6. February 2020,

Week 5, Cultural Differences Concerning TIME 

I learned two new words this week, monochronic and polychronic cultures.  According to https://thearticulateceo.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/08/cultural-differences-monochronic-versus-polychronic.html There are some differences between these cultures.  Monochronic cultures like doing one thing at a time. They show great respect for private property and usually follow the rules for privacy. Polychronic do many things at a time like in an office setting. In these cultures time means different things.

Many western countries are monochronic cultures, Latin American, Arabian, and African countries are usually polychronic. Monochronic cultures are often ruled by schedules and certain time for appointments. They do not like that scheduled to be interrupted too much. They also expect people to be on time for appointments. In polychronic cultures people are more important and it does not bother them that they are interrupted by family during meetings.

There are probably always exceptions to these happenings. President John F. Kennedy had a desk in the Oval office that had a hiding place in it so his children could play in there while he was working at his desk. Many photos are of President Kennedy’s children playing under and around his desk. Some  instances do not seem to be totally monochronic.

As teachers we must learn to understand the differences in what time means to the learners. It needs to be established at the beginning of classes what is expected of learners when it come to classes and assignments. There can be misunderstandings when it comes to time being precious in the classroom. For some people it might be more important to visit with family and be late for class or not show up at all.  Teachers should find out from the learners what is important to them when it comes to time.