ELT Resources for Teaching Tolerance Anastasia Khodakova Tula State Pedagogical University ‘Lev Tolstoy’

TETOL Outline 3 “honest serving men” What (qualities of a tolerant person) Why (situation in Tula) How (approach, resources, activities) “ I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who” R.Kipling

Tolerance is… “The symbol of tolerance is a boat in which, like in Noah’s Ark, completely different people and animals live together in order to save their lives.” Александр Асмолов, доктор психологических наук

Tolerant is that tolerant does A tolerant person is: patient, tactful, sympathetic, altruistic, humane, well-disposed to others, friendly, self-controlled, indulgent has a sense of humor can trust & be trusted understands differences keeps from making judgments inquisitive

The Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of Russian Academy of Sciences and public association “RussianRenaissance” (2002) Tula ethnic minority numbers: Less than 5% of non-Russian, quite stable Every 5th Russian (19,8%) & every 3d representative of national minorities (35,2%) considers nationalism the most important problem for the city 1\5 negatively react to other ethnic groups Why teaching tolerance?

How to teach: basic principles Indirect (through stories, personal experience) SHOW – DON’T tell Peer-to-peer (Lessons in Kindness, Between the Continents) Combined w\ language practice (make the most of the most limited time)

Examples of resources Between the Continents: American Reality with Russian Eyes – 2006 STATE EXAM: Preparation through Teaching Tolerance -2008

Sponsors financial support of the Bureau of educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State administrative support of IERX (International research and exchange board)

Sources journalism studies in Eastern Michigan University, USA, in weekly opinions columns “Between Continents” in Eastern Echo, MI. a Russian exchange student’s observations about American culture and life

What is it? NOT a factual manual on how to live in America perception of American reality and a view on Russia from abroad 19 essays devoted to different spheres of life

Characteristics of middle teens ( Lewis, 2007 ) Physically mature Able to work independently Good planners and can manage group work Less reliant on the group for support More focus on individual relationships Stronger sense of place in society Aware of the opposite sex and begin to mix groups (girls and boys) Understand there is not only one answer to every question and not everything is black and white

What is it about? Between the two continents (personal feelings) Stereotyping traps (neg & pos) American roller-coasters on Russian roads (stress, everyday life, sweet&sour) International friend in need is in need indeed (do we make friends?) Dorm Life - crazy college or a box of rules? (too little space for me..) “Freedom is not free…” (strict college rules) A drop worth a sea/Professors help guest students Сar is God, but not almighty (travelling, accidents)

More opinions PC invasion – no place for books (1\2 book a year) The cultural rainbow Communication through time-zones (coincidences) Winter seasoning A taste of culture in the American shake Life by a planner (drive thru, shower) Programmed to be healthy (hot milk) Reserved North and careless South The “wasting” attitude Patriotism differs… Every end is a token of new beginning

Language & Culture медпункт - health center, dorm, residence hall, студенческий - student ID ам.горки – roller-coasters, get a ticket homemade cookies papers, syllabus, прогул - unexcused absence, professor drive-thru take drugs, банки - cupping glasses, бумажные платочки - tissue packets buffet, outlet, shopping mall Frisbee, racquetball

STATE EXAM: Preparation through Teaching Tolerance Promoting ideas of tolerance & cultural diversity through learning tasks Introducing different cultures and developing cultural awareness Form of State Exam tasks + cultural issues Topics: Test 1 - Tolerance Snapshot Test 2 - Stereotyping Traps Test 3 - Diversity Corner Test 4 - Cultural Shake

Linguistic Diversity REGIONALISMS Draw a line from the regionalisms in column A to the corresponding words in column B. A B Line Lorry Elevator Underground Subway Queue Truck Lift ( You can deepen the list by adding English word pairs that are associated with different regions within the United States, such as Bag/Sack, Buggy/Cart or Soda/Pop.)

Where to find tolerance

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