How does classroom participation differ among cultures?

How does classroom participation differ among cultures?

Norine Dresser (Writer) gives expert video advice on: How do teacher-student relationships differ among cultures?; How does discipline in schools differ among cultures? and more...

As a classroom teacher, I can tell you that it's different in dealing with so-called American born students, as opposed to, let's say, Asian students. They are very uncomfortable about offering their opinions because they consider opinions just that and the other students are very free to give their opinions. They do not ask questions. So sometimes you don't know where you're at. Role-playing activities are rejected. I had a book I wrote for ESL students and in the first edition there was a whole section on role-playing activities, because I believe, and a lot of other educators as well, that when you role play, you're acting out and somehow you're applying what you learned to your own behaviour and then you can see certain things that are not evident learning by rote. And this one particular book I had to revise within the first year because classrooms in Asia would not accept role-playing activities, and I had to substitute them with more grammar lessons. So participation is different. They're reluctant to do so. They don't believe that their opinions have any value. They don't believe in challenging the teacher, so that runs very much counter to the more American way.