05/17/2020 - W05 Blog: Culture Differences Concerning Time



 In the video Brother Ivers talks about Cultural Differences in Concerning time. He explains that there are two types of time: Monochronic vs. Polychronic, which are within cultural paradigms. Monochronic is oriented to tasks, schedules, and procedures, while Polychronic focuses on interpersonal relationships and family. Ivers mentions that Northern Europe and the United States are Monochronic, while most of the world is Polychronic.

 

Maybe some parts of a country will be Monochronic as a minority in a country, but it will be predominantly Polychronic, for example. This last I can confirm when I moved to live in Mexico City. At the time I didn't know it and I learned it instinctively. Now that I saw this video, I can say that I had to change my cultural paradigm and adapt to a more Monochronic environment, but even so, relationships are always important to establish a network that can help me in difficult situations.

 

I believe that we must take into account the types of time when we are teaching English. Perhaps we are teaching in a country where relationships are paramount, but the environment is slightly more focused on established schedules and tasks. Or simply have students who come from Finland (M) and Italy (P), and try to understand that paradigm that makes them learn differently.

 

Have you ever had a problem with your type of time? How Globalization could make a difference?

Comentarios

  1. Ana25 de mayo de 2022 a las 5:04 p.m.

    I was shocked at how accurate Brother Ivers was with the polychronic examples. I didn't realize my parents are very polychronic and have been my whole life. That is why they are never on time to anything! It used to cause issues in our family. I used to get really upset. I come from a Latin family and now I feel like I understand myself and my family better. This idea of polychronic versus monochronic made me think of the person that I want to be. I don't want to waste my students' time by having too much casual talk time, but I also want them to feel like they learned something. Time is an interesting thing we are tasked to manage in this life. It is so precious.

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