Using "anti-American".

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 11:14 pm

JuanTwoThree wrote:
Parent-Child

Host-Guest

Coach-Team Member

Preacher- Congregation

Which is closest to Teacher-Student?

Certainly the regression that Mario R describes suggests that many students feel most comfy with the first. So some do produce more language when they are talking about "naughty" things. Others less.

Which is closest to Teacher-Student?

I thnk most teachers feel comfy with the first. We get new recruits every month wanting to do the EFL cerificate. Of those who apps and become teachers, at least 80% turn out to be a different animal after 6 months teaching. You meet them again after that time, you observe their classes and you notice that this Mommy/Daddy figure has emerged.

Before that, they were really decent people. They would have made great teachers if they'd stayed the same persons they were before the course.

emile · Post by **emile** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:50 am

Is there a teaching point to this discussion?

Applied linguistics, we're examining ways to define a term.

Opening this up a bit, apparently coursebooks steer clear of the following:

"politics, alcohol, religion, sex, narcotics, isms and pork"

When I was at ELS Malaysia, we had our textbooks 'cleansed' of all of the above. In the new version, we had Las Vegas described as a great place to 'see shows'. And the 'rock and roll businessman' was an accountant during the week and a rocker with a can of diet coke in his hand at the weekend.

American textbooks are full of reading articles on divorce and gay marriage that some students don't quite get into. Somehow, they never have passages on 'racial problems of New Orleans' or 'the clash of civilizations'.

emile · Post by **emile** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:51 am

...and my colleague just chided me for referring to our interir designers as 'nancy boys', so I guess I'm not the most sensitive guy around.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:32 am

emile wrote:
American textbooks are full of reading articles on divorce and gay marriage that some students don't quite get into. Somehow, they never have passages on 'racial problems of New Orleans' or 'the clash of civilizations'.

Yes, students have to go elsewhere to find such topics.

stephen · Post by **stephen** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 4:03 pm

metal56 wrote:
emile wrote:
American textbooks are full of reading articles on divorce and gay marriage that some students don't quite get into. Somehow, they never have passages on 'racial problems of New Orleans' or 'the clash of civilizations'.
Yes, students have to go elsewhere to find such topics.

But American textbooks present such a marvelous opportunity to be patronised. In everyone, they seem to state that cultural differences exist, but the American way is best. Sometimes this judgement is implied, sometimes blatantly stated.

In British textbooks things are much better. British culture is presented as a collection of 18th and 19th century kitch, and we never bring up the British Empire. Obviously, this must have been a jolly good thing as everybody round the world will agree. Just ask a Tasminoid.*

Ok rant over.

Stephen

*The Tasminoids were all literally helped to God by the British, not exactly our finest hour.

stephen · Post by **stephen** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 4:07 pm

Ok rant not quite over.

Why don't Brits in American textbook sound American? Why if they want to have a Brit in a listening can't they get one? (Although in all fairness I've noticed that British textbooks return the compliment.)

Rant truly over
Stephen

stephen · Post by **stephen** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 4:21 pm

JuanTwoThree wrote:Parent-Child

Host-Guest

Coach-Team Member

Preacher- Congregation

Which is closest to Teacher-Student?

Certainly the regression that Mario R describes suggests that many students feel most comfy with the first. So some do produce more language when they are talking about "naughty" things. Others less.

The preach-test-preach antieducational philosophy is still held in very high regard in this country. Thus many subscribe to an extremely high level of teacher talk time including much mindless translation. Of course, time is still found for some oh-so useful gap-fills.

I hear far too often those who rant on about the importance of explanation. Of course, things such as discovery techniques are all too often ignored.

wilderson · Post by **wilderson** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:07 pm

Parent-Child

Host-Guest

Coach-Team Member

Preacher- Congregation

Which is closest to Teacher-Student?

I thought I might mention Freire's Teacher-student and Students-teachers. And I would be interested to hear how you (if anyone) have integrated Freire into the language learning/teaching classroom

I rather admire Freire's teachings and I was curious as to ways of applying his lessons.

womblingfree · Post by **womblingfree** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:09 pm

'Anti-American' is currently bandied about to describe anyone who does not support the Bush administrations dubious policies in the middle east and rolling back of civil liberties at home (or liberation of Iraq & securing of the 'Homeland'). The same tactic is always used by regimes in order to stifle debate. It's a very dangerous tactic.

Even those countries that are supposedly fervently 'anti-American' are fans of Coke, crap films and Brittney Spears. An American could happily walk through the Iranian capital and feel as safe as in any other major world city. Although I expect they'd feel a bit more paranoid.

Personally I think the term is just a meaningless tabloid slur used willy nilly by overly zealous patriots who themselves could be described as anti-American depending on which side of a partisan line you are on.

abufletcher · Post by **abufletcher** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 10:18 pm

Personally I like the rhetorical irony of an Afghani student I had in Kuwait in the late 80's who produced a anti-Soviet newsletter full of phrases like: "running-dog communists!"

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:31 am

wilderson wrote: I thought I might mention Freire's Teacher-student and Students-teachers. And I would be interested to hear how you (if anyone) have integrated Freire into the language learning/teaching classroom I rather admire Freire's teachings and I was curious as to ways of applying his lessons.

http://www.escort.org/products/freireQA.html

Magyar · Post by **Magyar** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 12:01 pm

Anti-americanism is nowadays used singulary to describe those who do not support George Bush. I am however sure that those americans opposed to him are not anti-ameican they are mearly anti a regime. I for one believe that my anti-american feelings are more to do with the lifestyle they lead. or prehaps the way we were taught in school.

i like many in the old C.C.C.P were taught to hate american and it still goes on. Anti-american is a feeling drilled into so many people.

sorry for bad english, my first tie riting

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:22 pm

Not AL, I know, but I read recently that a poll in the UK showed that 20% of people disliked Americans, 40% disliked America, 60% disliked the American Government and 80% disliked President Bush.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/mar ... st_10.html

Whether this makes 80% of Brits "anti-American" or only 20% will, presumably depend on your politics.

stephen · Post by **stephen** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:22 am

This might be of interest to some of you: The Patriot Act: The Home Version.

Kind of like Monopoly with civil liberties instead of money. Read about it here.

http://www.wbz1030.com/topic/ap_news.ph ... ActGame-aa

To download go here. (It's free)

http://www.graphix4change.com/

Magyar · Post by **Magyar** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:17 am

How can 40% of people dislike America it is just a bit of land. I can understand not liking its government or peolpe, but not the land itself.