Addressing Students' Needs: Cultural Differences for International Instructors

Reprinted with permission from the Graduate College, Iowa State University.

U.S. students grow up hearing a lot of praise when they do things well, even simple things like answering a question correctly. You would do well to follow this pattern to build a warm atmosphere in the classroom and to encourage students to volunteer responses to your questions and to be comfortable asking about things during class.

Adjusting to Informality and Asserting Authority

U.S. students behave less formally toward their teachers than students of many other countries do. As an instructor, you may interpret your students' casual dress or snacking in class as signs of disrespect. You may be surprised to be addressed by your first name. Although you may think that the students do not like you because of their casual attitude, this conclusion is not necessarily true. U.S. students behave this way in classes taught by teachers they like very much as well as by those they do not like. What you may perceive as a lack of respect may be their egalitarian attitude toward authority figures.

Occasionally, instructors interpret the informality of U.S. students as an indication that "anything goes" in class. This is not true. Students who interfere with the normal functioning of the class must not be allowed to behave that way. You are within your rights to ask them to either stop what they are doing or leave. Ask for help in dealing with discipline problems from other faculty in your department who are experienced teachers. If you present a confident image of yourself as an instructor well prepared for the course, you will probably not face many discipline problems. If students see that you have both a good grasp of the subject matter and faith in your ability to teach, they are likely to respect you. If you are organized and can keep them engaged in thinking and participating in the class, they won't have time to create problems.

Developing Rapport

U.S. students expect and appreciate instructors who treat them in a friendly manner (e.g., addressing them by name, smiling, and showing enthusiasm for the class). Students often speak approvingly of teachers who "made the class interesting," which might include occasionally joking with them and using imaginative examples when you are explaining something complex and abstract. Before class begins or when it is finished, you can engage in some "small talk."

Find out something about your students' lives and use them as resources of information. Learn your students' first names (or nicknames) and something about each, if possible. Because Americans have come from so many other countries, last names may be difficult to pronounce and present a challenge to anyone calling the roll for the first time. Do not spend too much time on last names; at first it may be easier to pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to sign rather than reading names aloud. A seating chart is one way to be able to learn names and to call on students. Handing back homework assignments is another way to connect names (and awareness of students' abilities) with faces. If you are able to greet your students by name when you see them walking around campus, you may be held in high regard.

Above all, treat your students fairly and show them you are concerned with their success in your class. Be explicit about test and project dates and how grades are earned and given. Treat their questions as genuine requests for information and not as tests of your knowledge or challenges to your authority; Americans have been raised to ask questions whenever they don't understand something. If their question is off the subject, tell them nicely that you can talk to them later about it instead of taking class time. Avoid sounding angry or defensive, and do not completely ignore the question. If it is something you do not want to answer, you can always say something like "That's a question for another day. Today we have got to stick to the topic of X or we are going to get behind the other sections, and I won't get through all the material you need for the exam."

Grade Consciousness

U.S. students are extremely grade conscious. Speaking about an exam normally wakes up the whole class. Not only do they want to know when the tests will be and what material will be covered, they will ask you to describe in detail what they need to study, whether the test will be essay or multiple choice, how it will be graded, and how much time they will have. They will also ask many questions about term papers and homework assignments.

Sexual Harassment

Many instructors who are unfamiliar with male-female relationships in the U.S. are concerned about what behavior might trigger a charge of sexual harassment. Find out what your school's policy on sexual harassment is; usually, this information can be found on the school's Web site.