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Paula Katharina Rylands
Anglo-Brazilian, BA in Anthropology (focus on visual anthrop), experience in photography, film (5 yrs). Interested in semiotics, language and multicultural communication. English tutor for 5 yrs.
Location Ubatuba, Brazil and Chester, England
Activity
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I don't believe real teachers will be replaced fully by robots. Human contact will continue to prevail because we are social creatures.
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I believe that the scenario of Local/regional Englishes is most realistic. Cultures that use English as their second language will continue to implement and add aspects of their own language so it is more adequate and authentic to them. However, eventually, an 'amalgam' form will develop with each English blending into others.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
The emergence of English, according to David Crystal are as follows:
The British Empire, the American expansion, the Technological Revolution, the expansion of law and medicine using English, the American culture expansion and now globalisation. -
Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
1. I liked a radio based French course that used conversations and interviews to introduce vocabulary and, surely fluency.
2. The Lesson Study approach has two teachers in the classroom - one teaches the material and the other evaluates the learning looking at the students. -
I believe that teachers should incorporate some corpus analyses such as what was done with 'must' to be updated with how much language is changing. Word meanings most often won't change within a few years of teaching but I believe that knowing that a certain collocation is becoming old-fashioned or archaic is important. Students in general should have fresh...
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Have to is favoured in texts closer to speech: in spoken, fiction, magazines, and news, over academic, and favoured even more in spoken and news texts. Got is disfavoured in originally print texts: fiction, magazine and news.
The major changes are, as mentioned, a significant and overall decrease of the use of must. The frequency of need to and go to...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I was taught that 'must' is more formal and stronger than 'have to' and 'got to'.
'Must' is for use with obligation, and 'have to' and 'got to' for necessity.
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I would include business language, recorded from meetings from several areas.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Has the discussion been recorded? I am reaching this point in the course only now.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
a. Intention, plan = 4, 8
b. Certainty; “I am sure it is” = 7
c. Prediction = 6, 7
d. Able to, possible but unreal = 1
e. A ‘good alternative’, likely to as good as any other’ = 9, 3
f. Permission = 2
g. Possible that; ‘perhaps later’ = 8 -
1. I speak with simple words and slowly. I paraphrase, I help us build understanding with encouragement, friendliness, and humour.
2. I recognise their efforts and say that I have strong accents in other languages as well.
3. I tend not to correct the person too much, it's fun to see how people interpret and pronounce what is just my name.
4. I recognise... -
Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I see Trump not answering the question, but talking about the practical implications of the question. He doesn't discuss the ideas and concepts and that may sound attractive if you see him as someone who accomplishes things rather than theorising over and over with intelligent answers. And that, according to Tannen (1984) is called a high-involvement,...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I do agree that deeper voices are smoother to listen to, and voices that are too high give a different effect - to me, is annoyance. But on the long run, getting used to deep voices creates a resistance to accepting high voices, even if the speaker isn't particularly communicating something that is annoying. Which means that, we may become more respectful of...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
The role of his voice is to contextualise the woman's crave for the foam, which makes her more desirable because the beer, we find out humorously, is the man's object of desire.
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I think that reaching LFC should only be considered a basic level, and better pronunciation should follow.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Apart from the wrong stress on the word Reinstatement, I also believe the word is itself is uncommon. I have lived in the US and dealt with many CSR over the phone, and the naming for this department sounds unfamiliar to me.
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Rachel’s accent does seem a bit common but it makes it interesting to see the variety of backgrounds working at BBC. I am therefore, implying that she is common, which it certainly is a form of prejudice.
Esther's accent in my opinion gives her a completely reliable image. If she is of Irish descent, and if it does really show in her speaking, it is a...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Yes, I am aiming for RP because it is sophisticated. My family have that accent.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Definitely, to meet the accent and supposed social rank of the person.
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My native language definitely affects how I see others. With Brazilian Portuguese, I am open to speaking to people from different social classes as it is polite to change your accent to meet theirs.
From American English, I am a very interested in accents and nationalities, as I have lived in Washington DC, a very international city.
From British...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Activity 1
a) I like the sound of Greek because it sounds intriguing. It's subtle, unknown, mysterious, but respectful as an ancestor language to so many others.
b) I don't like the sound of Russian, it sounds finicky.Activity 2
I do have a telephone voice, and I often adjust my voice after I listen to myself speak when I don't like how I sound.We...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Another way to increase engagement is to set research subjects relative to the student, as a way for them to stimulate self-motivating learning and expand their overall knowledge and self-expression on that particular field of preference. During presentations, humour should be present in the class so making mistakes is made part of the learning process.
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This classroom and class resemble being from Victorian times. The arrangement of seats is stiff and suppresses any spontaneity and wish to experience the learned language. The relationship is of an imponent leader with lesser intelligent pupils. The way the teacher calls and corrects the students is completely putting off for any engagement for learning....
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I believe that there should be guidance when motivating students to maintain a level of anxiety. It is commonplace to be demotivated and to stop in the face of a fearful situation. But with the appropriate and dosed level of what I can call "courage" and "let's make it a fun and exciting experience to prove yourself for yourself", students can benefit from...
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This evaluation process is self-analytical, therefore more effective for more focused and self-driven students, more likely adults. If compared to a real written and spoken assessment test, students can analyse their perception with the possibly more tangible results of exams.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
This method of teaching is new in my opinion. The instances when I was most interested and enjoying a class were when I had decided to myself that I would make lessons relevant to me and would study to answer my own questions. That way I could feel my progress and my engagement, but was little motivated to move on by my teacher. She was certainly interested...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I would be like Isabelle in the sense of being communicative, would want to speak up on order to learn more, but I wouldn't speak and answer knowing I was wrong in order to learn. If I knew I was wrong I wouldn't speak up and would analyse before answering first, which is more like Emily's way.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
‘Tense is marked on the FIRST verb in the Verb Group’
Having students figure the answer and solution themselves, as a practice for the teaching style of noticing, is a great method.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
If students are engaged, they are interacting and interested with their peers. They are asking questions, they are planning what to say next, they are reflecting. Their gaze is focused and when they stop to think it is noticeable that there is a thought process happening, and not an empty stare into the void.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I have definitely expanded my understanding about the emotional and motivational impact of tests on students. We have learned that the harder we work, the higher the grade. And if you score less than expected, it means you didn't work hard enough. Many people loose motivation and change their paths because of such demotivating method of evaluation.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
To stay away from tricky questions, such as about subjects that were little studied and evaluated. And perhaps to select questions that value individual critical skills, where opinions in comprehensive analysis on a subject are graded as much as the content itself. Thus, to set the pass grade as quite low, so only the student that shows very little...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I completely agree with the method of Assessment Learning because it places students right at the front of their learning. Teachers plan lessons not only to teach the subject but also to engage students in their learning on every step of the way.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
As a teacher, now I believe tests are important to move students to learn with more urgency, as they will be held responsible for what they absorb. However, as a student, I was more interested in learning than memorising information. Therefore, exams seemed more of a test for exact information rather than overall analyses, and I didn't enjoy taking them. But...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
We as a society must keep the examinations active in society because of fields concerning health and safety. Actually, we should have more examinations that should include positions for authority and government.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Both are right because it depends on the attitude towards personal growth, competitiveness and development in civil society. Is the invididual more concerned about a freer development of his knowledge or would he like to play against the best in his field? Examinations can be a means to rise in society that way.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I believe it has more of a negative effect to children rather than a positive one. Because people change as they grow up and develop as adults, children may have a disadvantage if their scores in their childhood represent them for life. Adults are more focused and therefore, can be more competitive.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
The two authors have different views of society and see examinations as having different purposes and outcomes. The first author sees society as repressing and cruel, and examinations as a way to enter and function in this society through scrutiny. The second author sees society as just and competitive, making examinations the most relied method where no other...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
The mistakes a travel agent commits can be easily adjusted and corrected during the purchase of a flight, for example, as it cannot be finalised before every flight and payment information is correct. Therefore, their risks are low.
The university student may commit mistakes but which are accessed during examinations and they can fix them easily. If one is...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Showing true interested in the customer, comparing experiences, reach a point where they can even exchange advices.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
1. I liked very clear tables with verbs and conjugation.
2. I disliked too much information in one page, as if I needed to be distracted to be immersed in the language. -
I would consider ‘That your new car, is it?’ as incorrect but acceptable. It is incorrect because of the lack of verb and wrong tag question. However, the message and well-understood, therefore it is acceptable.
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Native speakers have a disadvantage compared to the non-native. In English-dominated environments the discomfort with little breaks causes the first person with an idea to speak and fill in what seems to them to be an awkward moment. Therefore, there is the problem of little tolerance with silence, which could be a strategy to give the opportunity and...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I do agree with Dr. Neeley. English not only has been spread around the world for centuries now with the British Empire and American culture, it is a succinct, straight-foward and flexile language, known for its ability to easily absorb other languages throughout its history.
I definitely agree with her as well in terms of dealing up or down. Native speakers... -
I believe the difference in speaking is hardwired in our brains but also reinforced by what we learn in society. The way men tend to be more direct and clear about what they want, and women can be considered as masculine or "bossy" if acting in the same way, can be an example. Men are more encouraged to speak their minds and women to be polite first and above...
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2. The videos looks at simple issues but if unaddressed, they can complicate the flow of communication between managers and employees, considering that one party is a migrant.
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1. Collecting data: "Volunteers in each organisation taped everyday work-related meetings or discussions in government policy units, management groups, project teams, factory production teams and small businesses. They also recorded some telephone calls and social conversations and the project team videotaped a number of larger, more formal meetings from most...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Hello, I'm Paula and I'm an online Business English tutor based in Brazil. I have a BA in Cultural Anthropology and I am curious to know more about linguistics. Today one of my biggest interests is intercultural communication and I teach some of it to my students.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I have been to Carthage. There is a museum showing Roman mosaics and facts from other empires. There was a small cafe and just the ruins to see, overlooking the sea. It is a beautiful site but could definitely become a culture hub to complement to the northern area of Tunis. If people got to know the importune of the site with a modern feel added to its...
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Hello @MickWalbank. Definitely. I was there 2 years ago and was surprised, as well, for the lack of any credit or exposure of Portuguese navigators and explorers, if you are to tell the history of exploration in the last centuries. It was certainly Britain's greatest competitor during the late 1400s, so I guess "don't show, don't tell". That got me to want to...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I have enjoyed the first week of the course, because it opened for wider view of the "living history" of each place. It isn't only the history that matters but what layers have given an identity to the city, while being mouldable and ever-changing.
What I particularly didn't enjoy as much were the animated videos where we get to listen to an animation...
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Great answer @NadezhdaHughes ; I couldn't have put in better words. Building our knowledge of the heritage of the city we live in is to feel connected and have a more meaningful sense of presence and belonging. We can see ourselves are history makers, as well as maybe only humble passersby who can enjoy this wider context we are in.
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However, @LiliHeld , displaying such objects can be done in a way to create genuine respect and interest in the named cultures. If that is done, if a display informing where the objects are from, with as much grandiose of intention as the building itself, let's say, curators and the museum itself can be a representer of the kind of respect they want to...
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Thanks for sharing such criticism to the Humboldt Forum. Interesting to learn and add another dimension to this lesson and it's definitely a question to pose. Displaying objects extracted often through brutality from former colonies using a "comprehensive" and "brotherly view" today is still marketing yourself as a superior nation of a imperialistic culture...
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@NadezhdaHughes I'd like to know the same. The universities that housed the greatest scientists and where major discoveries have been made, aren't considered to be heritage sities? They are heritage sites for the history of knowledge.
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@KathrynNiven I am not sure I understand how heritage is not changeable. If you are considering language, language itself changes in a single generation, now when passing it on to the next generation, it is very organic process, with ideas being forgotten, interpreted slightly different, and selected, according to what one person values or doesn't.
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@SwatantraNandanwar Yes, you are right. However, what I was considering was the way Brazil and the UK, according to my experience, seem to face their own cultural heritage, where their government and policy makers couldn't have a more different take on it.
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I do not possess much knowledge of the topic, despite having visited museums in every city that I have been to, in Europe specially. What I see in Brazil as heritage is a week status, Patrimônio Cultural, as new governments value less and less what is inheritant Brazilian. National museums suffer from lack of care and funding, and have caught on fire. Our...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Heritage, language, values, festivals, music.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I knew that heritage was about buildings and monuments and parks. Also, that it included well-known dances and food recipes. I did not know of sports and certain species.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I live in the small city of Ubatuba, on the northern coast of the state of São Paulo and very close to the state of Rio de Janeiro. I am still learning about its history, but here are some facts. It is located in the National Park Serra do Mar, the best preserved area of remaining Atlantic Forest that there is. It was very important for the Iperoig Treaty, the...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Hello everyone. I am an online English tutor based in the coast of São Paulo state, in Brazil. I have recently had a little baby and now I am using FutureLearn to keep studying and planning for the future. I have also traveled quite a bit, and have lived in Manaus, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, São Paulo and now Ubatuba, as well as Washington DC and Oxford,...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Thank you to the team who made this course. It allowed for very thought-provoking ideas and reflexive discussions, making us try to see deeper and reflect on our common while so different experiences.
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1. Open-mindedness and self-reliance are the most important, I believe, as part of a strong base for living with both our humanness and individuality. Courage and observance are second, I believe.
2. I have seen that I can be much more patient in seeing nuances of culture shock and not feel so threatened by it. Psychological preparation before repatriation... -
@GillianWaters - I have done exactly that. I am a mix of two cultures in Brazil by experience and by blood, British by blood as well, and American from many years having lived. Since I was a child, I like writing diaries about my trips across Brazil or to England, always observing and thinking about the cultural differences and did it do to my identity. Today...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Very comprehension description of all of the invisible forces that may cause distress when re-entering your home country / culture.
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Hello @JaneHughes . What I believe is the best thing to do is to incorporate those lessons into your own identity and customs. People around you might not act the same way as much but soon you'll recognise those individuals / families that do act the way you value, and I think that is the most enriching response to the cynicism we may develop from repatriation.
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@PeteG. has a great point. We may feel isolated when close to our own family, at our hometown and so on. I believe that understanding the phases of culture shock is a way to understand the reason why we are suffering and feeling strange in a new place, specifically. They are two good views on phases that can be more easily understood and would otherwise have...
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I like the idea of growing during the process of adapting in a new culture or embracing others from other cultures. Such open-mindedness and experience will add to our personality and strengthen our being in the world as a global citizen and give us an opportunity for self-reorganisation and self-renewal. That is a great idea in today's world, with the...
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Hello Vicki. Yes, I only hope that I knew back then because she was very nice. Now I can use this expression at ease :)
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
3. It can be very effective to train in intercultural skills and competence. In terms of the Affective aspect, a personal inquiry of your values and what triggers strong responses can be useful to predict unpleasant responses when facing a specific culture. Thus, learning about the culture and its typical personality can help when ''reading between the...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
2. Affect: Not speaking a language and also naturally feeling intimidated by it can have an affective impact in travellers. I remember traveling in Morocco and being in a car with a new acquaintance, where her cousin was driving us to what should have been a night out. My friend and her cousin began arguing in Arabic and having felt unsure of what our real...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
1. There are comprehensive reasons to explain why it is easier to speak to someone similar to us than to someone who is different. Bocher explain that like-minded people "inhabit a culturally homogenous space" and that is reassuring to us and to the way we communicate with them. Now on the other hand, our opinions and values may be so different that our sense...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I experienced culture shock when I came back to live in Brazil after 13 years in the US. The language used by my school friends to talk about sex had become so low and simple that I felt strangely conservative, in front of people I thought were my original friends with my original values. I understood that Brazilian rap and hip-hop had become very denigrating...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Some new ways may be healthier and more fun than ours. To start, I have a toilet experience. Being a Westerner, the idea of going in the bush is completely uncivilised. However, in fact, it proved to me that it as I said, is healthier and way freer :) than sitting on a toilet!
In England I get culture shock during the winter. The lack of sunlight makes me...
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Continued:
Curiosity, confidence and open-mindedness are the main words I would say, as part of a strategy to turn feelings of culture shock into positive learning experiences. -
I studied art and design in Oxford, England. The country wasn't new to me, but the university and course environment was. I had come from Brazil, and having experienced different cultures in Brazil as much as more traditional England. I felt lost as I didn't understand much of the colloquial language and didn't feel at ease with the such strong personalities....
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Last comment I've written says that we should have cases to analyse rather than theorising too much. And here we are! I apologise.
Well, to sum up, Ms. Smith is generally individualistic in her approach and Mr. Zhao, collectivist. Ms. Smith believes problems can be addressed by being direct and objective, pinpointing the issue and speaking to the single...
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I found this article to be heavily academic and little practical. I believe these theories should be applied to specific cases because a culture isn't only individualistic or collectivist, varying, extensively, for example, from business practices to holiday traditions. What I find simpler and more comprehensive is to see whether a person is a specific...
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Hello @KarolinaRoziewicz and @OsazeEhimwenma. I am quite late in this discussion but as I've just had a baby I am taking some time getting back. I hope I am not being intruding with my opinion. I am afraid I must disagree with you. I believe that mainstream and sub-cultures both look for belonging. Being mainstream is easier because it means blending and...
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I live in Brazil but I am highly task-oriented. My life experience in Western countries, as well my own response to feeling easily distracted have been enough to want to change so much. Brazil is a country that generally values being laid-back, social, joyful and for taking life as it comes. It values collectivism, high power distance and polychronic. I am...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I liked the GLOBE study on dimensions that uses levels for each of them instead of determinate opposite values.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I see that in this story the American professor faced success as a path with chances to be taken here and there, while Dr. Chen as continuous investments in relationships. While Dr. Johnson faced the end of Dr. Chen's sponsorship as the end of one of many opportunities, Dr. Chen on the other hand saw it as unsuccessful and having ended with a drastic rupture.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I have found that Fons Trompenaars' values dimensions are more relevant. I find that it is important to quantify behaviour as to create a solid basis for comparison.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
From Brazil: be extroverted and social, be happy and enjoy life, be flexible and find your way around difficulties, civility must be enforced by civilians whilst the government isn't to be trusted
From England: follow the law, be civil and considerate to others, respect individual time and space, value history and ancestors -
Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Fairness
Flexibility
Being pro-active
Kindness
Courage
Wittiness -
I am glad I could help. If you'd like to further talk about these, I'll be here.
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@OsazeEhimwenma Good observations, Osaze. Directness is often felt as intruding in many parts of the world. It made me think of the British and the American. While the British value communicating in an understated way, Americans believe that meaning is only conveyed by clear, spoken words. Speaking slow for the British is often seen as a sign of intelligence,...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
3. How is online intercultural communication different from face to face occasions? Which way do you prefer?
- The online way is much more objective as you refer only to words. I can express myself much clearer while writing, so I like this format. However, your interpretation of the same words may change completely depending on the day you're reading them....
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
1. What cultural differences have you noticed about other learners’ communication while taking this course?
- A lot of Westerns have been in this group, with similar views. Some people question why should they open their minds for other cultures, and some have shown interest in learning more and expanding their current views.
2. How has your...
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You will feel closer to one culture naturally for a number of reasons, such as one that is more stable, more stability, more friends, cosier, and other reasons.
If it is still time to explore and not compromise, it is a great time too!
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@NatalieEimertenbrink Hello Natalie. Yes, you are right. My background is Brazilian and English, and even inside the two, I have other sub-cultures (Brazil: mother's city, another where I grew up: England: where my original family is from, and new family from another culture). But to simplify, since very young, I used to travel from one country to another and...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I have selected Google calendar because it is practical to have it remind me of my classes of the day, and who has confirmed and who has canceled. I can also keep track of how much I get paid by the school I work for. And when I have a personal appointment, I add it there so I get to look in the same place for how my day is going to go. For tasks I usually...
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@JamesDavies Hello James. It seems to me that you feel that your lists are imposed on you, maybe because of how you were brought up in communities as you said, but today struggle with a more individualistic way of working. Are the tasks really being imposed on you or it is more pressure from yourself? Or maybe you want to feel more freedom to do them?
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
I use Google Calendar and handwritten lists, one with the most recent to-do tasks. My way of working and going on about my day has become more single-task, and I challenge myself to conclude my plans one by one. I used to be much more expansive and polychronic, and I would often become frustrated and disappointed. I feel more observant, successful in my tasks,...
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Hello! I have also found this article to have a lot of jargon, that creates distance to the very true nature of mindfulness. Eastern philosophies are oriented to naturally care for being part of a collective, which instantly triggers empathy and removes individualistic views. The Western view over-rationalises these ideas and often complicates them.
A few...
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I am 34 and have fully experienced the height of social media in my 20s. Now I much rather work on M-time and build critical skills that I admire in older generations.
I also enjoy flexibility and working by multi-tasking, which is the dynamic nature of younger global societies. But I do consider whether the skills learned this way are long term or...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Silence(s) can be used as a reaction to a shocking conversation or experience. "I didn't have the words", as a choice or natural reaction against using defensive / heighten words.
Silence can be used as a sign of disapproval, by creating an elephant in the room as a sign of hierarchy. Leaving others with no verbal answers can be reprimanding. ...
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
One personal example comes from my families in northern England, and Salvador, Brazil. My family members in England value using "thank you" in many contexts, from passing on the salt to paying a restaurant bill. They expect you to thank them as a way to recognise and value a favour. They consider these common situations to be LC.
My grandmother in Salvador,...
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Hello @QingYe(SIIteam) . Thank you for your encouragement for sharing more about tutoring and cultures.
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Paula Katharina Rylands made a comment
Why is the understanding of identity important for intercultural communication?
Because you can relate to others in an easier way and feel more sympathetic. That is the base of being open to listening in an open way without comparing and reflecting yourself onto them. Recognising how I am is simply accepting that that is one way of being.
Does reading...
