3 ibunka-manuel-NV2-L3

3 In the Classroom

If you have ever studied abroad, you may have noticed that classroom behavior is quite different from culture to culture In your country, are classes usually interactive? Do students actively ask and answer questions, or are they usually silent? Who is doing most of the talking in the classroom?

FOR STUDENTS

FOR TEACHERS

TRANSLATIONS

You and Your Culture Part 1

SURVEY WARM - UP

WARM-UP SURVEY

Please answer the following questions about your daily life.

Q2

Q1

:KHQ GR \RX ˉQG LW HDVLHVW WR VSHDN XS LQ class? (choose your top two)

If your teacher asks a question to the whole class, do you raise your hand to offer an answer? always most of the time sometimes almost never never

When the teacher is friendly When the number of students is small When I know most of my classmates When the question is completely clear to me When I am interested in the topic Other:

Q3

Q4

Which learning style do you enjoy most?

If the teacher asks you a question in class and you don’t know the answer, what do you usually do? (choose your top two)

Lecture style: teacher talks, students take notes Discussion style: teacher guides students through class discussion Project style: teacher gives a task, students work in small groups

I wait in silence for the teacher to ask someone else I say ‘I don’t know’ straight away I look in the textbook for the answer I ask my neighbor for help I guess at an answer I think carefully before answering Other:

Q5

Why do you think some students usually remain silent after being asked a question by the teacher in class?

7KH\ GRQȠW KDYH FRQˉGHQFH LQ WKHLU DQZHU They don’t know the answer They don’t want to make a mistake They don’t want to hold up the class They don’t want to look stupid They don’t want to appear to show off They know the teacher will ask someone else

Unit 3 I In the Classroom 18

INTERVIEW

1. First, write your answers to Q1~5 in full sentences. See the website for Model Sentences.

Q1: If your teacher asks a question to the whole class, do you raise your hand?

4 :KHQ GR \RX ˉQG LW HDVLHVW WR VSHDN XS LQ FODVV"

Q3: What kind of learning style do you enjoy most?

Q4: If the teacher asks you a question in class and you don’t know the answer, what do you usually do?

Q5: Why do you think students usually remain silent after being asked a question by the teacher in class?

2. Ask the survey questions to three classmates and make a note of their answers.

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

z almost never

z when he knows his classmates z when the teacher is friendly

z discussion style (more fun)

z looks in his textbook z asks neighbor for help

z most students don’t want to look stupid z they know the teacher will ask someone else

Example Name: Akira

3-00

Partner 1 Name:

Partner 2 Name:

proved skills

Partner 3 Name:

Unit 3 I In the Classroom 19

EXPRESSION 1

A

B

In Japan, there is a tendency for

to

in the classroom

A

B

1 shy students 2 FRQˉGHQW VWXGHQWV

1 remain silent 2 guess at answers

3 students in co-ed schools 4 students in girls’ schools 5 students in boys’ schools 6 returnees

3 ask questions 4 avoid speaking 5 pretend to understand 6 pretend not to understand 7 take risks 8 prefer to study alone 9 prefer to study in pairs 10

7 boys 8 girls 9 10

Write a sentence about your society as a whole.

EXPRESSION 2

A

A

B

I feel that in Japan,

more than

do

Now let’s think about variations within Japanese culture. Write a sentence about how different groups of people might have different behaviors.

EXPRESSION 3

B

I might be similar to C

my classmates D

in that I

in the classroom

C

D

1 similar to 2 different from 3

1 my classmates 2 most students in Japan 3

How about you? Are you like most others in Japan, or do you have different habits? Write a sentence about yourself, as compared with your society.

Unit 3 I In the Classroom 20

Q1: In the country you grew up in, are classes usually interactive? For example, when a teacher asks a question to the whole class, do students volunteer to reply? Do they freely ask questions to the teacher? Q2: Do students ever remain silent even after having been asked a question by the teacher? People in Other Cultures Part 2 People from a range of cultural backgrounds responded to the Ibunka Survey on this topic. Here are a few of their responses for you to read and think about.

COMPREHENSION 1

Read the responses and mark the statements true or false.

1

1

hesitate to ~ overall talk one-on-one with~ material

In my American high school, sometimes when the teacher asked a question that was too hard or too easy, students hesitated to raise their hands. But overall, much of the class was a dialogue between the teacher and individual students who raised their hands and sometimes even disagreed with the teacher. Being able to give an opinion was an important part of understanding the material. If the teacher asked a question and no one raised their hand, it seemed rather unfriendly.

Jeremy American, university professor, lives in Japan

True False

In Jeremy’s high school, it was common for students to talk one-on-one with the teacher during class

Jeremy felt that students who disagreed with their teacher were quite rude

2

2

3 Growing up in Australia, classes were always interactive. Students were encouraged to contribute throughout the lesson. I could freely ask my teacher for more information if I needed it. Also, students almost always answered when called upon by the teacher. It was very rare for a student to remain silent. If they did, it was usually because they were extremely shy or couldn’t answer the question. At that point the teacher would ask other students to help the student out and the lesson would move on.

interactiv be encouraged to~ contribute freely

3

Hayley Australian, study abroad advisor, lives in the UK

be called upon help out move on

True False

Hayley was too shy to ever ask her teacher for help

In Hayley’s experience, classes did not progress if a student didn’t answer the teacher’s question

Unit 3 I In the Classroom 21

COMPREHENSION 1

5HDG WKH UHVSRQVHV DQG ˉOO LQ WKH JDSV ZLWK WKH FRUUHFW SKUDVHV

5 uncomfortable move on to ~ odd upset CEO

4

5 I cannot say that classes in France are interactive, at least not in . Most of my teachers did a lot of the talking and students just listened and took . But students are expected to respond when a teacher asks them a question. If there , it’s very short. The student might say something like “I don't know,” or “I forgot.” The teacher would then move on to another student. French teachers and students are generally uncomfortable with silence. It feels odd if there is no from the student. This may upset the teacher, and they will usually show it.

reply silence experience notes

Thierry, French,

company CEO, lives in France

DISCUSSION

Which one of the survey responses on pages 21-22 was most interesting to you? Explain your choice. Then discuss your choice with classmates.

E g : I found Jeremy’s response to be the most interesting A

I didn’t realize that B

…

A

B

1 interesting 2 surprising 3 relatable 4

1 I didn’t realize that 2 I had always thought that 3 In my experience 4

Unit 3 I In the Classroom 22

CULTURE SHOCK

Being a “good student” is not only about good grades- your behavior in the classroom LQˊXHQFHV WKH ZD\ \RXU WHDFKHU DQG VWXGHQWV FRPPXQLFDWH ZLWK \RX %XW ZKDW LV appropriate might be very different if you study or teach in a culture different from your own. Two people- a teacher and a student- responded to the Ibunka Survey talking about their different views on the same topic.

6 be faced with~ hard to take in control of~defy defy

8

6

I did a one-year study abroad program in the US. The biggest shock I had in class was about how quickly everyone was replying. I remember being surprised when a classmate was put on the spot by the teacher and said “I’m not sure.” without blinking an eye. I wondered why he wasn’t looking a bit harder for the answer. But everyone seemed to be OK with that.

In Japan I was faced many times \NYM F INKƳHZQY XNYZFYNTS F XYZIJSY staying completely silent after I asked them a question in front of the whole class. As a language teacher, that was hard to take. I felt a lot of pressure when it happened to me but I tried to hide it, to show I was in control of the class. I don’t think my students knew I was feeling so stressed.

7

authority

Carmen Spanish, teacher, lives in Japan

be put on the spot without blinking an eye 8

9

7

Gradually I got into the habit of replying straight away whenever I was asked a question, even if I didn’t know the answer. It wasn’t JFX^ KTW RJ FY ƳWXY GZY people were looking at me strangely if I didn’t.

straight away 9

In Spain, a student not responding to a direct question would mean that the student is defying the teacher's authority. It's quite embarrassing for everyone. Simply saying "I don't know" is a much better option.

Ken Japanese, employee, has lived in the US

True False

Carmen sometimes felt stress and pressure in Japanese classrooms because students didn’t respond to her questions

In the culture Carmen grew up in, it’s considered rude for students to say “I don’t know” directly to their teacher

Ken was surprised at how hard American students looked for the answers to their teacher’s questions

After some time, Ken became able to respond to his teacher within a few seconds

CREATIVITY

Draw a simple manga based on the topic of this Unit. It may be from your experience or your imagination.

Unit 3 I In the Classroom 23