Learning is a Social Activity 3

In classes, the students were first reluctant to talk about their cultures. I did not force them because I know about the "unsaid" or "unspoken" in the African culture, but I was wondering whether they would be willing to share these secrets with the American students. I knew that the "unsaid" could sabotage the project, so one day I dressed in my cultural clothes and carried my three legged pot as an artifact to class. When the whole class gave me a standing ovation, I knew I had won their hearts. Then, I shared my culture with them as honestly and thoroughly as I could. That helped, as they trusted me, and each other about their cultures. From the discussions, I realized all the groups had their own ways of life. They do things differently. I began to question some customary practices in my culture. But I learned that almost all cultures had some common things. Most of my students were South African; when we started I knew some of the African cultures as sometimes we have cross-cultural marriages with other Black groups.

Students involved in Sharing cultures were so excited that even in other subjects (e.g. English ) they talked about their American partners. I felt encouraged, but this sharing sometimes was done at the expense of the language they had to learn. Students' families, too, are involved in the sharing of cultures as students consult their parents about cultural customs they do not understand.