Teaching in cultures averse to uncertainty
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Bob AshcroftSoka University
Teaching in Cultures Averse to Uncertainty
37th JALT Annual International ConferenceSaturday 19th November 2011National Olympics Memorial CentreYoyogiTokyo
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Overview
1. Educational Scaffolding2. EFL: A Cultural Interface3. Measuring Culture4. This Research5. Scaffolding to Avoid Uncertainty
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Educational Scaffolding
• Lev Vygotsky
• More Knowledgeable Other (That’s us!)
• Gradually Removed
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Scaffolding in EFL
• Advice
• Feedback
• Examples
• Materials
• Instructions
• Activities
• Goals
• Assessment
Teachers: What Kind & How Much
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Culture and EFLEFL ═ inter-cultural interface:
Cultural differences can cause different classroom expectations of teachers and students. The best way to reduce the effect of these inter-cultural incompatibilities is by understanding their sources.
(Richards & Lockhart, 1996 )
Teachers need to consider:
• Cultural variation• Potential problems• Teaching solutions
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Measuring Culture
Geert Hofstede (1980)
• How?
Questionnaires116,000 employees same company40 countries
• Results:
Individualism/CollectivismPower DistanceMasculinity/FemininityUncertainty Avoidance (UA)
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UA in Japanese EFL Classrooms
(Hofstede, G.J. et al., 2002)
TEACHERS STUDENTS British 35 Irish 35 Australians 45 Americans 46 Canadians 47 New Zealanders 50
Japanese 92
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UA in Japanese EFL Classrooms
(Hofstede, 1986)
TEACHERS STUDENTS
•cope with ambiguity
•find rules inhibitive
•loose codes of conduct
•tolerance of diversity
•structure and
predictability
•strict codes of conduct
•prefer absolute truths
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Research Questions
• What is the classroom impact of low UA teachers with high UA students?
• Are teachers adapting their teaching to manage these differentials?
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Methodology
Semi-structured Interviews:
A planned framework, but which also allows interviewees to contribute longer answers and digressions.
(Mills, 2001)
• Interviews Recorded• Clarified the Research Purpose• Between 20 -35 minutes
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Methodology
1 week before the interview:
• Definition of UA
• A summary of current research on UA
• “Are UA differentials between you and Japanese students the source of different classroom expectations?”
• “How do you adjust your approach to account for these differences?”
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Methodology
Interviewees
• 9 Native-speaker EFL Teachers (UK, USA & Canada)
• Master’s TESOL/TEFL or Applied Linguistics
• Same Tokyo University
• Aged between 32 and 60
• Between 5 and 14 Years Teaching at Japanese Universities
• 20-25 Student EAP Classes
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Results
UA impacts the following: • Accuracy / Fluency Preferences
• Student / Teacher- Centredness Preferences
• Flexibility / Formality Preferences
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Results
TEACHERS STUDENTSDIFFERENCES
Fluency & communication Accuracy & correction
PROBLEMS
Teacher frustrated: quiet, shy, unresponsive students
Students expect feedback relating to form, not content
Students don't see the communicative applications of English
SOLUTIONS
Rapport building
Visits from post-sabbatical seniors
Preparation + practice → communicative activities
Individual → Pairs → Small Groups → Whole Class
Assign Roles
TBL
Exposure to non-standard Englishes
1. Accuracy versus Fluency
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Results
TEACHERS STUDENTSDIFFERENCES
T ═ facilitator not controller Prefer Teacher-centered Classes
Want active participation Compulsive note-takers
Want student collaboration
Encourage critical thinking
PROBLEMS
Teacher frustration: Students lacking initiative, shy, uncooperative
Stalled activities
Student Confusion / Panic
SOLUTIONS
Realistic Goals – break tasks down into achievable steps
Incremental handover of initiative
Modeling
Preparation + practice → communicative activities
Individual → Pairs → Small Groups → Whole Class
2. Student versus Teacher- Centredness
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Results
TEACHERS STUDENTSDIFFERENCES
Improvisation Transparent activity / class / course objectives, aims and
content
Flexibility Visible measures of achievement
Deviation from lesson plan Formal codes of class conduct
PROBLEMS
Teacher frustration: students inflexible
Anxiety → demotivation
SOLUTIONS
Clear Instructions
Modeling
Start of course: Detailed syllabus and schedule
Start of Class: Objectives and H/W on the whiteboard
3. Flexibility versus Formality
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Results
• Most teacher adaptations are examples of Scaffolding
• Scaffolding reduces Uncertainty (McKenzie,
1999)
• Providing well-scaffolded activities is particularly important in high UA cultures like Japan
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A Scaffolded Exercise
Reading Journal
• A model
• Clarifies expectations
• Achievable activities in manageable steps
• Clear instructions
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Conclusions
• Different levels of uncertainty avoidance of Japanese students and foreign teachers can lead to problems:
o Accuracy / Fluencyo Student / Teacher- Centrednesso Flexibility / Formality
• Teachers adapt their teaching in order to deal with such problems.
• Scaffolding reduces uncertainty, and is therefore particularly relevant to teaching here in Japan.
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THANKS FOR LISTENING!
ANY QUESTIONS?
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Works Cited
Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences. International differences in Work-related Values. Beverly Hills: Sage.
Hofstede, G. (1986). Cultural Differences in Teaching and Learning. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Vol. 1O, pp.301-320.
Hofstede, G.J. et al. (2002). Exploring Culture. London: Inter-cultural Press.
McKenzie, J. (2000). Scaffolding for Success. [Electronic version] Beyond Technology, Questioning, Research and the Information Literate School Community. Retrieved January 17, 2011, http://fno.org/dec99/scaffold.html
Mills, J. (2001). Self-construction through conversation and narrative in interviews. Educational Review, 53, 285-301.
Richards, J.,C. & Lockhart, C. (1996). Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.