Honorio Gonzalez EDU 533 Intercultural Competence Reflection on SLOs The two SLOs that I have learned and

met are the SLOs 1 and 2. SLO 1: Demonstrate advanced understanding of the trends, issues, and research associated with education in general and with their respective specialization. The information that I had on the country and culture of Japan has greatly expanded my understanding of it. For example, section one of our research project I did the country/cultural profile of Japan. That research allowed me to understand the cultural patterns and thus the beliefs, values, norms, and social practices of Japan. Since Japan is high-context society, intercultural communication thus become even more important. Furthermore, knowing the educational and trends and issues of Japan can help me in many ways. One example is one that I have talked about before in regard to Japanese conversation and honorifics. Knowing the proper way to address my future fellow Japanese teachers and students will help me navigate the conversation when I find myself in one. Additionally, section 2 of my project would help with the research in how I would know what competent intercultural communication is and knowing what the cultural identity of Japan is. Competent intercultural communication would be achieving a goal in a way that is worthy of that goal. The elements of cultural identity are central, dynamic, and multifaceted components if ones sense of self. The cultural identity of the average Japanese person can vary greatly from person to person. However, one component of their identity we can assume is that since they are from a high-context culture, they are more quiet and reserved when interacting with each other and also with foreigners. Therefore, knowing the cultural patterns and identity of Japan thus would allow me demonstrate my advance understanding of the trends, issues, and research for my educational goals in internal education. SLO 2: Evaluate and conduct research to improve instructional practices and institutional cultures. Section one of my research project has again allowed me to evaluate to educational system of Japan while also conducting research to put forth and use a teaching style that would help improve the instructional practice and institutional culture as an English teacher in a regular Japanese classroom. The educational system in Japan is one that values education very much. Therefore, depending on the school, English teacher in japan can have either have a lot of freedom in their teaching style and content to little or no freedom in regard to their teaching style and content (i.e., a set of standard content and format for teaching English). The eikaiwas in japan are institutions that really need to reform their instructional practices and institutional cultures. An eikaiwa is basically an English conversation school in Japan. There is also a difference with between and English teacher at a regular Japanese school and at an English conversation school. Working as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) means you would teach at a public school while teaching at an eikaiwa would entail working at a private tutoring school for English, although its a bit more complex than this. Thus, there are many things that are in need of change in the eikaiwa system. However, the areas that need change the most would be its instructional practices and its institutional cultures that

they have. Most eikaiwas dont allow the freedom to adapt the teaching content and format to fit the teaching style of the teacher and instead follow a strict set of guidelines for this. Therefore, its instructional value and outcome may not always be what the person pays for. Furthermore, one aspect of its institutional culture would in the lateness of salary payments and stiffness of contract benefits. Some eikaiwas can sometimes be late on your salary payments and also on how they may not want to help you in with some aspects of your medical contract benefits, even though its require by Japanese law. Finally, knowing the educational system in Japan in this way would allow me to improve its instructional practices and institutional culture depending on where I may end up working at.