ethnography

Ethnography

The facts that interest me the most are that in other countries or cultures many people learn multiple languages at such a young age. Here in the United States, well at least around where I'm from, we don't have to learn another language until we're in middle school. Starting at a young age is easier to soak in the language and learn it, so I agree with those schools in making the kids learn other languages, it seems like a healthy choice. I thought it was interesting how in the education system the learning was done mostly through speaking and listening but then it turned more towards the reading and writing stage.This reading offers that in order to learn something we have to keep doing it and not only do we learn physically but mentally we program ourselves to remember how. An example from the reading as the author states, "Serious practice, deep thinking, and mental imaging help us remember and build from actions and interactions that seem to be "in" our bodies (p.12)." An issue involving ethnography is that the culture or group may alter the way that they truthfully are when being studied. Altering the way that things really happen or are changed the outcome of the study and this will be misleading. Also an issue that may arise when ethnographers are out in the field may be the fact of the culture changing or shifting their ways to new and better things without even realizing it. I agree that gestures and language are big parts of understanding something that your learning. I had an anthropology class so I pretty much understand what this reading is about.