The first show I watched was a Spanish TV series called Casados Con Hijos.  I knew it was a comedy series because there were sounds clips of an audiences laughter in such American shows such as Friends or Seinfeld.  As I was watching the series, I realized it was very familiar to the American show Married with Children, which portrays the Bundy's as a disfunctional family who manages to get buy with little money that they have.  The Spanish counterparts had similar characters  just Spanish names such as Paco and Oscar, but it was pretty much the same concept.

The second show I watched was a Korean TV series called Soulmate which was found on www.crunchyroll.com.  This seemed more of a drama because it involved emotional music in the background and so much crying from the girls who happened to be in love with the same guy.  Although I did not necessarily understand everything that was coming out of the mouths of the characters, I could tell by their expressions how heartfelt and emotional the situation was.  There were a lot of confrontations between the opposite sex.  It usually involved yelling or crying. When the males spoke to each other, the setting seemed more relax and there was just joking around.  When the females were together it involved sharing stories, one girl talking and another girl listening, and then the one listening would be comforting the girl talking by holding her hand.

What I noticed in both shows was that communication between the genders tend to be the same across cultures.  Females tend to share stories and engage what seems to be gossiping.  The males like to participate in shared activities such as a game of poker or hanging out with the guys watching TV or eating at some place.  Interactions between the females tend to be emotional whether it be crying, laughing, or intently listening.  Interactions with the males tend to involve laughing or joking around.  Interaction between the opposite sex involved what seemed to be sexual tension, love, or hate.  

What I learned from these foreign television shows and how I can apply it to teaching English Learners is to be mindful of my actions and tone of voice when trying to communicate with them.  When I was watching the shows, I did not understand the words coming out of the characters' mouths but I did understand their body language.  Body language tends to be universal.  I can tell if one person felt comfortable or uncomfortable depending on their body position, placement of arms and hands, and tone of voice.  I could also tell by their facial expressions if the person was happy or threatened to see the other person.

It's important to make the English learner feel welcomed by the way I speak to him or her.  Do they feel safe in my classroom?  Are they comfortable to participate and interact with others or do they shy away when I speak to him or her or when group activities begin?  I should use these reactions and interactions as an indicator whether or not they feel comfortable to engage in my class.  Usually people are more inclined to share or participate when they feel confident and secure in their settings.  As a teacher it is my responsibility to foster such an environment.