WHAT TOOLS CAN WE USE TO BECOME OPEN-MINDED?
As a famous Spanish writer and philosopher said "el fascismo se cura leyendo y el racismo se cura viajando.” Miguel de Unamuno.
To understand the meaning of that sentence is necessary describe how Unamuno understood fascism and racism. The first word means ignorance and the second word close-minded. Racism is the expression of fear of the other cultures.
I think that to become more open-minded is necessary knowing other cultures, points of view or ways without fear, prejudices and with respect. You have to understand and accept that there are more cultures than your own culture, not worst or better, just different. For this reason travelling is necessary.
In the other hand, is true that when you meet another culture occurs culture shock. You can’t avoid it because it has to happen, but maybe you can prepare yourself before, for example, with information about the new culture and traditions. I think when more cultures you know more open-minded you are.
For example, when I arrived to Denmark, I had a shock. Because the light (at 4 p.m. it was night) and the people (very kind and polite but more distant). And when I was in Tunisia I had some problems with food, too spicy for me. But you should to accept the differences and try to adapt a little.
HOW TO DO IT AS A PROFESSIONAL?
This is a difficult point. Integrate different cultures in the classroom and make the pupils respect people.
The main point is the teacher, who has to be a rolemodel and respect all the people. But, how make the pupils respect each other?
This will be the result of the daily work. Also it’d be important working and comparedifferent cultures that there are in the class: work in some parts of each culture, for example food, celebrations, etc.
GROUP PART
We started to observe the three pictures, one of these known by us. We could see a lot of different things whose we had to understand. The best way to understand something "strange" for you is by questions.
To make questions about these differences we identified what was familiar and unfamiliar for us. It was curious and interesting, because it was easier make questions to our known class than the others. The questions whose we made were:
1. Laos:
- Why is there animals in the classroom?
- Is there a dresscode?
- Is there any media?
- What do they do in the wet season?
- Do they always have the same structure?
2. Denmark:
- Is there always so many people in the class?
- Is there a teacher?
- Is there any structure?
- What are they learning?
- Do everybody have a laptop?
3. Eritrea:
- Are they any table and chairs?
- Do they have a blackboard?
- Is it a province?
- How old are the students?
- Do they all have books?
As it can see, the structures more used in our questions were: are/is there...(?) and why...(?). This is a reflection of the comparison with our own educational system.
