Cultural Paradigms

22/05/2018

Jessica Hernandez

What is cultural paradigm? How far exist the cultural paradigms form us?

   15 years ago, when I was a young mother, my family and I visited a family from Acayucan, Veracruz, Mexico. During our stay, we enjoyed the countryside, in the preparation of food the women usually cook tortillas by hand. Tortillas by hand are the most delicious food. As a visitor, I decided to cook with them. The surprise for them was that I helped them, they could not believe that I know cook tortillas by hand because I came from the city, and they thought that all the women from the city do not know anything about cook-food. So they doubted my ability, a fortunately for me, I felt confident to help them because years ago my mother and my grand other taught me. They could not believe even some of them resisted, they asked me to cook a tortilla and after saw how I did it, they left me to help them. After cook together, we enjoyed a delicious food.

   Each country, each land even each family have their own paradigms. Through the process to find the truth is removed paradigms. For example, in my case, I needed to demonstrate that I know cook, then I cook a tortilla, they evaluated me and removed their ideas that all the people who come from the city do not cook. At least, the met an one who knows it. But certainly is as in the city is easier to but food and eat that life in the countryside and take your food from the natural way and they prepared, cooked and finally eat.

   Similar things happen in our education. Now exist many ways, new methods to teach and learn, But what happened if we think that all the taught depend only on the teacher or only on the student? or What happened if the teacher becomes the boss and the student a soldier? Please watch this video, is in Spanish, but you can watch the cartoons and understand the question.

   As you watched, the teacher limited his student, his class was not free. The little girl, student, in the beginning, was happy and animated, but through the time she habituates until forget her imagination. Then, what kind of teacher do we want to be? I recognize the lesson has been into a plan, but the plan is the guidance to teach and on the plan must be more options to work in class, especially for the students give the opportunity to learn in different ways. 

  Even as a future teacher or a teacher in practice, education gives us the opportunity to break our paradigms, and this happens when we update, study and discover new knowledge, happens when we put it in practice in our lives and being a better teacher.