In the video I learned a lot about how a particular person, or in this case, a student, behaves whenever he/she is faced in a particular situation. I realized that the culture plays a huge role on how a particular person will deal with some certain circumstances. With this knowledge, I will be able to “taylor fit” my teaching style to my future students according to their background and culture.
There are some possible misunderstandings that can occur in a TESOL class with a culturally diverse class members. One of them can be some arguments that may happen whenever students are being asked for their observations on a certain topic or event. These arguments can turn into fights if not controlled or managed. Through the help of this knowledge, I will be able to explain them and further make them realize that they may only be affected by their cultural background and thus, can just be the reason why they have different point of views on a particular topic. This will help me to become a good mediator and on the neutral ground. To let them realize where they stand and why they disagree. And that it’s not anyone’s fault that they view things differently. I will be able to also tell them how complex their perspective can be which is a result of this “attributional tendencies”.
Knowing these “attributional tendencies” taught me to have a wider perspective and tolerance when it comes to the behavior of other people, especially those from different countries. It gives me more room for respect and patience. Knowing where they are coming from and how they attribute things that are happening in their lives gave me a clearer understanding that one shouldn’t necessarily become bad by having a different perspective as I have.
Although attributing things internally or externally can be complex, it gives me a clear parameter for my personal choices. I think it will train me to become more patient and understanding whenever I’m faced with trials and challenges. I think this can also help our home culture to become more self-reliant. In my home culture, sometimes, we just always do external attributing and don’t really focus on the actual problem. Instead on blaming other people or factors that affected it, this knowledge can help us to be more accountable in our lives and take responsibility of our decisions.
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