Classroom Cross-Cultural Awareness

[Amy Burns Short]

When I was in graduate school several years ago we were asked to create
case studies about different teaching situations for Americans working
abroad. I based my study on a friend's experience working in an
exclusive private school in Venezuela where the students came from
extremely privileged backgrounds, and the ensuing school politics that
my friend had to contend with. I was a little surprised at my
classmates' reactions to it and their inability to seriously consider
the situation -- which, in fact, was a very real one. Many of the other
students' case studies cast the Americans in a "missionary" role working
in some place where they could "improve the quality of life" for their
students.

My question is this: What is an effective means to somehow increase the
understanding regarding cross-cultural differences of both new (and
sometimes not so new) ESL teachers and
university instructors who have international students in their classes,
and somehow decrease a sometimes
pervasive patronization of international students by some American
instructors? What type of training or seminars have proved effective in
your institution?

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Amy Short amyb...@hotmail.com

USA

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