(photo by S.B.)

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 1

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 2

Image someone who works in a cement factory who meets 100 people every day who have made houses with their cement blocks. Or a restaurant in which a cook makes the food, then sits at the table and watches the customers eat the meal and comment on it.

That’s what teachers do – we have to face the recipients of our work every day. I always tell new teachers that they need to teach from their personality. You can walk into a class and decide to adopt a persona but if it’s not your personality, the “new you” is not going to last. Which is why I say that it doesn’t matter as much how you teach as it matters that you stay consistent and explain your reasoning, especially if you have to change your mind.

Students in high context cultures like Oman usually learn about behavior by observation, not explicit directives. When students are trying to understand an teacher, they value consistency because they are trying to figure out what the teacher is doing and why. Acting the same way and keeping the same rules day after day makes for a calm classroom.

My second suggestion is to always keep on top of the paperwork – after a major assignment is due, write down the names of students who did not hand it in and make a quiet comment to them in class so there can be no future arguments about what was turned in or not.

Also, in terms of class management and assignments, I recommend teachers make statements, not ask personal questions. Some teachers like to put students on the spot and ask questions such as “Why are you talking?” or “Why did you come late?” or “Why didn’t you turn in your paper?” To me, this opens up all sorts of unpleasant options such as a student saying a relative died or a cheeky, “I wanted to.”

If students are talking when they should be listening, reading or writing, then it’s good to ask “Do you have a question” or “Is something not clear?” to help get students back on track, but “Why are you goofing off?” is not helpful. If it’s an issue of class management, a flat statement is usually best: “Please come to class on time.” If it’s an issue of a student not doing work, again a flat statement lets the student know you have noticed the omission without getting details of the student’s personal life.

If a student is way out of bounds, I sometimes use. “What on EARTH are you DOING?” which focuses on the action, not the reasoning and since not all students know the idiom, it can create a moment of confusion which stops the action and allows me to refocus the class back to our work.

Lastly, if a student is upset and the problem is unsolvable, distract them. Change the topic so they can focus on the future, not get stuck in an escalating situation. For example, if a student did badly on the midterm and wants a new exam or for you to change the grade, start talking about the next assignment, stressing if they do well on the up-coming work, their grade will improve.

Staying consistent, keeping an eye on students who are doing poorly, making statements and distracting angry students means a peaceful atmosphere in a class and fewer explosions.

For example, I accept papers up to one week late (with a late penalty) and on the last possible day to submit, I always check my grade book before class to see who might need to still give me a paper. In one course only one student hadn’t done the assignment, so in class, I walked by their desk and said quietly, “You haven’t given me the assignment.” Then I stood and looked at the student until they responded by nodding.

Months later, 10 days after the course ended and two days before the final exam, this student came to my office with a few papers stapled together and said, “This is the assignment. I did the work but you didn’t accept it.” This is a situation in which I could have said “that’s not true” but the basis of the student’s speech was fear of failing the class. So I addressed that aspect, not the lying.

I briefly explained again my policy about accepting late work and reminded the student that I had checked with them in class on the last day they could have submitted. Then to change the focus, I took a piece of paper and wrote out the grading scale for the class, adding in the student’s grades so far and showed that if they did well on the final, they could pass the class. The student was not happy but I avoided a long, angry discussion.

When the student was ready to leave my office, I said, “You can’t get a grade for what you wrote, but if you want me to check it – I will read it now and give you feedback so if  there is a mistake, you won’t make the same problem on the final exam.” Saying this is a good way to make peace by showing that you want to help the student and it’s often a check on the student’s intentions. If they took the assignment seriously, did the work themselves and want to do well on the final, they will hand over the work and let me look at it. If they got the work from another person, my comments won’t help them and they will not show me the paper. That student did not show me the paper.

My last point is that, if it works with your personality, using humor is often very effective in Oman. Omanis have a great sense of humor and respond well to joking. It can be an helpful way to get your point across, but have a back-up plan ready.

For example, I am very consistent that I should never see a phone in class – phones need to be inside a purse or pocket or set face-down under the chair. I say this during the first few classes, then in the 2nd or 3rd week, if I see a phone I act like I saw a snake and yell, “OH NO! What’s that?” as I back away in horror. Everyone starts looking around to see what I am pointing at asking, “What? WHAT?” Then I point and say, “That black thing there!” They realize I am pretending to be scared of a phone and laugh while the student puts the phone away.

Or if I see a phone I cover my eyes and yell, “OH NO! That hurts my eyes!” Again everyone looks to see what’s wrong, then laugh when they realize it’s the phone. And they understand that I will always react when I see a phone.

After the 3rd or 4th week, I say, “we have talked about the no-phones rule, now if I see a phone, I will take it and put it on the front table.” Then if I see a student is looking at their phone in class, I walk by and quietly say, “give me the phone.” If the student tries to put in their purse or pocket, I shake my head and say, “No, you have heard the rule – either you give it to me or you can walk up and put it on the front table. Your choice.”  Then I do not move from their side until they give it to me to put on the front table or they have put it on the front table themselves.

If they refuse, then I say quietly, “Your choices are leave the class, give me your phone or put it on the front table.” I have never had a student refuse at that point, but if they did, I would say, “I am marking you absent,” then I would walk to the front of the room, mark the attendance sheet, then continue to teach the class, ignoring that student.

To me, it’s important to avoid anger and “no-win” situations. Using humor saves me from having to say over and over “no phones.” After I do a fake scream two times, everyone knows to look for who has a phone out – and everyone knows that having their phone on their desk means they are going to get negative attention.

Talking quietly and giving students a choice of “give me the phone or you put it on the front table” allows them some privacy and autonomy over what happens. (They can take the phone from the desk at the end of class.) Yelling and/ or saying “give me the phone” is too public and direct.

Sometimes I am told that I am “babying” students but taking away their dignity is never going to create a positive learning environment. I want to uphold the class rules in an equal and fair manner which allows students to concentrate on learning.

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 4