. The general perception of our country is that the English football teams have improved a lot in the last couple of years and it has become difficult to beat them. Anyway, I like Manchester United and Liverpool. About culture, I think we should never take things for granted. Thanks for taking time to answer to my comment. Good week!!
Hi Jim! My first unforgettable culture shock was to see a parent and a daughter lighting up cigarettes and puffing on together. In terms of my country’s culture, a daughter smoking in front of a parent was unforgivable, unrespectable and unruly. She would be condemned by society, and would be stamped as a black sheep in her family. As a result of a preconceived idea, I was completely convinced that my culture was far superior to that. I started keeping a distance myself from any cultures were unfavourable or alien to myself. My judgement of culture differences between others’ and mine has been more balanced. I must admit that adapting myself to this country has been a great challenge because my acculturation in a melting pot has been a series of ups and downs. It looks like a complex journey to find who I am and where my roots stem from. I’ve learnt the hard way how to balance out insularity of my culture and the others’. One thing for sure I won’t jump the gun too quickly before getting a handle on other’s tradition or cultures. It’s high time I got off my soapbox, as I don’t want readers and commentators to think I am teaching my grandmother how to suck eggs or am preaching to the converted. It sounds fiendish that living up to the novices’ high expectations for you as a teacher. On the other hand, I reckon the students are so lucky to have you who carer for them well as a teacher and a first gate of English culture. Hope you have a whale of a time with them as much as they do. I’ve been writing this comment with a happy heart because you have given me great feedbacks and praises. Thank you!!
Hi Jim The pre-sessional courses are very important for International students. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pre-sessional course as I studied my GCSE English and Access course in here. But I still thought that I am not academically up to speed with academic life in the UK. I thought, this course will give me more confidence but I could only take the course if I paid for it which I couldn’t afford. It is also a chance for students from different nationalities to know each other and international students will feel that they are not the only students different from the main stream society. They also face culture shock in the new environment as the new society could be completely alien to some students. I think it is an excellent idea to prepare students before they start their education in the new society as every country may have different ways of teaching. It is amazing to hear myriad tongues in the UK. Every language is so different from another. When you hear a new tongue, it always look like if they are taking too fast and you can’t make sense of the words but in reality they are just speaking normal language. Acculturation is very important for international students when they reside in the new society. Some students don’t adapt to the new society and try to only stick to their own cultural values and according to research these people are often depressed. These people have preconceived ideas about the new society and they don’t want to interact with people in the new society. Insularity is not good for having a healthy life style in the new society. It is better to be open minded and learn more about the new society. I guess, I should get off my soapbox now as you will get board reading such a long message. Thanks for guiding us write something. It is great practice for improving our English. Take care Rabail UK
Hi Jim! I assume that I am going to be excused being so informal, even though this is our first encounter. You appear to be such a young man. A short introduction from my part: I am a diligent follower of BBC LE blog, but I do come and go, in other words, I am not an alien, although I believe that there are space invaders. This blog is a real melting pot, and catered for us students like a pea in a pod. Myriad tongues are something that we, here in Finland, hear rarely spoken. The truth is that a culture shock is not an everyday matter over here. Acculturation therefore is an easy thing to do. Best wishes to all current friends, and to those from times gone by.
Hi Jim You are doing an excellent job, catering for multiculural students.For students Cultural shock will be there, and definitely accultration will take time; but before getting melted into the melting pot, keep the pros and cons in view, good and the bad are every where and in every culture; its your own perception that how you handle it. It's better to be choosy instead of running after unnecessary stufs. Insularity shouldn't be there as it makes a person shallow and could be the base of arguments. Human beings are social animals, they cannot be stay aloof, so a time comes that they get mixed up, and its better for the students as they get to learn from each other. Jim, you are not preaching but reflecting myriad persons into good human beings. Best regards and take care. Asma
Hi Jim, I am Jedi.Fortunately I got your great blog here. I read through you article and it is really to the point. Like you said, I won't read your blog if I am not interested in culture difference.I am really jealous of your special career that makes you have good oppotunities to understand various culture. Your article reminds me of a good movie-that is Crash, which narrated the big clash between different culture or belief. In a nutshell, the culture is really profound. Your homework is also amazingly helpful for me, and I will make sentenses later. One thing, here the soapbox means dais,am I right? Jedi
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