Students also get important feedback in the form of grades and comments on their work, and positive statements can certainly be a part of such feedback. During class discussion, students who are not comfortable volunteering may be willing to talk if the teacher calls on them, although some will still prefer not to be singled out. Solutions suggest themselves once you see the cultural source of the conflict. Cognitive Versus Social Development Collectivistic parents may see cognitive development as dependent on social or moral development. Many parents do not distinguish between education as schooling and education as upbringing.
Parallels exist in other cultures.
Strategy Recognizing a parent's primary focus on the child's social behavior, a teacher can start conversations with examples of how the child interacts in the classroom. After first talking about the child's social skills, the teacher may move into discussion of her academic performance. Teachers may explain to parents that individual achievement is important in U.S. schooling. But if parents draw the conversation back to social aspects of their child's development, teachers should respond to their concerns. In their view, a quiet student learns more and is more respectful than one who speaks up, singling herself out from the group and taking time away from the teacher's lesson.