DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LEARNERS

In Activity A5.2 you may have talked about some or all of the following differences.

Add any which you mentioned that are not on the list.

• Language.

• Sex: male or female (this is sometimes called gender).

• Age.

• Island of origin.

• Area of origin.

• Family background.

• Educational background.

• Experiences in life e.g. living in a village / town; working for pay; visits to other places.

• Interests.

• Physical differences in appearance, strength, fitness etc.

• Skills and abilities.

• Religion.

• Beliefs, based on religion, family background, culture etc..

• Social status e.g. youth leader.

• Social status of parents or relatives e.g. chief, priest, public servant, business person.

• Money: rich or poor; from rich or poor family.

Most of these differences are permanent or semi-permanent parts of ourselves, although they may change from time to time.

Another thing which affects the relationship between people, including us and our students, is temporary and is always changing - this is our mood. This means our feelings at a particular time. We may be tired, happy, cross, energetic, lazy, feeling talkative or not wanting to talk etc. These moods may also change according to the people we are with. We may be happy to talk to a close friend, but cross about having to teach a class of our students.

One author has suggested that we are always surrounded by ‘clouds’, which filter or change all the experiences we have. This means that we will always experience any situation in a different way from another person.

Of course, there are not really clouds around people. These are just the experiences, feelings and moods of a person which act like clouds.

The diagram below shows the clouds around a person.