Job Discussion Forums

[Capergirl]

Have any of you attended a cultural sensitivity training workshop? I am required to attend one in the near future. It will be my first time attending such a workshop. (We have new students coming from Africa and the company that they work for has requested that all of the instructors attend this workshop). I have no idea what "cultural sensitivity training" involves and whether or not it will be helpful. If anyone here has taken such a workshop, did you find it informative and/or helpful with regards to your approaches in the classroom?

[Alitas]

I have done cultural sensitivity training. It was required when I worked for a state-funded migrant school in the states. Our students were 98% Native American (MicMac and passamaquoddy--if you're from Cape Breton I worked with some of your neighbors) and 2% Latino.

It was a good experience for everyone. We had discussion groups where different cultural practices were discussed (the big issue in our group was the way children are reared/disicplined in the Micmac culture). We talked about important traditions and beliefs that were represented. We talked about perceptions and communicating to someone who is culturally different. We role-played quite a lot. In the end it helped everyone cut through the surface tension (we were all very different) and the staff worked together very well. Throughout the session we had ceremonies, dances, and a picnic that celebrated the unique character of the school. There was a lot of pride.

My exprience with this type of training was very positive. It helped me relate to the children in my classroom. Especially when I knew how the children were being raised in their culture. It helped me see that some of their behavior wasn't to defy me but instead was part of the way they had been raised. The training definitely diffused potential miscommunications in the school.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

Cultural sensitivity training and multicultural education have been big in many U.S. education systems for quite a few years. Such training is required for teacher certification in many states. Cultural sensitivity training should help make you aware of your own cultural prejudices and biases. It should also make you aware of the differences among cultures (specifically the cultures of students you'll be teaching) in areas of communication, relationships, ways of dealing with certain situations, and social interactions, just to mention a few.

Cultural sensitivity training often includes role playing. If you've never participated in the BaF� BaF� simulation game of being dropped into a foreign culture and having to figure out the social rules of said culture, then I hope that your sensitivity training workshop includes BaF� BaF� or something similar. It's definitely worth the experience.

My personal view is that anyone planning to go abroad to teach EFL could benefit greatly from a good cultural sensitivity workshop. I also think that any good EFL teacher training course should include a similar module.

[dduck]

I would like to briefly add, that in the first few weeks of living and working in Mexico I found some of the people quite rude. Even though I've had an interest in the Latin culture for some years I gradually realised that I'd still been expecting some things to work the same here as at home and that it was my misconceptions that were the cause of my frustrations. Gradually, I'm learning to adapt - I imagine that the course will save you a lot of grief.

Iain

[khmerhit]

Yes, cultural sensitivity training sounds a bit silly but its a common sense way of acquainting people with different ways of living and different customs and mindsets. So many problems arise from cultural misunderstandings, let alone language barriers, that Im surprised it isnt used more frequently. I believe it is fairly common in business and govt, though. i gave a workshop on a course a few months ago, for an assignment in my Bachelor of education. The subject was chyon mi--- Korean face, but since i ve never been to korea I was talking thru my hat!

[C76]

Cultural Sensitivity Training = Cultural RESPECT Training

Hopefully.

The unit I took covered areas including what to do if you have to deal with a bigot in your class, i.e. Tom refuses to work with Joe because he think Joe (and people from his country) are inferior, etc.

The instructor will probably remind you to remain sensible and realistic re your perspective on people from other ethnicities. They'll probably also mention situations like the one I in the previous paragraph--how to deal with obnoxious students, etc.

Haven't had to use my training yet, though. I wish you all the best!

[Roger]

It is nice to hear that attending a 'cultural sensitivity' programme can free you of biases that YOU may hold against immigrants and natives in their own home countries.
But to me this seems to be a little too academic. What about the prejudices immigrants and natives in their home countries hold against OTHERS, including US?

The amazing thing is that it is not a "we" against "they" world; we all are foreigners or aliens at one time or another. Respect is not something you can command based on your nationality or ethnicity - that sort of attitude only applies when you are with your own peers. In a cosmopolitan society, individual cultures should take a back seat, and common denominators should be find. Common sense, not uncommon customs!

Consider: Should a host nation tolerate polygamy because immigrants adhere to it? Should we allow customs such as clitorectomy because that is what half of Africa's tribes routinely perform? Should we allow alien cultures to impose their tradition-honoured legal practices such as Shariah for some Muslims?

There is a fine line between knowing some of these customs (and tolerating them when done in their countries of origin), and accepting them in the midst of a Western nation!

[Wolf]

The only cultural sensitivity training I ever had was from the school of (very, very) hard knocks. I had been fortunate enough to have been exposed - in one way or another - to different cultures since I was a kid. I can see how it would be useful in an ESL (as opposed to EFL) envoirnment, though.

[Capergirl]

I do feel that I've encountered a lot of the situations already that might be a part of this workshop, both in my time teaching EFL in Asia and teaching ESL locally. This group coming from Africa is actually the second group, so I already know about the country, culture, etc. I've also experienced culture shock firsthand, so I do have that experience to draw on (and it does help, there is no greater teacher than experience [to be corny]). I must admit, I am not really looking forward to this workshop, especially if it involves a lot of role-playing. Nonetheless, we are contracted by a major U.S. company to teach these students so it is their call.

@Alitas...How did you end up teaching Mi'qMaq students? What state are/were you in?

[Alitas]

Capergirl....I'm a Maine girl myself. I was hired to teach at the migrant school which runs during the massive blueberry harvest in August. It was a great experience for three summers. Our population was mostly Micmac with Passamquoddy and Mexican thrown in the mix.

I don't teach ESL or TEFL or TESL or whatever it is called...I teach French and Spanish here in Maine and love to travel...and I enjoy these boards immensely.

[Capergirl]

Hi Alitas...I actually lived in Maine for a year. So are you thinking about going to another country to teach French and/or Spanish?