Tetyana Pavlenko- TEA alumna from Ukraine, compares American and Ukrainian cultural values through her own experience of teaching in high school, Alabama, US. Cordial thanks to my American counter partner Ms. Donna Stoffle Jordan.

1. Teaching US identity

2. Topics
 Culture
 Cultural values
 Being observant
 U.S. diversity
 Inside the American classroom
 Practical application

3. What is culture
 Definitions
 Iceberg metaphor
 Cultural values

4. Defining culture
 Culture is the norms, values and
attitudes shared by the group of people
joined by geographic or ethnic ties.
 Culture is fluid and changes.
 You can generalize about culture
though you can find exceptions.
 Culture is learned, not inhereted.

5. Iceberg metaphor

6. Like an iceberg , nine-tenth of
culture is below the surface
food, dress, music,
visual arts,drama,
dance, literature,
games, celebrations
courtesy, concept of time, personal space, rules ob conduct,
facial expressions, body language, touching, eye contact, con-
cept of beauty, relationships to animals, notions of leadership,
tempo of work, nature of friendships, tone of voice, attitudes
toward elders, preference for competition or cooperation, con-
cept of “self”, concept of past and future, problem-solving, roles
in relation to age, sex, class, occupation, kinship.

7. Cultural Values Quiz
 1.If you see someone smiling , it means
they are happy. True or False?
 2.If a student does not agree with the
teacher, it means the student does not
respect him. True or False?
 3. If your roommate does not share her
personal space with you, it means she
does not like you. True or False?

8. Understanding the cultural
difference
 Imagine, that in your own country, everyone that was ever born or will
be born was born with two legs, two arms, two eyes, a nose, a mouth
and a pair of sunglasses. The color of the lenses in the sunglasses is
yellow. The yellow lenses represent your
attitudes, beliefs, values, and cultural background.
 Thousands of miles away in another country, , everyone that was ever
born or will be born was born with two legs, two arms two eyes, a
nose, a mouth, and a pair of sunglasses. The color of the lenses in
their sunglasses is blue. Everything that the people see, learn, and
experience is filtered through blue lenses.
 A traveler who wants to go to that far-away land realizes that to learn
about the country and the people more thoroughly, he will have to
acquire some blue sunglasses so that he can “see”. When the traveler
arrives, he wears the blue sunglasses. He stays for two months. He
feels he really is learning about the people. He comes home to his own
country and declares that he is now an “expert” on that country and
that the culture is… green!

9. Culture is invisible
 Why did the traveler see green?
 What does it mean that he saw green?
 What could/should a person do to
avoid that mistake?
 What could you say is the moral of
this fable?
 Mix a yellow and a blue paint. What
new colour will you get? Is it green?

10. Ukraine through American
glasses
 Another thing that I noticed when I first arrived is the facial
expressions of most Ukrainians. I may be wrong, but this does
not seem to be a “smiling” culture. This can be a little
discouraging. I find myself asking the “why” questions. For
example, why do some people cut the line? Or why are some
shop assistants very rude and impatient for no reason? Or why
do some people loudly listen to music on their cell phones in
public places? Or why do people drive on the pedestrian
sidewalk and beep when a pedestrian is in their way? I could
ask these “why” questions all day. Sometimes I find answers to
them, and sometimes I don’t.
 /Elisabeth Mc Neil, PCV, Korsun’-Shevchenkivs’kyi/

11. How can you recognize an
American?
 Appearance
 Behaviour
 What he or she says
 What he or she doesn’t say
 Stereotypes vs. generalizations

12. Being Observant.
Identify the nationality -Ukrainian or American.

13. At the wedding party. Ukrainian –American partnership.

14. US Cultural Values
 Environment
 Time*
 Communication
 Space*
 Power/Equality/*
 Individualism/Independence/*
 Competitiveness
 Action

15. Understanding common US
attitudes
 Personal control over the environment
 Change is good
 Time is very important
 All people are created equal
 “I am unique”
 Privacy is good and necessary
 “ I did it all by myself”

16. Understanding common US
attitudes/continued/
 Competition brings out the best in any
individual
 Tomorrow will be better
 “Don’t just stand there. Do something!”
 Informal and casual
 Direct and open
 “Will it make money” “What can I get from
this activity?”
 Material objects are a reward for hard work

17. Focus on the value of
individualism
 US culture favours the individual over
the group
 Americans tend to have many
friends, not one or two close friends
 Americans are very open to new people
 Individuals do what is best for
themselves

18. Focus on the value of equality
 Everyone has an equal chance at
success
 Bosses want to hear your opinions
 Common use of first names /always ask
first/

19. Focus on the value of time
 Being on time is expected; being late is
usually considered rude
 If you will miss or be late for a meeting
, call ahead with an explanation and an
apology
 Deadlines are very important

20. Focus in the value of space
 Americans prefer to have a great deal
of personal space- about an arm’s
length between people

21. Practical application. US
schools
Using the previous information analyze the following pictures and speak about US values

22. School rules and regulations

23. School slogans

24. Activities for the advanced
learners
 Analyze the learning cycle in school of 5 Es:Engage , Explore, Explain , Extend, Evaluate. Tell how it
correlates with the grid KWL-Know, Want to know , Learnt.

25. US System of Education
 Speak about a system of education using the prompt/ K- kindergarten, 12-the last school grade/

26. Supplementary material: read
and speak about US identity

27. Self-awareness
 Being aware of your own Ukrainian values will help you better understand
American identity.
 Good luck!

28. The pictures were taken in Buckhorn High
School, Alabama, US.