Understanding Culture Subtle but significant differences Learning a new language is only one of the challenges facing newcomers.  Learning a new culture is equally daunting and takes just as long.  The links here provide ample background information about cultures represented in Newfoundland schools which can help teachers better understand their ELLs. Information • Cultural Profiles This website from Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides cultural briefs on most of the home countries from which Canada receives newcomers.  The information is extensive and fascinating. • Holy Days and Holidays Calendar This calendar, posted on the Peel District website, gives a very complete list of significant dates for different cultural and religious groups in 2010. Issues • Culture Shock and Differences  The Adjustment Challenges Facing ESL Students section of this document ESL Learners: A Guide for the Classroom, prepared by the BC Ministry of Education, describes how learners can experience the stages of culture shock.  The section Cultural Differences in Student Behaviour lists classroom behaviours that may be culturally influenced. • ELLs: A Support Document for Educators The Socio-cultural Awareness section on pages 7 and 8 in this document, prepared in Newfoundland by the provincial Department of Education, lists thirteen sensitive areas in which cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings in Newfoundland schools.   Want more? • How Cultural Differences May Affect Student Performance This one-page article gives a brief overview of some of the more obvious ways that culture can affect classroom communication.  It’s written from an American perspective, but the issues are the same. • Understanding Your International Students This link is to a publishers website for a book that contains cultural profiles of 16 countries.  Five sample chapters are available online through this link.  The book provides very useful information about the more subtle aspects of culture that can result in communication difficulties (often overlooked in cultural profiles).  It’s a good resource for schools with larger numbers of ELLs.   • Look at Me When I Talk To You This excellent book explains some of the fundamentals of cross-cultural communication and the difficulties culture can cause in the classroom.  It is available for ordering.   • The three links below are to short four– or five-page articles on specific groups, written from an American perspective: o Education in Bosnia o Education in Southeast Asian Communities o Education of Refugees • Culture Profiles This website links to extensive cultural profiles on many refugee groups including the Burmese, Iraqis, Sudanese, Bosnians, Liberians and Afghans.  The Cultural Orientation Resource Center, which published them, is based in the United States. © 2010 Eastern School District Information and content by Martha Trahey