Today's culture workshop focused on similarities and differences in classroom behaviors across the cultures in our groups. Vietnam classroom culture seems to be very similar to American classroom culture, at least according to our student. She agreed with all of the items that the American students in my group checked off. The only differences we discussed had to do with elementary school students. In elementary school, students are taught to raise their hands in a very "proper" manner, with one hand placed so that it forms a right angle with the one being raised, which is raised at the elbow. Slapping young misbehaving students hand is also a common practice in many schools.
However, our Saudi Arabian group member had a very different experience than the rest of the group. There aren't any (zero) co-ed schools where she is from. They also only work individually in her experience; there is no group work, let along group work with the opposite gender. Her first time doing group work apparently was only once she came to the States. It was interesting to see how one culture could be almost identical to American school culture, and also see another that was entirely different.
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