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I have an Ukrainian student in my class and sometimes I need to take time to explain different issues, words so that he can follow the lesson. He is a smart kid and speaks English well therefore, I sometimes need to explain cultural aspects related to my country in English.

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A Misunderstanding at the Morning Assembly

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A Misunderstanding at the Morning Assembly

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During my time as a school administrator, we once had a new student from a different ethnic group join our school. At the morning assembly, this student didn’t participate in the national anthem. Some teachers saw this as rude or unpatriotic and wanted to report her.

Before reacting, I invited the student and her parents to speak. I discovered that in their culture and religious background, standing for national anthems was considered an act of worship, which their faith discouraged.

We resolved this by allowing her to respectfully remain silent during the anthem without standing, while educating the staff and other students about respect for diverse beliefs. It turned into a teachable moment about tolerance and inclusion, and we later organized a cultural week in the school to further promote understanding.

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I like to travel different cities. I haven't went with my students but I guess they like also see different cultural, different food.

Also some student learned hardly to English so it is come good for easy learning .

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One example of a cultural misunderstanding occurred when I refused to participate in an Erasmus+ project due to the fear that I wouldn’t be able to communicate effectively because of my limited knowledge of English. I thought I wouldn’t understand the activities and would struggle with oral communication. My colleagues from other countries didn’t understand this hesitation, as they considered that participating in such a project would be a valuable opportunity for personal and professional growth.

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During a visit to a museum, my students were very excited to explore the exhibits and share their impressions. However, I noticed that some of them didn't always follow the museum rules, such as speaking loudly or touching the exhibits, without realizing that this behavior could be considered disrespectful in the local culture.

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During a school trip to Japan, I witnessed a cultural misunderstanding between myself and a group of students. While explaining the concept of personal space, I used an arm's length as a visual reference. However, the students maintained a much closer distance, leading to initial confusion. Realizing the potential misunderstanding, I incorporated a cultural note. I explained that personal space is perceived differently in Japan, often being closer than in Western cultures. Highlighting the importance of nonverbal cues and comfort levels in communication helped bridge the gap. This experience emphasized the need for cultural sensitivity and the value of "seeing through others' eyes." By adapting my explanation and acknowledging the differing cultural norms, I fostered a more inclusive and understanding environment.

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Two years ago, at a short period after the war started in Ukraine, I had some Ukrainians students with real problems. They were not capable to express themselves in English. I have done a lot of activities in which I tried to imply them. The first activity in which I could make them being involved was the one dedicated to 'The Mother's Day'. They have created postcards with messages for their mums. 

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Two years ago, at a short period after the war started in Ukraine, I had some Ukrainians students with real problems. They were not capable to express themselves in English. I have done a lot of activities in which I tried to imply them. The first activity in which I could make them being involved was the one dedicated to 'The Mother's Day'. They have created postcards with messages for their mums. 

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As an (EFL) teacher in a primary school in Greece, I've encountered numerous instances where cultural differences have coloured my interactions with young learners from various cultural backgrounds. One memorable incident involved a cultural misunderstanding regarding the concept of personal space.

During a classroom activity where the young learners were asked to work in pairs, I noticed that some of them seemed uncomfortable with standing too close to each other while discussing. Initially, I assumed it was shyness or reluctance to engage with their peers. However, upon further observation and reflection, I realized that it might be a cultural and religious issue related to personal space.

In Greek culture, people tend to stand closer to each other during conversations compared to some other cultures. However, I had students from various cultural backgrounds in my classroom, including some from cultures where maintaining a certain distance during interactions is the norm.

To address this misunderstanding, I decided to have a brief discussion with the class about cultural and religious differences in personal space. I explained that different cultures have different norms regarding how close people stand to each other during conversations and that it's essential to respect each other's preferences.

Furthermore, I encouraged the children to communicate openly if they felt uncomfortable with someone invading their personal space and to be mindful of others' comfort levels as well. This discussion not only helped raise awareness about cultural differences but also fostered a more inclusive and respectful classroom environment.

Incorporating such discussions about cultural diversity into my teaching practice has not only helped me address misunderstandings but has also enriched the learning experience for the children and their parents, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of different cultures.

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3 years ago I had as a student girl of Romanian origin who came from Spain. In her family the spoken language was Romanian , but at school she studied in Spanish. I noticed that he often did not use the appropriate auxiliary verb to form the past tense. Also, when performing the calculation in writing, add starting from the upper classes to the lower ones.

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I went to Spain for the Erasmus KA1 project.

I loved the paell meal. It was delicious. The Spanish were very hospitable.

I watched local folk dances and they taught us local folk dances. I danced with them. It was a very beautiful and special day.

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With Erasmus projects we have travelled a lot but the mobility to Turkey with students was really different and amazing from the cultural point of view. Our Spanish students didn´t know if hugs and kisses to host families were ok but I said first to greet them by shaking hands as we didn´t know them. Surprisingly , everyone was so warm and welcomed us with hugs , food was excellent , no spicy as my students thought and many cultural differences seemed to disappear as they realised that living with a Muslim family so far from Elche was a really good and awesome experience for everyone.

My students felt like at home and Turkey became the favourite host country during our KA2 project.

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About expressions that better should be avoid

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About expressions that better should be avoid

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There is an expression in the romanian language that is used when you are speaking and someone does not understand. This expression is: „What, are you Turkish?” About 20 years ago, I had moved from a smaller town to a bigger one. I was explaining something in classand a child said something. I explained again, in a different way, and he commented something again. And I said: „Are you Turkish somehow?” And the child answer me: „Yes, I am.” The child laughed and I realized that I lived into a community with many cultures and religions and never to use automatically expressions.

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In our country and schools today, there are many people who escaped from the war in Ukraine. A student who escaped the war asked me an interesting question. " Some of our new friends, Serbs, asked us out for coffee. We are not sure what they want from us, so we didn't answer them. We wanted to ask you first, because in our country an invitation to coffee means that that person wants something from you, some favor or benefit." I replied that in Serbia it only means that we want to meet someone and we want to become friends with the person we invite for coffee.

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Six years ago, I had in my class a student from the USA, whose mother worked at the nearby military base. Lucia didn't speak Romanian at all, so I got along with her in English. He was 2 years older than the other students in the class and I noticed that he had a different way of putting the signs of mathematical operations (to the left of the numbers placed one below the other). I noticed that she was very confused about how we explained the addition and subtraction of numbers. I asked her to show me how she does it and we decided to do the exercises in both ways. Also, he could not understand that all the children in the class participated in the religion class. She curiously asked me if they all have the same religion, which seemed extremely unusual to her. She was, on the other hand, very pleased with the Romanian custom of receiving sweets from Santa Claus, telling that in their traditions, stockings/tights are specific to Christmas.

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I remember that 20 years ago, while I was in Sweden with a Comenius project, the students were not eager to taste the food at the famous Swedish buffet. They saw, for the first time in their life reindeer meat, blue cheese or raw salmon. I took the initiative, I express my pleasure related to the new tastes and they started to try.

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In my courses, there are often children who have a very negative opinion of the USA based off of media stereotypes. In our history classes, when discussing the USA, we talk in depth about how certain historical events might make you feel if you experienced them, or if you witnessed them, yourself. Taking the Boston Massacre, for example, and asking, "If soldiers are allowed to have guns at civilians and the government doesn't care what you think, what would you do as a Bostonian?" It helps the students put their minds into a place and time unfamiliar to their own, and it helps build understanding, and, sometimes, empathy!

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Jelica Pajić (documentary film  Whose is this song)

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Jelica Pajić (documentary film  Whose is this song)

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Students watched documentary film Whose is this song. Filmmaker travels to Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria. In each region people claimed that song is their. This is as a sociological and historical exploration of the deep misunderstandings between the people of the Balkans. The same we may say about gastronomy and many other topics. We have to meet each other, talk and explore our differences, but also our shared heritage. This the only way to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to much more dangerous conflicts.

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Чия (наистина) е тази песен

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During an Erasmus mobility, my students faced a cultural misunderstanding regarding greeting customs in their host country, Sweden.

My students are used to greeting people with a warm hug or kiss on the cheek, however, in Sweden, the custom involved a more reserved handshake or nod and my students fell confused/uncomfortable when their peers didn't reciprocate their friendly greeting in the same manner.

To address this cultural misunderstanding, my students could attend a cultural orientation session organized by the Erasmus team at my school. This session could include discussions on greeting customs in different cultures, highlighting the importance of understanding and respecting cultural differences.

Through this orientation, students would learn about the Swedish custom of greetings and become more comfortable adapting their behavior to match local norms. They would also gain insight into the cultural nuances of interpersonal communication, fostering greater cultural competence during their time abroad.

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Some years ago I had a Korean girl in my class. Even she was accepted and the other children loved her, they always refused to taste her traditional snacks she had with her at school. I organized a Food Festival and all the children shared their favorite meal- me too, of course. I was the first who tried the Korean meal and because the others saw how much I liked it, they tried it too. It was a real success and a very good experience for all the class.

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There were some little misunderstandings regarding the hour of the meetings, because România, Greece, Lithuania has the same hour but other that Turkey, Brussels, that' s why we have issues regarding some online meetings, for us it was too late, for others too early, but at the end we agree.

I was talking about eTwinning projects meetings for children and teachers.

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During the several mobilities of my Erasmus project students were often confronted with different everyday habits especially when they stayed with local families. I remember that during our visit to Poland we were served dinner at around 16h30, which was very odd for the students, since they were used to having dinner at around 20h00. It took some time for them to adjust to those habits. It’s not exactly a misunderstanding but more a different habit. However, I think that the similarities were more than the differences which always surprised the students because they were expecting very different people and habits.  They soon found out that we all have a lot more in common than we think.

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As a German teacher I explain my students that people in Germany have a different perception of time. Not only concerning the abstract meaning of time but also some very concrete examples. 8:30 is "half past eight" but Germans say "halb neun" that means half before (too) nine. It is like the question: Is the glass half full of water or half empty???

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When I was at university, I used to share a flat with a friend. One day, I asked her if she had seen my botee. She said she hadn't but helped me look for them. Eventually, I found the missing botee and she said, "Oh! I was helping you but I had no idea what I was looking for!" This happened because I am from Porto and she is from Figueira da Foz, so we use different words to say botee. It was so funny! As someone else taking this course mentioned, we must also look for the differences and similarities in our own country.

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In the past we had at my school Roma pupils who were often absent. We came in touch with parents and they explained to us that they had to take their children with them at work at the outdoor markets where the sold clothes. Regarding a Roma girl we had as pupil, aged 13 years, her parents engaged her at the end of school year.

Unfortunately we could not intervene in these issues since Roma is a very closed community with its own traditions and rules.

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Every activity with international partners may show cultural misunderstanding, one of the activities is celebrating Valentine's Day. Many of my students refused to share in this activity, so I had to convince them that celebrating this day means you appreciate love and is not necessary experiencing love affair.

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In Italy, I've noticed some misconceptions and prejudice about foreign students from other cultures. To cope with it, I get students working together in small groups to learn about each other's customs and traditions. It's a great way to break down stereotypes and build understanding.

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My experience is not e proper cultural misunderstanding, but a cultural difference. During my first etwinning project we had to organize a Christmas activity, but I didn't think about the fact the Turkish partners don't celebrate Christmas. So my students learnt this cultural difference and we solved this situation organizing an activity with Peace as topic, instead of Christmas. I didn't reflect before having this experience about the idea that we have different celebrations and festivities according to our believes and cultures.

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It's not exactly a misunderstanding, but a funny fact! We participated in an Εrasmus project and during a mobility of French teachers and students in our school, they noticed the following: Greek students were constantly drinking water and wanted a snack break more often, while French students were used to another program. At the end of the field trip, our French colleagues said: Your children here are thirsty and constantly eating!! Until that moment I hadn't noticed it, for us it was normal... but not for others... I think it was funny! However, these mobilities of students and teachers offer unique opportunities to observe cultural differences

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We implement an international eTwinning project on slow food with 9 partners from 6 different countries.And we had an activity to complete and we were talking its due date .One of our partners said that they would do the activity on Sunday and we all thought that she said it wrong! as Sunday is not a working day in our countries .But it turned out that in her country ,they work from Sunday to Thursday :)

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While trying to solve this task I remembered a situation when, being in a group of Erasmus students, one of them told me I was gypsie because he heard a song performed by a band of gipsies from Romania, and she imagined all the Romanian are gypsies. I explained to her that we can find gypsie people everywhere and that they have their own traditions, values, music, different from the Romanian ones. Then I showed her on youtube a Romanian folk song, and some of our national dances, and she then understood that there is a difference. Personally, I am fascinated by the native talents that the gypsies have, their natural singing voices and dance moves, but I am not that talented.

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words that are said differently to the other place