Tracy: Communication and Culture

Monday, March 12, 2012

Communication and Culture

I do find myself communicating differently with people from other cultures and groups. I find myself having more direct eye contact and focusing more on the conversation. I find myself in a closer proximity to young children from other cultures but allow extra distance when I am communicating with adults from different cultures. I am not sure why that is but think it might have to do with being sensitive to their culture and not wanting to overwhelm them by getting to close. I am not a "huggy" type person anyway so typically do not get to close to anyone. It could also be that I am afraid to say the wrong thing and offend them or say to much and have them not be able to understand and intimidate them.

Finally, I have begun using sign language more in my classroom as a result of having a spanish speaking child in the class. He has learned English, with the support of his family, very quickly and doesn't really need the extra hand gestures anymore but I think it is just a habit. I feel that I have to emphasize my words and use symbols and hand gestures to help him understand what I am trying to say. I find mysef doing this with all adults now also, but especially those that do not speak English or have other reasons for difficulty in understanding.

2 comments:

Cymantha Channey WhiteMarch 16, 2012 at 1:56 PM
Tracy,
I have found in the past that I also have different ways of communicating with people, based on the environment. Growing up in a religious setting practically all of my life, I have been accoustomed to hugging people when greeting them. I found that it had become a habit for me to hug people when I met them, but quickly realized that it was not always suitable to do. I realize that every person is an individual, some may appreciate close communication while others despise close proxemities. This course of study on communication has really helped me to understand that differences are really opportunities for uniqueness to be recognized, understood, celebrated and appreciated. thanks for your post!

CCWhite

Reference

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
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Tasha MarieMarch 16, 2012 at 6:27 PM
Tracy,

I also find myself more easily able to communicate with children than I do with adults. I think there is a lot of pressure to "say the right things" when we are communicating with adults and we become too caught up in being politically correct so to speak. I agree that it is important to be mindful of the cultural beliefs and customs that are associated with communication so that we won't offend anyone. Also understanding the cultural beliefs and customs will help us when communicating with children who are taught that eye contact is a form of disrespect when speaking with adults and other various practices.
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"My Connections to Play"

Two quotes:

Vygotsky - "Children use private speech in play to regulate behavior"

"Creative play is a central activity in the lives of healthy children."
Almon, K. (2002) The vital role of play in early childhood
education. Gateways, 43.

My family, especially my mom, was very supportive of play. She recognized its importance. My sister and I loved to play with our friends. She would take us to the community pool and parks and we would play all day. When we got a little older we got a trampoline and jumped on it for much of the day. We had a playroom above our garage in Tennessee and we played there for many hours even though it got very hot at times. My sister and I loved to play with dolls. My mom always said she would be my best friend and as we got older did not encourage many outside friendships. I think that hurt our social skills a little. Now we talk every once in a while, have very different lives and see each other about 2-3 times per year. Even though we are still very close and had many years of play as children, we have drifted apart. My dad was really good at playing with us also. He took us on our boat all the time and encouraged more of the rough and tumble type of play. Both my mom and taught us to be resourceful and take care of ourselves, almost to a fault.

As I attempt to write my blog assignement I feel play has changed a great deal since when we were younger. We would go all day without seeing the inside of our house and find things to play with. All three of my boys are sitting around my table asking me questions and saying they are bored. I live about 2 blocks from one of the most beautiful lakes and beaches in the country and 1 block from an elementary school playground. There are children all over this neighborhood to play with and they are asking me what they can do. Where have I gone wrong in this scenario? They have come to rely on me as their "social director" and I have probably enabled that. Play is very different. I am going to cancel cable and hide the playstation and nintendo ds's for the summer. My kids are older and possibly beyond help. I hope that young children will be pulled away from the computers, tv and other electronic devices. I hope they will be in a safe place to be able to venture out and make friends. Parents need to be more confident in their childrens ability and need to become independent players. I think sometimes parents protect their children and don't let them make mistakes at an early age.

I have included pictures of my boys below at the beach. This is what we love to do these days. This was on a spring break vacation. My youngest sons favorite toy was a palm branch he found the first day. Again, an item from nature that I didn't have to purchase that entertained him. Nice!!