How do stereotypes form? Our cultural milieu shapes our worldview in such a way that reality is thought to be objectively perceived through our own cultural pattern, and a differin

How do stereotypes form? Our cultural milieu shapes our worldview in such a way that reality is thought to be objectively perceived through our own cultural pattern, and a differing perception is seen as either false or “strange” and is thus oversimplified. If people recognize and understand differing worldviews, they will usually adopt a positive and open-minded attitude toward cross-cultural differences. A closed-minded view of such differences often results in the maintenance of a stereotype—an oversimplification and blanket assumption. A stereotype assigns group characteristics to individuals purely on the basis of their cultural membership.

The stereotype may be accurate in depicting the “typical” member of a culture, but it is inaccurate for describing a particular individual, simply because every person is unique and all of a person’s behavioral characteristics cannot be accurately predicted on the basis of an overgeneralized median point along a continuum of cultural norms. To judge a single member of a culture by overall traits of the culture is both to prejudge and to misjudge that person. Worse, stereotypes have a way of potentially devaluing people from other cultures.

Both learners and teachers of a second language need to understand cultural differences, to recognize openly that people are not all the same beneath the skin. Language classrooms can celebrate cultural differences, and even engage in a critical analysis of the use and origin of stereotypes (Abrams, 2002). As teachers and researchers, we must strive to understand the identities of our learners in terms of their sociocultural background (Atkinson, 1999). When we are sensitively attuned to perceiving cultural identity, we can then perhaps turn perception into appreciation.

BROWN, H.Douglas. Principles of language learning and teaching. 2000. Adaptado.

Um professor interessado na abordagem comunicativa, e que queira trabalhar questões relativas a estereótipos, poderá propor a seguinte atividade: