Teaching US identity

Topics

Culture Cultural values Being observant U.S. diversity Inside the American classroom Practical application

What is culture

Definitions Iceberg metaphor Cultural values

Defining culture

Culture is the norms, values and attitudes shared by the group of people joined by geographic or ethnic ties.

Culture is fluid and changes. You can generalize about culture

though you can find exceptions. Culture is learned, not inhereted.

Iceberg metaphor

Like an iceberg , nine-tenth of culture is below the surface

food, dress, music, visual arts,drama, dance, literature,

games, celebrations

courtesy, concept of time, personal space, rules ob conduct, facial expressions, body language, touching, eye contact, con-cept of beauty, relationships to animals, notions of leadership,tempo of work, nature of friendships, tone of voice, attitudes toward elders, preference for competition or cooperation, con-

cept of “self”, concept of past and future, problem-solving, rolesin relation to age, sex, class, occupation, kinship.

Cultural Values Quiz 1.If you see someone smiling , it means

they are happy. True or False? 2.If a student does not agree with the

teacher, it means the student does not respect him. True or False?

3. If your roommate does not share her personal space with you, it means she does not like you. True or False?

Understanding the cultural difference Imagine, that in your own country, everyone that was ever born

or will be born was born with two legs, two arms, two eyes, a nose, a mouth and a pair of sunglasses. The color of the lenses in the sunglasses is yellow. The yellow lenses represent your attitudes, beliefs, values, and cultural background.

Thousands of miles away in another country, , everyone that was ever born or will be born was born with two legs, two arms two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and a pair of sunglasses. The color of the lenses in their sunglasses is blue. Everything that the people see, learn, and experience is filtered through blue lenses.

A traveler who wants to go to that far-away land realizes that to learn about the country and the people more thoroughly, he will have to acquire some blue sunglasses so that he can “see”. When the traveler arrives, he wears the blue sunglasses. He stays for two months. He feels he really is learning about the people. He comes home to his own country and declares that he is now an “expert” on that country and that the culture is… green!

Culture is invisible Why did the traveler see green? What does it mean that he saw

green? What could/should a person do to

avoid that mistake? What could you say is the moral of

this fable? Mix a yellow and a blue paint. What

new colour will you get? Is it green?

Ukraine through American glasses

Another thing that I noticed when I first arrived is the facial expressions of most Ukrainians. I may be wrong, but this does not seem to be a “smiling” culture. This can be a little discouraging. I find myself asking the “why” questions. For example, why do some people cut the line? Or why are some shop assistants very rude and impatient for no reason? Or why do some people loudly listen to music on their cell phones in public places? Or why do people drive on the pedestrian sidewalk and beep when a pedestrian is in their way? I could ask these “why” questions all day. Sometimes I find answers to them, and sometimes I don’t.

/Elisabeth Mc Neil, PCV, Korsun’-Shevchenkivs’kyi/

How can you recognize an American?

Appearance Behaviour What he or she says What he or she doesn’t say Stereotypes vs. generalizations

Being Observant. Identify the nationality -Ukrainian or American.

At the wedding party. Ukrainian –American

partnership.

US Cultural Values Environment Time* Communication Space* Power/Equality/* Individualism/Independence/* Competitiveness Action

Understanding common US attitudes

Personal control over the environment

Change is good Time is very important All people are created equal “I am unique” Privacy is good and necessary “ I did it all by myself”

Understanding common US attitudes/continued/ Competition brings out the best in any

individual Tomorrow will be better “Don’t just stand there. Do something!” Informal and casual Direct and open “Will it make money” “What can I get from

this activity?” Material objects are a reward for hard

work

Focus on the value of individualism

US culture favours the individual over the group

Americans tend to have many friends, not one or two close friends

Americans are very open to new people

Individuals do what is best for themselves

Focus on the value of equality

Everyone has an equal chance at success

Bosses want to hear your opinions Common use of first names

/always ask first/

Focus on the value of time

Being on time is expected; being late is usually considered rude

If you will miss or be late for a meeting , call ahead with an explanation and an apology

Deadlines are very important

Focus in the value of space

Americans prefer to have a great deal of personal space- about an arm’s length between people

Practical application. US schoolsUsing the previous information analyze the following pictures and speak about US values

School rules and regulations

School slogans

Activities for the advanced learners Analyze the learning cycle in school of 5 Es:Engage , Explore, Explain , Extend, Evaluate. Tell

how it correlates with the grid KWL-Know, Want to know , Learnt.

US System of Education Speak about a system of education using the prompt/ K- kindergarten, 12-the last school

grade/

Supplementary material: read and speak about US identity

Self-awareness Being aware of your own Ukrainian values will help you better

understand American identity.

Good luck!

The pictures were taken in Buckhorn High School, Alabama, US.