The Social Study Program in Chilean Schools

In the United States Social Studies is a central part of the curriculum, this is also true from what I have seen in a Chilean classroom. During my time here I have been a part of a preschool classroom full of four and five year olds. This class is very interesting because it is taught all in English! This type of instruction in English continues up until the high school grades. When students reach high school their classes are taught in their native tongue, and English is only spoken in English class and music class. This is a very different way of teaching in a classroom than I have not seen before. Just like the other subjects at Thomas Jefferson school, social studies is taught in English, and is very similar to the type of social studies  taught in the United States. In the preschool classroom students learn basic concepts about social studies, like occupations, families, and different cultures. This is almost the same as David Welton outlines in his textbook Children and Their World. In his book he outlines the social studies program of each grade level. In Kindergarten Welton states that students should be learning about their world, families/community helpers, and transportation. I see this type of program in place at Thomas Jefferson School. In fact, this week students learned about different occupations and community helpers. Students also discussed what they wanted to be when they grew up. Just as in the United States this week was called career week, and the teachers welcomed parents to talk about what they do for a living.      Along with careers, different cultures and holidays are taught for social studies. In fact my classroom studies the American holiday Thanksgiving, on the day of Thanksgiving my class will prepare typical foods of the holiday, and the kindergarteners, will perform a Thanksgiving play for the parents which tells the story of Thanksgiving. This year the whole school will be a part of the Thanksgiving celebration, and it seems ironic that a school would celebrate one of our biggest holidays.

 In the high school classrooms, students are taught about Chilean history, World War I, and World War II. This is the same in the United States, where our students learn American History along with World War I and World War II. This resemblance to American curriculum could be because the school is a private school, and was founded by an American, or because if the language is to be studied it is necessary to address the culture as well, however I am not certain. The curriculum could be vastly different in public schools where students do not necessarily speak English on a daily basis. Along with this school, there are also private schools in the area where students speak Spanish, English, and German and another where Spanish, German, and French are taught. I wonder if these schools teach cultures of Germany and France as they do at Thomas Jefferson School with English. Whatever the reason I think it is fascinating that our worlds are miles apart but we are not that different. 

Add a comment November 20, 2008

Cindy Hart: The challenges of living in a different culture, where you are the minority

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There are many things that I have learned thus far during my trip to Chile. The culture in Chile is very different from the United States, both in the home and school. The culture is more laid back and relaxed. Time is not followed as closely as it is in the United States. It is difficult to follow the lack of discipline in a school setting because I am used to more strict rules in the classroom. Being a minority and teaching in a school that has a completely different culture is difficult because the way you have been taught to teach is drastically different than where you are placed. In Chile, rules are not followed by the children. If a child wants to do cartwheels on the carpet instead of working in the math book, then he or she will do that and there is no real punishment. Being from the United States, my natural instinct is to discipline this child for not following the rules, but in the relaxed setting I have to just let the child be. This experience has taught me to be more relaxed with discipline in the classroom.

Living in a different culture than your own is also hard because you do not know all of the different social rules that are in place. In Chile, yawning in public is a sign of disrespect. Being in the minority, the people in our group did not know this and were talked about among the other staff members. Another difference is wearing shoes or socks all the time. Americans do not always cover their feet. My host family kept asking me where my socks were because I did not know this and was not wearing them in the house. Being a minority is hard because the unspoken social rules have to be learned along the way. This can make both the minority and the person of that culture uncomfortable depending on the situation.

Another difficult part of living where you are a minority is that people constantly talk about you or stare at you. It is obvious to everyone that you are a minority whether it is the way you look or how your mannerisms are different than everyone else’s. This can cause people to feel self conscience because they want to fit in with the rest of society. People do not want to be ridiculed for rules that they have not been taught as a child or for the way they look or dress. Overall, living in a different culture is a struggle at first, but people can adapt to their surroundings and can learn about other cultures to be able to fit in with them.

Add a comment November 20, 2008

Chilean Culture & History

The first thing that I have noticed about the Chilean culture is the Chilean kiss as it has been so aptly described. When you first meet someone, and also when you leave them, you give your greetings along with a kiss on the cheek. In Chile the people like to stand closer when speaking to each other than we are used to in the United States. Every meal includes pan or bread, which seems to be the main staple of their diet. Lunch is taken much later than noon and is the most important meal of the day. Dinner or once is a much lighter meal or snack.

All of the people I have come in contact with are very friendly and accepting of me as an American. Even though I speak & understand only a small bit of Spanish the teachers and my Chilean family are helping me to learn the language. Never am I condemned for trying only gently corrected when I am wrong. The people have tried very hard to make me feel welcome and comfortable in their culture and I must say they have done an excellent job of it.

            The area we know as Chile was originally populated by two different groups, the Mapuches (an indigenous people) ruled in the Central and Southern regions, while in the North, the Incans ruled. During the 16^th century the Spaniards came and ruled until 1810 when Chile declared its independence. Although a final decisive victory over the Spaniards did not happen until 1818. From 1879-83 the country was involved in the war of the Pacific where they defeated Peru and Bolivia and gained more territory in the countries Northern region. Chile was under a military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet from 1973-1990 this was the beginning of a new era for the people, one that took them from a socialist government. Even though it may seem as if everything began to fall apart the second part of Pinochet’s dictatorship led to great economic growth for Chile. It is currently a very secure country with a flourishing economy.

1 comment November 20, 2008