Cultural Learning

In the article Culture Distance and Cultural Dimensions in Diverse ELT Environments: A Quantitative Investigation, Dr. Margaret Lieb shares some amazing statistics about immigration. Just the increasing number of immigrants is fascinating: from 173 million transnational migrants in the year 2000 to 258 million in 2017. She compares the melting pot that exists in the United Kingdom to what is now occurring in Japan. To remain an affluent nation, Japan encourages international mindedness and multicultural work environments which I think we could all use a little more of this in our lives.

Lieb has taught in Ireland, Japan, and the U.S. and uses those experiences to help guide her research. She has observed and researched the various learning styles of the different cultures. One of Lieb's sources suggested that people raised in the same area will "share a set of value orientations" whereas people from "different ethnic, religious, or culture backgrounds" do not. It never occurred to me that these parameters could affect learning styles but it makes sense as one begins to understand more about the culture. I am impressed that Lieb thought to make this correlation.

I've never  thought about the possibility of Japan having immigrant communities and this paper opened my eyes to that possibility. I've lived abroad and have seen these immigrant communities but never thought they would exist in the Eastern World. (I am so naive. Don't judge me.) It amazes  me how people with similar cultures manage to find each other in large cities in foreign countries. I can honestly say that every large city I have visited has its own socially segregated racial communities. Teaching in such schools adds a level of difficulty and understanding and our world continues in this direction. It is exciting to live in a world full of variety and cultures.