Figures of Speech

We've talked a lot about how gestures can be interpreted differently by different students, but it's important to keep in mind that certain phrases, words, and figures of speech can also be misinterpreted by students. I remember quite a few times while I was student teaching last semester, the teacher would use certain sayings or figures of speech that the native English speakers understood, but the ELLs would just have this puzzled look on their faces, as if they were not part of an inside joke. One particular instance this occurred was when the teacher, (who was getting a bit aggravated that none of the students knew the correct answer to a question he had asked) jokingly said to the students "oh come on, throw me a bone." The class began to laugh, except for this one Korean girl who just looked around the room, and was literally waiting for someone to throw a bone across the room. The teacher picked up on this right away and explained that he was using a figure of speech and what he had really meant. The girl was able to giggle about it herself once she had found out what was really meant by the phrase. Another instance something similar occurred in the class was when the teacher, who again was joking around with the students, said "oh my God," in response to a student who gave a ridiculous answer. One of the Chinese students got offended by this, and wanted to know why the teacher had said that. The student asked, “Isn't that bad to say? In my house we are not supposed to use God’s name in vein.” It's situations like these that made me aware of just how careful teachers must be not to use phrases or figures of speech that foreign students may not understand or misinterpret. We all use these types of expressions a lot more than we may realize, and it is something to keep in mind when speaking to a diverse class because you don’t want students who are unfamiliar with the language to feel confused, offended, or left out.