In this post I'm going to reflect upon the sixth lesson of Communicative skills as a European Teacher in which I'll clarify why talking in class is important.
One of the major reasons why people don't succeed at something is because there was a lack or misunderstanding in communication. Communication is the foundation for every type of relationship.
Spoken language classes go beyond text- and workbooks and allow students to talk with a teacher or classmates to practice the language. With this method, combined with music, reading, writing, open questions..., students can enrich their vocabulary and grammar. More important, they practice the skills to communicate successfully. Learning how to communicate takes time. That's why we, as a teacher, have to create an environment where our pupils can talk. During class we have read about Lee. Apparently he refused to speak in class, because some of his teachers stated that he wasnt allowed to talk in class anymore. Don't be surprised when his communicative skills are weak, because in your youth you have to practice on your bodylanguage, intonation, fluency... Teachers reflect upon your skills, but not adults (your boss, friend...).
We all know good communication is at the heart of every good relationship. Sharing something (what's on your mind) in words makes you and your partner feel more understood, more appreciated, more loved. The ability to communicate well is the most important relationship (between two cultures, in a romance...) skill of all.
In this post I'm going to reflect upon the fifth lesson of Communicative skills as a European Teacher in which I'll discuss 'Moralisation and virtualisation of citizenship'.
1. 'Integration' as 'citizenship'
We give the impression that foreigners are welcome and they can take part of our society, like it is a choice to take part, but in reality they are already taking part. We pretend to be the loyal society and the dominant culture, because they are intruders and therefore they have to adapt themselves to be a part of it.
Make sure youre part of it! stresses the importance attached to individual responsibility. The government makes an appeal to all citizens to participate in society on the basis of mutual acceptance and equality. That presupposes the possibility to not take part of society. What is our society? They are part of it whether we like it or not. Our dominating norms arent the right or only ones.
2. The virtualisation of citizenship
The virtualisation of citizenship means that citizenship thereby becomes, instead of an actuality (a juridical status), a virtuality (a possible but absent actuality in diffuse and shifting moral terms).
Before the culturist phase it was assumed that once the immigrant had become a citizen in the formal sense he would in time commit him- or herself to society and become a citizen in the moral sense as well. Currently, however, it is the other way round. The immigrant now has to earn permanent residence and nationality by proving his or her acceptance of the fundamental norms of a Dutch society. It's a double process: newly arrived immigrants are required to first gain moral citizenship in order to apply for formal citizenship status as crowning achievement of their becoming-citizen. On the other hand, many who have formal citizenship status but who purportedly lack integration as a consequence of their lack of cultural adjustment are construed as only halfway there.
Active citizenship has two problems: the fact that autochthones experience fear of Muslims and the fact that allochtones feel unaccepted.
In this post I'm going to reflect upon the fourth lesson of Communicative skills as a European Teacher in which I'll give an example of the Three Step Method.
Step 1: getting to know ones own norms, values and behavioural codes.
Step 2: getting to know the norms, values and behavioural codes of the others (opinion ≠ fact).
Step 3: determining how to deal with the observed differences in the given situation. A teacher Dutch gave her pupils a test about verbs. They had to decline the word 'verantwoorden'. One pupil had written 'hij antwoordt' instead of 'verantwoordt'. The teacher saw this as an incorrect answer. That was inadmissible, because the pupil knew 'derde persoon enkelvoud: stam + t', which was the purpose of the test. The teacher didn't deviate her notion, so she made the limits clear to the other party. The pupils and the teacher tried to have an agreement about the marks.
In this post I'm going to reflect upon the third lesson of Communicative skills as a European Teacher in which I'll summarise the high and low cultures in Europe.
Interview Marc Colpaert with Durre Ahmad, Where two seas meet.
Logos versus mythos: People in the west are too rational; they have a rational scientific way of thinking, which gives us knowledge of the material world. However, this sort of thinking is not symbolic at all. Take water: two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen (= logos), but this tells you nothing about the sensation of water when youre thirsty, it tells us nothing about the different forms water can take.
The symbolic has more to do with the contemplative, because then you can see or make connections and enter that world. Contemplation seeks gradation and depth of understanding.
Symbols cant be invented, these are eternal forms and they can keep changing their external form, but their inner meaning cannot be invented.
Symbols have certain qualities, which distinct them from signs. A symbol will always have ambiguity (dubbelzinnigheid) to it. Two people can see the same thing, but they may not share the same meaning. Symbols will carry a sense of mystery and some emotional charge (positive of negative).
People want the same material benefits and move away from their own mythical roots. This is the desire to be modern and why the East wants to be more like the West.
The planet is the biggest symbol of all, because were all in it together. We have to live together, or manage to do so, because otherwise no one will survive.
Its not so much learning about people, as learning from them.
In this post I'm going to reflect upon the second lesson of Communicative skills as a European Teacher in which I'll discuss 'Key issues and challenges: culture and language'.
Linguistic diversity is a reflection of cultural diversity. Languages express culturally specific world views and value systems. Every culture has its own words and values (e.g. wanneer woorden weer waarden worden). Linguistic competencies are fundamental as they condition school achievement, promote access to other cultures and encourage openness to cultural exchange.
Openness to cultural exchange... Responsible travel involves more than just being a passive observer. Try to get to know the culture you are visiting, both for your own personal enrichment and also to avoid accidentally offending those around you with different beliefs and views. A good way to get to know a culture better is to try and lean some of its language. A simple 'hello' and 'thank you' can go a long way to breaking down barriers. For example, when you're on holiday in Turkey and someone asks you if you would like to have an apple-tea: don't turn around and just give in. It's an inrichment for your cultural knowledge!
My opinion is you have to taste something first, before you can make a statement. In other words, you have to know the culture, before you make conclusions...
At this moment there are 6 905 282 279 people in the world and numerous cultures. Isn't it a challenge getting to know so many cultures as possible? We would have more respect for each other...
Culture, cultures, multicultural, intercultural,... and I?
In this post I'm going to reflect upon the first lesson of Communicative skills as a European Teacher in which I will clarify the words 'culture', 'multicultural' and 'intercultural'.
Culture refers to a society or an organization who shares the same beliefs, thought, values, arts... We can subdivide the word 'culture' in the following ways of life: - Language medium of expression; - Arts and sciences: human expression; - Thought: the way people perceive, interpret and understand the world around them; - Spirituality: inner well-being; - Social acitivity: life-celebrating events or leisure-time acitivities...; - Interaction: human contact.
Multiculturalism refers to diversity (many cultures) in a society or an organization. For example, in my first year of elementary school I had foreign classmates: from Albania, Tunesia and Germany.
Interculturalism refers to a relation, communication of interaction between people of different cultures. Most people aren't aware of how much their culture shapes their attitude. In other words, every culture is rare, which turns out in arguments. It's often helpful to look at the situation from an intercultural point of view.
