Week 1 Blog

The article by Dwight Atkinson brought many interesting points to my attention.  On the first page of the article, I was intrigued by the sentence, “Except for language, learning, and teaching, there is perhaps no more important concept in the field of TESOL than culture.”  We obviously acknowledge language differences in ESL and TESOL classrooms, but cultural differences are often ignored.  In my opinion, understanding the culture of one’s students should be just as important as understanding their language. 

            I also agree with the post-modernist view of culture as dynamic and “anything but homogenous”.  If each individual is unique, how can a group of millions of individuals be classified as homogenous?  Atkinson’s point that, “The term culture is sometimes avoided by those working in this vein as one that is so encumbered and compromised as to be misleading or dangerous,” is very interesting to me.  I interpret this to mean that a teacher should not central on a student’s culture but rather the student’s individual identity. 

            Another useful piece from this article that I will use in my classroom is the section about the dangers of making cultural assumptions.  Unfortunately some teachers “rhetorically construct” the identities of their students.  This means that teachers assume that certain students have certain characteristics or belong to a particular cultural group.  For example, a teacher could assume that a Japanese student belongs to the Chinese culture.  Stereotyping can have very serious negative consequences.  Atkinson also reinforces the point that if culture is fluid, stereotypes will become old and inaccurate very quickly.  According to him, the best approach is for teachers to view students as unique individuals as opposed to members of any particular cultural or social group.     

This article as a whole has made it difficult for me to place individuals inside rigid cultural boxes.  The conclusion of this article questions, “That is, if individuals are so various and internally inconsistent in themselves, how then can we posit whole cultures that are not so? Isn't it better, therefore, to put aside the notions of both monolithic cultures and stable personalities, and focus on the deep and profound differences that exist at all levels within them?”  Yes, it is much more difficult and time-consuming to spend time getting to know each individual we encounter.  However, I feel like giving every person a chance to form their identity is well worth the time and effort.