NYLearns.org - Linguistic and Cultural Considerations for Native Language Instruction

Linguistic and Cultural Considerations for Native Language Instruction

Listening

The "comfort zone" of distance between people in social conversations varies widely depending on the customs of the culture.
In many cultures, children signal respect in listening to adults by looking down.
Listening in many cultures requires that the listener not question what an adult or teacher says.

Speaking

The "comfort zone" of distance between people in social conversations varies widely depending on the customs of the culture.
Patterns of "turn taking" in social and academic conversations may be greatly influenced by cultural differences.
Tone, volume, and gestures in speaking may vary from culture to culture.
Traditional teaching and learning routines differ around the world, and may affect the participation of newly-arrived students in small group discussions and cooperative group work.

Reading

The directionality of text varies according to the language.
Some world languages do not have a written form, so some students may not be familiar with reading text.
In some parts of the world, formal education does not begin until the age of seven, so some younger students have not yet learned to read their names or react to environmental print.
Students' familiarity with public libraries may be influenced by the availability of such institutions in their home countries.
Emergent literacy practices at home may vary greatly due to differences in cultural expectations.
In a number of countries, computer technology may not yet be integrated into the educational curriculum.
According to the educational and linguistic systems, expectations for when children will read aloud may vary greatly.

Writing

The directionality of text varies according to the language.
Some world languages do not have a written form, so students may not be familiar with writing.
In some parts of the world, formal education does not begin until the age of seven, so some children have not been expected to write their names at an earlier age.
Since languages use different character sets, the time needed for learning to write may vary widely.
In some educational systems, students are not expected to write a personal reaction to text.
Worldwide variations in the use of computer technology may influence students' familiarity with word processing.

Other Considerations

Educational systems around the world vary widely in terms of instructional approaches, so students may not be familiar with cooperative group work, active hands-on learning, and a variety of other educational practices promoted in the New York State learning standards.
In many cultures, the role of the school and teacher in the student's life is seen as discrete, separate, and apart from the role of the parent at home.

Native Language Arts Standards (2004). The New York State Education Department, Albany, New York.