Well, I'll be honest. I've never been much a literary analyst -- I prefer to read already written descriptions of what other people think about different writings, but this is all part of the college experience, right?
Pennycook's article was lengthy and wordy and at times, I'll be honest, I had no idea what was being said. However, I did infer a few important items to note. First, I think it is important to point out that "language, gender, sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, popular culture, education, immigration, teaching practices, curriculum development and other concerns" are all "interwoven" into TESOL (333). Before taking any of my TESOL courses, I would have just presumed that ESL meant people who didn't speak English were learning English. I didn't know that all of these other factors played a role when it came to learning/teaching a foreign language. My perspective has been broadened since I first came to ISU 3 years ago and now I now understand how everything is interconnected. It makes me wonder, was it my young age and immaturity that made me ignorant, or is it the fact that we are not properly educated on the subject matter in our country?
I also thought the transformative pedagogies part was interesting. We talked about teachers as transformative educators in class on Tuesday, so that was still fresh in my mind. It's emphasized, that, in order for changes to take place, people need to change their thinking. That, I believe, is a given. What types of changes though? Social and cultural awareness? Universal acceptance? Changes in our students? Their thinking? Their views and ways of life? Changes in American thinking towards "foreigners"?
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