1 00:00:01,139 --> 00:00:07,139 In what ways is cultural awareness important for the role of language assistants? 2 00:00:07,139 --> 00:00:12,689 Cultural awareness is important. 3 00:00:12,689 --> 00:00:16,690 As auxiliares de conversación, we are there in the classroom to help facilitate learning, 4 00:00:16,690 --> 00:00:20,690 and one of the main tools we have for that is communication. 5 00:00:20,690 --> 00:00:25,690 It's important to understand what specific cultural tendencies 6 00:00:25,690 --> 00:00:28,690 Spanish students have, as well as our own, 7 00:00:28,690 --> 00:00:30,690 to make sure that we have open communication, 8 00:00:30,690 --> 00:00:33,689 that we don't offend our students and we don't take offense from our students 9 00:00:33,689 --> 00:00:39,570 with specific procedures or ways that they interact which might not be 10 00:00:39,570 --> 00:00:43,350 comfortable to us back in our home countries. In that way we must understand 11 00:00:43,350 --> 00:00:47,369 the culture of our students in order to fully communicate with them, in order to 12 00:00:47,369 --> 00:00:50,929 teach with them. You can't have a communication of facilitating language 13 00:00:50,929 --> 00:00:56,670 learning if you have offended your students starting on day one. 14 00:00:56,670 --> 00:01:01,109 It's important for language assistants to have an understanding of Spanish culture 15 00:01:01,109 --> 00:01:05,769 both in terms of getting on with the other teachers in their school 16 00:01:05,769 --> 00:01:09,150 and for creating good relationships with the students. 17 00:01:10,349 --> 00:01:15,709 At first you may find the teachers to be perhaps a bit shorter 18 00:01:15,709 --> 00:01:18,250 but in fact they're just more direct. 19 00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:22,450 If they say I need this they're just going to say it as it is 20 00:01:22,450 --> 00:01:23,689 and they're not being rude. 21 00:01:23,689 --> 00:01:26,609 With regard to the role of language assistance 22 00:01:26,609 --> 00:01:28,750 cultural awareness is vital. 23 00:01:28,750 --> 00:01:46,129 You have to remember you're coming from an English-speaking country where things are necessarily different to how things are when everything is conducted through another language. Language will dictate that things will be naturally, culturally different. 24 00:01:46,129 --> 00:02:01,129 People are, similar to Ireland, very friendly. It's quite easy to get to a place with somebody quickly where you find yourself talking about your own personal life. 25 00:02:01,129 --> 00:02:10,129 You get to know people quite quickly. To bring this question about cultural awareness back to the context of your work in the school, 26 00:02:10,129 --> 00:02:28,469 So I would say, again, it's vital to recognise this, not just in terms, as I said, about your relationship with the new country you're in and the school that you're in, but in terms of your relationship with your fellow colleagues in work, the teachers that you're going to be supporting. 27 00:02:28,469 --> 00:02:34,469 Things might be done a little bit differently, ways of managing situations might be slightly different 28 00:02:34,469 --> 00:02:40,469 and you need to have a strong awareness of that because you're coming to their situation. 29 00:02:40,469 --> 00:02:46,469 In terms of cultural awareness, ultimately it's about helping you to integrate 30 00:02:46,469 --> 00:02:50,469 and if you can integrate well, you're going to do your job better. 31 00:02:50,469 --> 00:02:55,469 You're going to provide the support that the school is hoping that you're going to be able to do. 32 00:02:55,469 --> 00:03:10,759 How can language assistants contribute to make students understand the differences between themselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds? 33 00:03:10,759 --> 00:03:23,289 Language assistants contribute to helping build a large sense of understanding of different cultures and backgrounds by serving as personal examples in the classroom every day. 34 00:03:23,289 --> 00:03:33,289 We bring our American cultures with us, whether we realize it or not, in our tendencies, our manners of speaking, and the traditions and cultures that we have. 35 00:03:33,289 --> 00:03:42,289 Insofar as we are cultural ambassadors of our own countries, we bring a representation of already a different background for these students. 36 00:03:42,289 --> 00:03:49,289 In other ways, we can bring in any expertise we have about other cultures through our presentations. 37 00:03:49,289 --> 00:03:54,629 I for one have made quite a few presentations on Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, 38 00:03:54,629 --> 00:03:59,550 Hanukkah and things of the like. Within the realm of the classroom we have the 39 00:03:59,550 --> 00:04:03,789 full opportunity to teach these students about any number of different cultures 40 00:04:03,789 --> 00:04:08,849 and backgrounds in addition to serving as a personal example. When I first came 41 00:04:08,849 --> 00:04:15,569 to my school I introduced myself, I spoke to the children about my country and our 42 00:04:15,569 --> 00:04:22,649 customs and traditions and kind of make it a two-way thing so I would learn from 43 00:04:22,649 --> 00:04:29,170 them and they would learn from me and in doing so you hope to kind of open their 44 00:04:29,170 --> 00:04:33,990 eyes to all the other cultures because the school is very multicultural and 45 00:04:33,990 --> 00:04:39,629 it's important for everybody accepting of other people's background and ways of 46 00:04:39,629 --> 00:04:46,990 life. Another way that connections are forged and children learn to 47 00:04:46,990 --> 00:04:51,509 understand about other places in the world was through bilingual day where 48 00:04:51,509 --> 00:04:56,569 each class studied a different English-speaking country, they researched 49 00:04:56,569 --> 00:05:06,009 religion and customs and festivals and I think through improving 50 00:05:06,009 --> 00:05:12,490 everybody's cultural awareness and you increase tolerance between children which is always great 51 00:05:12,490 --> 00:05:19,290 very presence of a language assistant in the school who operates and therefore conceptualizes 52 00:05:19,290 --> 00:05:28,250 and thinks in a different language is going to add and enrich the cultural understanding that 53 00:05:28,250 --> 00:05:33,850 students will have of other countries and other places throughout the world your simple presence 54 00:05:33,850 --> 00:05:41,370 is doing something there but you can actively do more and often it's another case that you will 55 00:05:41,370 --> 00:05:48,569 be thinking of what ways can i enrich the cultural understanding of students they're going to ask 56 00:05:48,569 --> 00:05:55,769 you questions about who you are where you come from what's it like where you're from so you'll 57 00:05:55,769 --> 00:06:02,329 naturally be elaborating and enriching their cultural understanding simply by answering 58 00:06:02,329 --> 00:06:10,689 their questions. Of course, in my personal opinion, getting to grips with another language 59 00:06:10,689 --> 00:06:19,310 means conceptualising in a different way. I talk to students, some of whom already have 60 00:06:19,310 --> 00:06:25,870 excellent English, I ask them have they ever dreamed in English and a few of them have 61 00:06:25,870 --> 00:06:33,430 and they understand that this is actually really quite an opening of a door into a different 62 00:06:33,430 --> 00:06:37,550 way of thinking about things. 63 00:06:37,550 --> 00:06:47,029 As a language assistant it's important to teach the students about your country and 64 00:06:47,029 --> 00:06:54,329 to teach them about the traditions in your country so that they understand the differences, 65 00:06:54,329 --> 00:07:02,050 cultural differences that can occur between any two countries, especially it's really 66 00:07:02,050 --> 00:07:11,449 important that the kids do understand cultural differences because within classrooms at the 67 00:07:11,449 --> 00:07:17,550 school that I've been working in there are children from all over Latin America, from 68 00:07:17,550 --> 00:07:24,870 Russia from Poland Romania so if they that you have a good relationship with 69 00:07:24,870 --> 00:07:30,810 the children and they know that you're from another country then and they will 70 00:07:30,810 --> 00:07:37,649 be more accepting and welcoming perhaps of differences between themselves and 71 00:07:37,649 --> 00:07:47,370 other children in their class who are coming into the school how would you 72 00:07:47,370 --> 00:07:56,699 define your relationship with other teachers in the school I think this 73 00:07:56,699 --> 00:08:00,959 varies depending on the language assistant for I can only speak to my 74 00:08:00,959 --> 00:08:05,339 personal experience of which I have a very friendly relationship with teachers 75 00:08:05,339 --> 00:08:11,779 I personally find that it is the same as any workplace if you show respect and 76 00:08:11,779 --> 00:08:16,139 are vigilant about getting to know people then people will be responsive 77 00:08:16,139 --> 00:08:21,079 these are teachers and human beings and like any other job you have people who 78 00:08:21,079 --> 00:08:26,360 been established for longer and many years take a while to warm up and open up to language assistance 79 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:32,360 especially keeping in mind that there are often language barriers spanish is not a full fluency 80 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:37,320 in spanish is not a prerequisite of this program and for that there is an expectation of some 81 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:43,320 teachers that us language assistants will not be able to communicate in spanish also the the time 82 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:49,320 period of our stay there oftentimes and if you think for yourself personally if you know that 83 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:55,399 a group of people come every single year and then leave after that year it can be hard to take the 84 00:08:55,399 --> 00:09:00,279 effort to get to know someone so that being said you can cultivate a good relationship with the 85 00:09:00,279 --> 00:09:05,480 teachers in your school it just takes a little bit of legwork i brought in american candy in 86 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:11,000 a good old-fashioned bribery way but i also utilize opportunities of breaks to speak with 87 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:15,720 these teachers ask them where they're from ask them why they got into teaching i think the 88 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,679 experience with teachers and the relationship with teachers can be as 89 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:24,539 strong or as non-existent and you want to make it and I personally am a 90 00:09:24,539 --> 00:09:28,860 proponent for the strong because I think it's important to have a good personal 91 00:09:28,860 --> 00:09:33,600 outside of working relationship with anyone that you work with I'm actually 92 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:38,840 very lucky that the teachers at my school are really friendly we get along 93 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:44,960 really well we'll go out for drinks and and we'll have had a big Christmas lunch 94 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:55,700 and it's really important to, even if your Spanish isn't great, just to try to build a good relationship with them 95 00:09:55,700 --> 00:09:57,539 because they're also very helpful. 96 00:09:57,659 --> 00:10:03,179 Any problem I've had, needing a dentist, just asking the staff room at break and someone will say, 97 00:10:03,299 --> 00:10:05,759 oh, my son's actually a dentist and they'll help you out. 98 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:07,559 Everyone's always happy to help. 99 00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:10,720 Spanish are very welcoming people. 100 00:10:11,340 --> 00:10:13,679 I'm very happy in the school where I am. 101 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:43,659 I think I have an excellent relationship with the teachers that I work directly with and indeed with teachers who I don't see very often or pass in the corridor. People are very courteous, people will always acknowledge you, say hello, how are you, how are things and that makes such a difference when you're going to a new place and a new job especially when you're also dealing with the cultural aspects of being in a different place. 102 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:45,840 different functionaries.