lunes, 16 de agosto de 2010

Response paper#10:End of Quarter -Self evaluation




1.How much time and effort did you put into this?
I had to take one or more hours per week,in order to make the different blog entries,Besides,the different readings absorbed me time.So,I can say this course made spend some hours per week.
2.What do you think your strengths and weaknesses in this course?
My strength was that I tried to learn as much as possible also I tried to do everything in the best way.About my weaknesses was to talk in front of the class.I usually feel nervous and forget a lot of things when I have to make a presentation.
3.How did you feel you performed in this course?
I feel that I performed well
4.What are the most valuable things you learned from this course?
The different issues of the dimensions of culture.Also,we put into practice some of them.For example,the elaboration of the quilt and the presentation of it.It was made in a real intercultural environment,where we interchanged with people of other culture.
5.What would you do differently if you had a chance to do this all over again?
I thing the same,I won not change
6.How do you feel the cooperative learning approach worked in this course?
It is difficult to answer this because this involves several results but I could say that yes at first sight
7.What else would you like to add that I did not ask?
Culture is a wide issue so I think that four months is not enough time to cover all the aspects the culture involves.


martes, 27 de julio de 2010

Response paper # 9: The quilt-Cultural experience





As we know culture involves the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns,arts,beliefs,institutions,and all other products of human work and though.These patterns,traits,and products considered as the expression of a particular group.So, is for this reason that culture has five dimensions:products,communities,perspectives,persons,and pratices.Besides each dimensions has a framework ,for example in the case of products ;these can be art forms,institutions,places, or artifacts.About practices,these can be acts,operations,scenarios,and lives and so on.
It is very interesting to see how people have different perceptions about something that belong to the same culture.A clear example of this was the quilt elaboration where we saw different ways to present it.In spite of it was about Costa Rican culture.So,this is culture,diversity.
Each person is a distintic mix of communities and experiences.Then culture resides in the individual and collective ways in the different social groups or communities that all of us belonged.Culture is based on the human capacity to classify experiences and all these experiences are different in each person.
So,for me, the quilt elaboration was a challenge because I did not know anything about it.Also,I did not know how to start it.But after some researches and thinking about it,I started to work on it.I decided to represent on my quilt a typical Costa Rican breakfast ,because this was a cultural practice very common in our society.This practice is located in operations where members of culture to manipulate a cultural product.
The most interesting of this work, was the presentation of the quilt,this was made in a different way,in a real intercultural environment where we interchanged with people of other culture .Some of them already knew about "gallo pinto",but others did not know any about it.
My partner was a boy who came from Austria a country in Central Europe.He was friendly and he told me that it was the eighth time that he was here in the country.So,he knew a lot about Costa Rica.Then,he did not guess too much about the different clues that I gave him about the Costa Rican typical breakfast.In the first time he said:"gallo pinto" and he had tasted it and He thought that was delicious.After, he asked me ,if he could talk in Spanish because he needed to practice this language.So,this activity was a mix of culture and languages which are part of culture.
So,in conclusion it was a real interchange of cultures through a dynamic activity where we shared different information and ideas with people of other culture.I like it.

martes, 13 de julio de 2010

Response paper# 8 American culture and American diversity




Learning about other is intersting because in this way we know why people from other culture are different but only different in relation to a particular standard that they are being measured against.This according to the reading:American culture and American diversity.So, we have to know that diversity means the way in which people differ from one another.Then,we need to be objective ,we must have an open and trying to understand the differences.For example,gestures have different meaning around the world.So,a smile can relay many emotions,not just happiness or pleasure as in U.S .In Japan people smile when they are sad ,angry, confused, and happy .Asians smile to show disagreement ,anger,confusion,and frustation.So,we can see how there are a diversity of behaviors according to the culture where people had grown.
Specially in United States we can find a huge ethnic diversity ,where each cultural group has made significant contributions to development and social customs of the U.S .For example,while English is the official language ;many words of other countries and cultures have been added to English vocabulary.Such as: yam ( African),cookie ( Dutch),pretzel (German),tobacco( Native American),and ranch ( Spanish).These are words describing things we think of as being "American".So, we could say that the United States is a product of its rich cultural diversity.


miércoles, 7 de julio de 2010

My quilt topic: Costa Rican typical food




My quilt topic will be about typical Costa Rican breakfast which is a cultural practice of our country,Costa Rica.


martes, 6 de julio de 2010

Response paper seven: The values American live by


According to Roberth Khols there are thirteen basic values that americans live by which are:
personal control over the environment change and mobility,time and its control,equality and individulism,independence and privacy,self-help,competition and free enterpise,future orientation,optimism,action and work orientation,informality,directness,openness,materialism,among others.
All these are considerd as positive values.
Perhaps,freedom is the most important value
The values of children are developed in certain places like school,church,and other social places but values are heavily dependent upon the rearing that a child receives at home.
Americans see life like a race so people must run it in order to succeed.So,learning to compete is part of growing up.
In conclusion Americans are independent people who likes to have the control of everything.Besides,they like to have their own life by

miércoles, 30 de junio de 2010

Response paper # 6 Shall we dance movie




As we know each culture has its own features ,so it makes that the world has a diversity of cultures.About the two movies watched in class, these showed us this diversity which involves several aspects.Such as:backgrounds,different viewpoints about similar situations.
I think that both movies tried to develop the same story but in a different way due to the culture.
We have to remember culture involves five dimensions:products, practices,communities,perspectives,and person.This according to the book teaching culture:perspectives in practice.So, perceptions are going to differ according to the culture.In here we have to take into account the time and the place,too.In order to understand more about culture.
The first movie showes us different characteristic about Japanese culture while in the second movie were showed characteristics of American culture.

miércoles, 23 de junio de 2010

Response paper#5 Cultural products( part third)

The part related with 5.4 learning culture:flowcharts .It is in blackboard,because I can not download flowchart in this blog.
So about 5.5 Teaching culture:personal reationship to cultural content
It is essential for a teacher to know about diversity and complexity in the classroom related with culture.In order to avoid offending out of ignorance.This implies knowing about dimensions of culture(products,practices,perspectives,communities,persons).So teacher must treat student as an individual and respect each student for who he or she is.If we as a teachers are unfamiliar with our own culture,we may learn more about it.Attending lectures,taking courses,among ther things.

Response paper#5 Cultural products( part two)


Learning culture:MAPS
As we know each culture has its own features and every community has its unique characteristics,too.So our environment should define the sense of place.For example the order,the materials used in the building,among other things.According to the book teaching culture:perspectives in practice,"places or physical setting are also cultural products.Places encompass use or interpretation of the physical features of the natural environment".So this can help us to know what type of people are living in a particular place and knowing a few about their culture.Generally,houses are made according to the necesities of people or according to the reality that they are living.Then,we can relate the environment to culture,too.

Response paper #5 Cultural products (part one)


This was my product did in the last class.This was created for a group of specialist and doctors.It's composed for a mix of ingredients and esences which come of nature.It can help in any type of cancer so in the future this desease won't be mortal.This will become like a common flu.
Practice on page 51:
1.What is it?
It's a bottle with special medicine which is special for people who are suffering cancer.
2.Where do you find it?
We can find in any drugstore around the country.
3.How do you use it?
You only have to drink a spoon of this liquid per day during two months.Only newborns or pregnant women must drink a little spoon per day during one month.Remember you have to use this product only in case that you are suffering cancer.
4.Which people use this?
People who are suffering any type of cancer.
5.Which groups of people use this object?
People with cancer
6.Why people use this?
Because this medicine can relief and curing the cancer
7.What significance does it have in the culture?
It improves the society health so we will have a longer life.Also,we will be able to spend more time with our loved ones.

martes, 8 de junio de 2010

Response paper #4:Culture in Second Language Teaching


Language reflects culture so we can say this is one aspect of culture.Then,it is important to learn about culture into the foreign language classroom in order to master the language and the cultural contexts in which the language occurs.
We have to know that effective communication is more than a matter of language proficiency.This involves also cultural competence.So it is necesary to know about culture.Besides,this can lead us to empathy and respect toward different cultures and the society in which the language is spoken.
According to the reading:"Culture must be fully incorporated as a vital componet o f language learning".Because this help us to learn what is appropiate to say to whom,and in what situations.So we as teacher must include in our classroom different activities and using authentic materials for teaching the importance of culture.Cultural information should be presented in a nonjudgmental.We must try to create a neutral space that learners can explore and reflect on their own perspectives to enable them to find their own voices in the second language speech community.

lunes, 7 de junio de 2010

Response paper#1:How was the first lesson?


For me the first lesson was at the middle of the class very interesting because I got the real intention of the activities.Also,when the teacher started to explain about it.So I learned about different strategies that we as teachers can use in the class and also about culture diversity because in our class there are several cultures.
The first class was nice ,teacher used several dinamic activities which helped us to remain with a sharp mind.I didn't get bored .Besides,I learned some concepts.

Response paper# 2: how do your beliefs,values,and cultural upbringing influence the way you behave?


All these manage my way of behaving because all of them are like rules or norms which guide my behavior.As we know all these aspects depend on how we were raised.I think we developed beliefs,values according to our family morals or cultural tradition.So we live influenced by the different aspects that the culture involved.
well,I don't know if other people see me as a different or as outsider .I didn't feel that still but in case of that I think that there is no problem.Everybody is different ,in spite of we belong a similar culture .I think each one is unique with original characteristics so we have to be tolerant and respecting our differences.We can not pretend to be equal,culture diversity is amazing but we need to learn to respect the different aspects that this diversity involved.

Response Paper #3:Intelligent Educational Environments


The Intelligent Educational Environments sello verde was very interesting because I learned a lot of new things related with neuroscience.I didn't know nothing about this science.But now I know this studies the brain and this has provided breakthroughs in the way we view the brain revealing the diversity and complexity of the constituent neurons and circuits.So this can help us as a teacher because we can apply different techniques in our classes instead of the common ways.
Through the neuroscience the neuroscientists have made many discoveries of fundamental importance like developing strategies for therapeutic intervention in many human diseases.

martes, 25 de mayo de 2010

According to wikipedia Organizational culture is :


It describes the psychology ,attitudes,experiences,beliefs,and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization.In others words the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other .

Why is it important to classify the different features of culture into different categories?


It is important to classify different characteristic of culture because in this way we can take careful about our manner of behave in a particular situation.As we studied in the last class we can divide some features in practices,perspectives,products,among others.Besides,these features can be classify according to visible and invisible characteristics,tangible and intangible.So all these help us to understand in a better way what are the different characteristics in a certain culture,or what involves these characteristics.What do you think?

why should we study culture?




We need to study culture in order to understand things in a particular society.For example,why they do those things,why they say those things,and why they behave in those ways.We must understand that we can not live in a box where we never know anything outside our own lifestyle or culture.We have to know that outside of our own box there is a diversity of cultures. So, we need to learn about culture in order to respect other people and becoming tolerant people.Also,for developing an open mind.
We have to remember that culture involves everything that human being do.In other words,all the ideas,objects,and ways of doing things created by a people group.Culture involves arts,beliefs,customs,inventions,language,technology,and traditions,among other issues.

Other blog that I did in other class


If you want to learn about how to teach English in a better way using technology.You should see this other blog which gives some links that containing a lot of activities,vocabulary,and ideas about how to teach English.
This is the blog:
http://sandra-myownblog.blogspot.com/

About me




I live in Santo Domingo,Heredia.I like to spend time with my son, who is my inspiration for doing anything and family,listening music,
reading,sometimes to go dancing,talking with my friends,going to my parents ,which live in the countryside.Also,I like to watch good movies,being on facebook.In others words I like to do things that make me feel good and happy.

Hello! People







Welcome! to my blog
My name is Sandra Menjivar Miranda. I'm studying English teaching and translation.So I would like to share some common things with you.Also,I hope to learn a lot about American culture with this course and with your comments in this blog.So feel free to post your opinions,recommendations about my blog.