Germany

Heather Hanson Multicultural Resource Guide German Culture

I chose to do my resource guide on the German culture. I chose this culture because it is a big part of my family history. The German culture is quite interesting. It is full of museums, music, art, clocks, family, religion, and chocolate to name a few. The German culture goes back to the 1st century BC. This was when the Conquest of Gaul made the people aware of the linguistic and ethnic distinction between the Celtics and their aggressive neighbors, which they called the Germans. Germany is much less defined than other Western Europe territories. Germany is broadly identified by the Baltic to the north, the Rhine to the west, and the Alps to the south. There is no border to the east, which has been the cause of much confusion among the Europeans’. The citizens of Germany have labeled their economy “Soziale Marktwirtschaft” or “Social Market Economy”. This system was developed to show that their economy has a human and material dimension. Germany is very mixed in terms of their politics. The German Democratic Republic (Eastern Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (Western Germany) were united and became a German Unification. The Germans have some very specific behaviors among their culture. They do not make compliments or expect compliments, they are very argumentative, they always shake hands before and after meetings or conservations, they always keep a large area of personal space, and they always expect promptness. The German population is also very aware of their environment. They are very clean and they love to keep their surrounding area clean as well. Since Germans are very loud an outspoken it was somewhat difficult to find covert behaviors. I did find that Germans love to read and keep their lives very private. The German Culture also does not converse with stranger in a restaurant setting. Many of these German behaviors can be possible conflicts or even a misunderstanding. For example, Germans always shake hands when they enter a meeting or conversation and when they leave a meeting or conversation. In some cultures this can be considered rude. It is important to know what gestures or behaviors are considered offensive. For this type of misunderstanding I would politely ask or try to find out what an alternative would be to hand shaking. Another possible conflict is the fact that Germans do not compliment or expect compliments. Since it is important to offer students feedback I would find a special way to praise my German students in a way that would not offend them. Of course this would all depend on the area of Germany they are from. A few other strategies I would use to deal with conflicts would be to find out about all of the cultures in my classroom and make sure I incorporate each culture into a lesson. By doing this the students will be aware of all the different cultures within the classroom. I would also make sure I do some research to properly prepare myself on how to greet languages. Greetings are very important for students. This is a first impression of you and your classroom. One of the best strategies to ease conflict is to understand the student’s culture as a whole. By understanding the student’s background, family, educational goals, learning abilities, and other aspects of their environment, it is possible to become an effective teacher among the classroom no matter how many cultures you teach.

Education and teachers are generally held in high regards in the German-speaking world. Teachers are well-paid state employees. University professors generally have more prestige than do business executives. No homeschooling is allowed in the country.
 * I found come great German facts that I thought you would like.

www.worldhistory.net www.cometogermany.com www.cyborlink.com
 * References**