Students from India: Effective Communication Strategies

• English is the most widely used language in the world today and it is spoken very differently in different areas (Rose & Galloway, 2020).
• Don’t be embarrassed if you can’t understand what a student says. It will take a while for you to learn a new pronunciation. Just say, “Sorry. I didn’t catch that. Can you repeat the keywords?” if you still have no luck say, “Can anyone else help me?” or “Can you write that down?” In the remote sessions, you can say, “Since the network dropped suddenly, I couldn’t get it. Please say that again or type it in the chat.” Some students from India may shy away from repeating if they realize that you do not catch their words, because of their different accents or pronunciation. Try to normalize that it is okay to have different accents- all we need is to help each other to understand each other.
• Clear enunciation, chunks of information followed by processing pauses, silence in the classroom, and good volume supported with a written cue help a lot as students acclimatize to a new variety of English and catch what you are sharing. Don’t be afraid to say, “Listen to how I pronounce this word in Canadian English.”
• Sometimes, students will need to change from an Indian English pronunciation to a Canadian English pronunciation to ensure effective communication. This does not mean removing an accent, which is an identity marker, but rather adding a new pronunciation for a new audience.
• Expect the writing style to be different. “Indian English” is a full variety of English with its own characteristics. For example, a student may state, “I have a doubt” when they actually mean, “I have a question”. Another common example is students may use “lakh” or “crore” to mean “hundred thousand” or “million” respectively. You will experience that Indian students tend to use sentences, such as, “small small things make it bigger” or “slowly slowly I will catch up”. The repeat the words because this is how they would speak in their mother tongue. Most Indian students have been using English at least since primary school. Be careful not to say, “This is wrong in English.” Instead frame this in terms of global English use and say, “In Canadian English, people expect/usually do X.” We need to understand that every country and culture has its own stylistic way of using language.
• Do not shy away from teaching the norms of Canadian English if there is value associated in the workplace. Students will appreciate your efforts.

• Expect students to come to see you in groups (in-person): This is considered efficient and supportive in India. If you don’t want to be slowed down after class or at break, share that. In India that is a common time to approach the teacher for help.
• Meeting students in smaller groups in Zoom breakout rooms: Since students from India prefer to talk to the Professor in groups, you may want to create opportunities for them by meeting them in the breakout rooms.
• Students can be shy: Some student may have never spoken/presented in front of an audience which can result in students not clearing their confusion. Some students may contact you later asking the questions that you discussed in the class. Appreciate their eagerness to learn and clarify the confusion. (Sadykova & Meskill, 2019)
• Using chat option: In the initial few classes, if students do not speak, encourage them to post in the chatbox. They may send you private comments and questions. Read those aloud in the class without taking names and appreciate students for their contributions.

• How students communicate with you: Students may have used cell phones for a lot of communication. They may still expect to call people rather than email or text. Tell the students at Conestoga, we do not exchange personal phone numbers. Communicate with them how they will communicate with you.
• Negotiating about grades or deadlines: Students may have different negotiating styles including seeming to beg for rescue when things go wrong. Don’t take this personally. Cultures vary widely in how one can deal with a difficult situation. Consider taking the courses on Intercultural Teaching Skills.   
• Communicate the expectations firmly: Students may email multiple times asking the same questions or they may get impatient if you do not reply to them quickly. Communicate the expectations clearly and firmly. Tell the students, “I will reply to emails within 48 business hours,” “I may not reply during the weekend. Please be patient.”
• Learning about the students: There may be many cultural surprises for the new students and for you. Share this journey. Learn about each other. Be curious but respectful. Ask questions. If a few students constantly miss classes, reach out to them. Ask them why they are not attending the classes. If you see students arriving late (in-person), ask them why: “Is it the bus, the walk, the homesickness, discouragement, were you up all night skyping home or working?”

When we teach students from different cultures, the classroom environment is much richer and more complex in nature. As much as you need to learn about your students, you have an important role to support the students to achieve a certain level of cross-cultural understanding (Ratnasari, 2018). You can inform the students what they will experience in the workplace and how classroom work will prepare them later for the workplace. Remember that many of your Indian students aspire to be successful in Canada. They will value  the conversations you bring while teaching them.