Chapter 5 of Wong was really rather interesting, and it caused me to think and raised a few questions.
First, interestingly enough, Wong states on page 159, "English is the language of the elites..." This statement directly ties back to what we talked about last week in class. It is incredibly important to emphasize that it is okay for students to use their L1 and L2 as if they were equal. We cannot degrade other languages that are not English and give them a lower status because we see ours as 'superior.' In the US, there's this notion that, "We live in America, therefore we should only speak English." No wonder other cultures have a continual conflict of trying to meet the status quo, while, at the same time, maintain their heritage. A clear example of this feeling that English is superior and others languages used in the United States can be an embarrassment are seen in the dialect between Lucia and her daughter.
Wong expresses the importance of "Knowledge for Whom?" as her main topic of this chapter. We as TESOLers need to base our curriculum on what the students need to know English for. We need to understand their purpose to create a dialogical curriculum that is effective and is really centered on, as the book says, "the heart" of what students want.
Double consciousness is defined as "looking at oneself through the eyes of the other and "measuring one's soul by the tape of another world."" and "having the awareness that one is measured by the standards of the unmarked Anglo American or the White European American core group." (175) I think these two statements say a lot in themselves. First, it tells us that in American, we see things on a narrow road. You are classified as white or different. Implying this idea of double consciousness means that an individual sees himself as others define him, instead of for what he truly is. Feelings of double consciousness are especially ignited under racism and colonialism and this affects how many children today assimilate and learn English as well.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Practice makes perfect.
The basic concept in chapter for is that practice is necessary in order to acquire any skill, or that we "learn by doing." We read from countless theorists and their interactive learning ideas. Freire and Mao "saw that teh oppressed must liberate themselves in the context of a world that is changing. Learning takes place through pracitce in transforming the world." Continual adjustment and adaptations must be made for dialouge to be understood, and this can only be done through practice.
Later, Wong continues on page 143 to say "In general, the field of English as a second language is committed to the importance of practice in language learning and integrating hands-on experiences with speaking and writing." I could not agree with her more completely. What good is any information or skill one possesses without practice? It must be utilized in order to be effective. I can testify from personal experience that I did not get better at my Spanish until I really practiced it and was forced out of my comfort zone to use it. I'm not perfect at it, but in the long run it was worth it. We need to do the same for our students. Give the real life, applicable situations so that they can PRACTICE our language.
Later, Wong continues on page 143 to say "In general, the field of English as a second language is committed to the importance of practice in language learning and integrating hands-on experiences with speaking and writing." I could not agree with her more completely. What good is any information or skill one possesses without practice? It must be utilized in order to be effective. I can testify from personal experience that I did not get better at my Spanish until I really practiced it and was forced out of my comfort zone to use it. I'm not perfect at it, but in the long run it was worth it. We need to do the same for our students. Give the real life, applicable situations so that they can PRACTICE our language.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Sources
Broaddus, Karen, and Gay Ivey. "A Formative Experiment Investigating Literacy Engagement among Adolescent Latina/o Students Just Beginning to Read, Write, and Speak English." Reading Research Quarterly 42.4 (2007): 512-45. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
This article does not study motivation of Spanish speakers learning English. However, it looks at the literacy skills of middle school native Spanish speakers using their English in the classroom. They created an instructional plan to help these ESL students improve their literacy skills. I think this would be interesting to look at the methods and activities the teachers used. In order to understand motivation, I need to look at how students learn and will use their English in a classroom setting as well as in the real world.
Cordero, Iris, and Alicia Pousada. "Until I Learn English, I Will Always Live in a Prison": Teaching E.S.L. to Hispanic Women Inmates." (1995): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
These researchers were looking to create a substantial ESL program for Spanish speaking women in prison learning English. Major factors that contributed to the success of language acquisition include high self-esteem, great motivation, and a more positive attitude toward the program. I hope to analyze all three of these factors in the report because they deal with intrinsic factors and use them towards my article.
Miño-Garcés, Fernando. "Learning for Life, a Structured and Motivational Process of Knowledge Construction in the Acquisition/learning of English as a Foreign Language in Native Spanish Speakers." International Journal of English Studies 9.1 (2009): 81-89. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article is an interesting find because it talks about the motivation that teachers could instill in their students to learn English and lists these different factors along with a simple explanation. I thought that this article could possibly be useful because it gives the other side’s perspective. Therefore, I can see what the motivation behind the students is as well as the motivation behind the teachers teaching these Latino SLA students.
"Parental Motivation, Attitudes, Support, and Commitment in a Southern Californian Two-Way Immersion Program." Journals of Latinos and Education 5.1 (2006): 5-28. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article looks at a 2 year English immersion program for immigrant Spanish speaking children and the motivation and attitudes of their parents. Through this article, I am able to look at parents as a support system and why they choose to have their children learn English in the United States, even when they, themselves, do not speak English fluently.
This article does not study motivation of Spanish speakers learning English. However, it looks at the literacy skills of middle school native Spanish speakers using their English in the classroom. They created an instructional plan to help these ESL students improve their literacy skills. I think this would be interesting to look at the methods and activities the teachers used. In order to understand motivation, I need to look at how students learn and will use their English in a classroom setting as well as in the real world.
Cordero, Iris, and Alicia Pousada. "Until I Learn English, I Will Always Live in a Prison": Teaching E.S.L. to Hispanic Women Inmates." (1995): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
These researchers were looking to create a substantial ESL program for Spanish speaking women in prison learning English. Major factors that contributed to the success of language acquisition include high self-esteem, great motivation, and a more positive attitude toward the program. I hope to analyze all three of these factors in the report because they deal with intrinsic factors and use them towards my article.
Miño-Garcés, Fernando. "Learning for Life, a Structured and Motivational Process of Knowledge Construction in the Acquisition/learning of English as a Foreign Language in Native Spanish Speakers." International Journal of English Studies 9.1 (2009): 81-89. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article is an interesting find because it talks about the motivation that teachers could instill in their students to learn English and lists these different factors along with a simple explanation. I thought that this article could possibly be useful because it gives the other side’s perspective. Therefore, I can see what the motivation behind the students is as well as the motivation behind the teachers teaching these Latino SLA students.
"Parental Motivation, Attitudes, Support, and Commitment in a Southern Californian Two-Way Immersion Program." Journals of Latinos and Education 5.1 (2006): 5-28. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article looks at a 2 year English immersion program for immigrant Spanish speaking children and the motivation and attitudes of their parents. Through this article, I am able to look at parents as a support system and why they choose to have their children learn English in the United States, even when they, themselves, do not speak English fluently.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Problem Posing
Last semester, in my EAF 228 class, we spent a lot of time focusing on Freire and the banking system. Whenever I think of the banking system, I picture a gumball machine. You put your money in, you watch the ball spiral down the tube, then it spits out at the end. It does this over and over again.
This proposed method of problem posing seems a lot more logical when it comes to teaching, especially learning a foreign language. A major focus of this chapter as well as these 2 teaching methods is testing. I like that problem posing allows for students to compare their own achievements to their own personal pasts rather than to that of a state score. I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with the paragraphs Wong wrote about high stakes testing. I do not feel that test skills will always present themselves spontaneously. The students may be engaging in some sort of activity to bring them to certain skills, but they will not be aware that they are test taking skills unless the teacher tells them or guides them to that point. They need to simply be made available and relevant. Secondly, Wong says rather than teaching to the test, teach beyond it. I was thinking about cross country in high school. Every race was 3 miles long, but we were always told to train three times the distance! In the beginning, it makes the unattainable goal seem much more achievable.
While memorization is a usual tool and skill that one can possess, it is useless unless utilized properly. Wong stresses that learning a language is more than memorization. It is comprehension and active participation on the student's part. The chapter later addresses ZPD again. The same issue and concept arise. A teacher cannot force their ESL student to comprehend a language; they can guide them to reach their maximum potentinal but cannot essentially instill it in their brains.
This proposed method of problem posing seems a lot more logical when it comes to teaching, especially learning a foreign language. A major focus of this chapter as well as these 2 teaching methods is testing. I like that problem posing allows for students to compare their own achievements to their own personal pasts rather than to that of a state score. I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with the paragraphs Wong wrote about high stakes testing. I do not feel that test skills will always present themselves spontaneously. The students may be engaging in some sort of activity to bring them to certain skills, but they will not be aware that they are test taking skills unless the teacher tells them or guides them to that point. They need to simply be made available and relevant. Secondly, Wong says rather than teaching to the test, teach beyond it. I was thinking about cross country in high school. Every race was 3 miles long, but we were always told to train three times the distance! In the beginning, it makes the unattainable goal seem much more achievable.
While memorization is a usual tool and skill that one can possess, it is useless unless utilized properly. Wong stresses that learning a language is more than memorization. It is comprehension and active participation on the student's part. The chapter later addresses ZPD again. The same issue and concept arise. A teacher cannot force their ESL student to comprehend a language; they can guide them to reach their maximum potentinal but cannot essentially instill it in their brains.
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