The Australian Dictionary of Invisible Culture for Teachers
informality in classrooms
value: many people in Australia think it is good if people can think like this (see more)
In (classrooms in) Australia, it is often like this:
Students can think: This teacher is someone like me. This teacher is not someone above me.
Because of this, students can say things to the teacher in the same way as a person can say things to someone else they know.
Because of this, the teacher will say things to students in the same way.
People think it is good if students can think like this.
At the same time it is good if students can think like this: The teacher knows many things. The teacher wants many things to happen here. They want me to do many things. Because of this I have to do many things.
Note
While this is the general value, there are some caveats to expressing yourself to your teacher in exactly the same way as you would to your friends. The last line notes some of the incompatibilities between the broad value and the hierarchy of the classroom."Kim noticed that the teacher had made a mistake on the board, so Kim says 'Excuse me. Is number 3 right? I got 52 for that question, not 58.'"
"Francis has been feeling very bad at university because they can't complete their essay. Francis can say to the teacher 'Julian, I am really upset because I'm having some troubles finishing my essay. Can I have an extension and can you help me?'"
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