The best way I could interpret these two chapters into my own words and thoughts is simple: teaching philosophies.
The chapters addressed approaches, methods, techniques, applications, and so forth. As the book says, there is no correct way to teaching, no one method, and that it's a continually changing process. We have to learn about our students first in order to fully develop our ever changing teaching philosophy. Teachers are supposed to be flexible and teaching is in a sense like playdough -- it can be molded so many different ways and still ends up a unique shape. I think it is important that teachers understand that each student is different from the next, that their learning styles vary, and that nothing is ever set in stone and is subject to change.
It's simple -- our teaching philosophies may contain specific principles that we have learned about teaching, but we need to be flexible and open to change.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
ENG 394 Made in America - Week 1
First, I'd like to begin by saying that I extremely enjoy this book already. The format and way the information is presented in a storylike form is ideal to me.
The first 2 chapters briefly dove into how the "newcomers" feel in the American culture and what the assimilation process entails to them. One of the major issues addressed was clothing -- it is difficult enough being an American student myself trying to dress "properly" and "to fit in." I could not even imagine the shock and difficulty the immigrant students faced coming to the U.S. The only correlation I can make is from my experience abroad, studying in Spain. I felt as though I had to dress nicer because my American clothes were not fashionable or nice enough. In terms of identity, I was tired of being recognized as an outsider, as an American. Many Spain natives had unpleasant thoughts towards my country. I worked hard to develop my speaking skills and adopt the habits of the natives. It was a relief to be able to speak English, but I hated the assumptions that the espanoles made towards all American girls.
I think it would be interesting to put all Americans through a study abroad program so that they could see what their immigrant peers are going through. How would they feel about having to "take off the turban." Giving up your heritage to be accepted by others is not an easy process. As a matter of fact, it should not have to be done. I like how the author introduced the notion of "staying who you are but trying to become American at the same time." In all honesty, is that possible? It is our job as future educators to try to make each and every individual feel comfortable with who they are and where they come from as well learn about their second way of life, the American culture.
The first 2 chapters briefly dove into how the "newcomers" feel in the American culture and what the assimilation process entails to them. One of the major issues addressed was clothing -- it is difficult enough being an American student myself trying to dress "properly" and "to fit in." I could not even imagine the shock and difficulty the immigrant students faced coming to the U.S. The only correlation I can make is from my experience abroad, studying in Spain. I felt as though I had to dress nicer because my American clothes were not fashionable or nice enough. In terms of identity, I was tired of being recognized as an outsider, as an American. Many Spain natives had unpleasant thoughts towards my country. I worked hard to develop my speaking skills and adopt the habits of the natives. It was a relief to be able to speak English, but I hated the assumptions that the espanoles made towards all American girls.
I think it would be interesting to put all Americans through a study abroad program so that they could see what their immigrant peers are going through. How would they feel about having to "take off the turban." Giving up your heritage to be accepted by others is not an easy process. As a matter of fact, it should not have to be done. I like how the author introduced the notion of "staying who you are but trying to become American at the same time." In all honesty, is that possible? It is our job as future educators to try to make each and every individual feel comfortable with who they are and where they come from as well learn about their second way of life, the American culture.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Our country -- the Salad Bowl.
I found both of the articles to be easy yet informative reads. Our country really is one big salad bowl, as the Diaz-Rico & Weed article describes. The article was filled with a lot of facts and numbers about the different populations here in America. I don't really know what to make of it, except to say, "I really had no idea we were that diverse." I knew that America has always been viewed as a melting pot, but really? Are we? Yeah, one could argue that we have meshed together, but after reading that history and Caucasians have dominated other cultures, especially minorities, I don't think much "melting" is going on there.
The most interesting portion of the Who Speaks English? article was the chart that displayed all of the different Englishes spoken around the world. It makes me, as an American, feel as though I have been living in my bubble for my whole life. I had NO idea there were that many varieties. I assumed there was American English, Australian English, and British English. No, not assumed, thought. I thought there were only those 3. So, with that assumption, does that mean that these 3 countries see themselves as better than other ENL countries that are not as well known? Does that make the English speaking population of the UK, Australian, and Britain better than ESL speakers that are perfectly competent? It makes you think..
The most interesting portion of the Who Speaks English? article was the chart that displayed all of the different Englishes spoken around the world. It makes me, as an American, feel as though I have been living in my bubble for my whole life. I had NO idea there were that many varieties. I assumed there was American English, Australian English, and British English. No, not assumed, thought. I thought there were only those 3. So, with that assumption, does that mean that these 3 countries see themselves as better than other ENL countries that are not as well known? Does that make the English speaking population of the UK, Australian, and Britain better than ESL speakers that are perfectly competent? It makes you think..
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Canagarajah's article and Ch. 7 from Lightbrown and Spada did a great job of summing up what we learned throughout the course of this semester. Canagarajah's article touched on Brown's four major themes. The part of the article that sparked my interest was the brief section that discussed motivation. What are our motivations for learning an L2? Are they intrinsic or extrinsic? I'm sure they vary from culture to culture and even from person to person. I plan on writing my paper about this, that's why it caught my attention. After reading both, I really got thinking about how languages are learned. I obviously don't remember my own L1 acquisition, but was able to relate this information to my own L2 acquisition experience.
Lightbrown and Spada review that languages are not learned mainly through imitation. I agree and disagree. Personally, the imitation factor came into play later when I was trying to sound less "American" and more like a native Spanish speaker. I would imitate how natives pronounced words in Spain. I found myself walking down the street repeating words that I heard. I probably looked and sounded silly, but it really helped.
Another interesting point of review was point #8. "It is essential for learns to be able to pronounce all the individual sounds in the second language." The book talks about the 'melody' of the language rather than the ability to articulate each individual sound. It's not about being perfect, it's about being able to communicate and convey meaning in a properly and be understood.
I would also like to emphasize how important error making is! We are human beings and are going to learn from our mistakes. It is impossible to be perfect. We learn from our mistakes! Errors help teachers too. It allows us to see our students' strengths and weaknesses and gain more insight to what they are thinking and understanding.
How would our learning experience be different if we never made mistakes? However, what if we were never corrected? How would that affect us? Would we be forced to learn through imitation and observation?
Lightbrown and Spada review that languages are not learned mainly through imitation. I agree and disagree. Personally, the imitation factor came into play later when I was trying to sound less "American" and more like a native Spanish speaker. I would imitate how natives pronounced words in Spain. I found myself walking down the street repeating words that I heard. I probably looked and sounded silly, but it really helped.
Another interesting point of review was point #8. "It is essential for learns to be able to pronounce all the individual sounds in the second language." The book talks about the 'melody' of the language rather than the ability to articulate each individual sound. It's not about being perfect, it's about being able to communicate and convey meaning in a properly and be understood.
I would also like to emphasize how important error making is! We are human beings and are going to learn from our mistakes. It is impossible to be perfect. We learn from our mistakes! Errors help teachers too. It allows us to see our students' strengths and weaknesses and gain more insight to what they are thinking and understanding.
How would our learning experience be different if we never made mistakes? However, what if we were never corrected? How would that affect us? Would we be forced to learn through imitation and observation?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Chapter 6
Lightbrown and Spada hit 6 key points for effective teaching in the second and foreign language classrooms.
1. Get it right from the beginning -
"Supporters of communicative language teaching have argued that language is not learned by the gradual accumulation of one item after another. They suggest that errors are a natural part of the language learning process." (Lightbrown and Spada, 140). Fluency before accuracy. From my previous experience, I have learned that I only learn from my past mistakes. If a teacher were to continually correct every single mistake I had made in the classroom, I would have become frustrated with the language and not wanted to put forth effort into learning it. It wasn't until I made public errors in Spain that I learned the correct way to say certain things. I was then able to convey my message and be grammatically correct at the same time.
2. Just listen... and read
I understand the challenges the book proposes, but I think that listening to a foreign language, hearing how the words are pronounced, and seeing them on the page are crucial. There is not enough emphasis on listening or speaking practice in foreign language classrooms. The main focus is usually on reading and writing skills. They all are equally important.
3. Let's talk
When given the opportunity to talk, students generally have problem coming to a mutual consensus because they are so wrapped up in trying to convey their meaning. Research also has proposed that learners talk more with other learners rather than natives, which I think, from my personal experience, is a confidence factor. Finally, a researcher by the name of Storch found that "learns who participated in the collaborative and expert-novice pairs maintained more of their second language knowledge over time." (153). It's almost like a miniature challenge. When I was in Spain, I felt comfortable talking to the other foreign exchange students, but I knew my Spanish was never going to improve if I didn't step outside of my bubble and talk to native speakers with more expansive vocabularies, more grammar knowledge, and that could have a cultural influence on me.
4. Two for One
This concept can be related to the two for one day. Learners acquire an L2 while studying a different subject in that L2. I think this would be a good exposure to an L2 in a different type of context than a foreign language class, but wouldn't the students struggle with formulating answers since they lack the knowledge of the L2?
5. Teach what is teachable
Simply stated, make the material understandable. Don't try to think you are helping your students out by throwing in grammatically copmlex sentences or big vocabulary words. Build up to those things. As a teacher, it is important to always be assessing where the learner is at, then teach what would appropriately come next.
6. Get it right in the end
This position argues that "learners will benefit in terms of both efficiency of their learning and the level of proficiency they will eventually reach." How can you teach what is teachable with the get it right in the end proposition? I can understand that using the target language with the learners as if they were L2 speakers is crucial, but not necessary all the time. Students need to build up to that level of understanding and proficiency.
Chapter 6 in Saville-Troike touches on acquiring knowledge for L2 use. I think the diagram at the beginning of the chapter did a nice job describing it. In order to have language knowledge, other proponents are necessary. Therefore language knowledge = content + culture knowledge + context + language use. All of these factors are crucial in understanding how to properly convey the L2. The chapter states that "vocabulary is the most important level of L2 knowledge for all learners to develop." While I agree that vocabulary is important, couldn't one argue that you need to be able to form sentences in some sort of grammatically correct structure in order to convey a message? You can't just spit out random words all the time and hope that the listener understands what you mean.
1. Get it right from the beginning -
"Supporters of communicative language teaching have argued that language is not learned by the gradual accumulation of one item after another. They suggest that errors are a natural part of the language learning process." (Lightbrown and Spada, 140). Fluency before accuracy. From my previous experience, I have learned that I only learn from my past mistakes. If a teacher were to continually correct every single mistake I had made in the classroom, I would have become frustrated with the language and not wanted to put forth effort into learning it. It wasn't until I made public errors in Spain that I learned the correct way to say certain things. I was then able to convey my message and be grammatically correct at the same time.
2. Just listen... and read
I understand the challenges the book proposes, but I think that listening to a foreign language, hearing how the words are pronounced, and seeing them on the page are crucial. There is not enough emphasis on listening or speaking practice in foreign language classrooms. The main focus is usually on reading and writing skills. They all are equally important.
3. Let's talk
When given the opportunity to talk, students generally have problem coming to a mutual consensus because they are so wrapped up in trying to convey their meaning. Research also has proposed that learners talk more with other learners rather than natives, which I think, from my personal experience, is a confidence factor. Finally, a researcher by the name of Storch found that "learns who participated in the collaborative and expert-novice pairs maintained more of their second language knowledge over time." (153). It's almost like a miniature challenge. When I was in Spain, I felt comfortable talking to the other foreign exchange students, but I knew my Spanish was never going to improve if I didn't step outside of my bubble and talk to native speakers with more expansive vocabularies, more grammar knowledge, and that could have a cultural influence on me.
4. Two for One
This concept can be related to the two for one day. Learners acquire an L2 while studying a different subject in that L2. I think this would be a good exposure to an L2 in a different type of context than a foreign language class, but wouldn't the students struggle with formulating answers since they lack the knowledge of the L2?
5. Teach what is teachable
Simply stated, make the material understandable. Don't try to think you are helping your students out by throwing in grammatically copmlex sentences or big vocabulary words. Build up to those things. As a teacher, it is important to always be assessing where the learner is at, then teach what would appropriately come next.
6. Get it right in the end
This position argues that "learners will benefit in terms of both efficiency of their learning and the level of proficiency they will eventually reach." How can you teach what is teachable with the get it right in the end proposition? I can understand that using the target language with the learners as if they were L2 speakers is crucial, but not necessary all the time. Students need to build up to that level of understanding and proficiency.
Chapter 6 in Saville-Troike touches on acquiring knowledge for L2 use. I think the diagram at the beginning of the chapter did a nice job describing it. In order to have language knowledge, other proponents are necessary. Therefore language knowledge = content + culture knowledge + context + language use. All of these factors are crucial in understanding how to properly convey the L2. The chapter states that "vocabulary is the most important level of L2 knowledge for all learners to develop." While I agree that vocabulary is important, couldn't one argue that you need to be able to form sentences in some sort of grammatically correct structure in order to convey a message? You can't just spit out random words all the time and hope that the listener understands what you mean.
Monday, April 4, 2011
April 5
Although the Firth and Wagner article was both difficult to read and understand, I can gather that it divides native speakers from non-native speakers, learner from user, and target language from interlanguage. They pose very interesting questions about other dichotomies that need to be further researched.
I found this one to be the most interesting.
4. Purity versus hybridity: Are languages separated
from each other, even at the most abstract level of
grammatical form? And how do they associate with
other symbol systems and modalities of communication?
(Khubchandani, 1997; Makoni, 2002).
I related this back to the question of which language do you think in? When you read in your L2 does it transfer back to your L1 as you read, or does it stay in the L2 the whole time? Same goes for writing.
It is to my understanding that Canadarajah was asking if we can raise our students' awareness of their communication strategies, attitudes and linguistic identities. Researchers are aware that English is one of the fastest growing languages and is a main source of communication in multilingual contexts. This article talks about English Lingua Franca, which is exactly what I just said. It is a process of accommodation, and defined as any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
LFE is based on interaction. On page 925 of Canadarajah (speaking about ELF) it says, "Speakers are able to monitor each other's language proficiency to determine the mutually appropriate grammar, phonology, lexical range, and pragmatic conventions that would insure intelligibility."
Everything that we have read about is coming together, especially the importance of dynamic and interactive learning. SLA speakers need interaction in order to communicate efficiently, accommodate, and learn about the culture they want to assimilate into.
I found this one to be the most interesting.
4. Purity versus hybridity: Are languages separated
from each other, even at the most abstract level of
grammatical form? And how do they associate with
other symbol systems and modalities of communication?
(Khubchandani, 1997; Makoni, 2002).
I related this back to the question of which language do you think in? When you read in your L2 does it transfer back to your L1 as you read, or does it stay in the L2 the whole time? Same goes for writing.
It is to my understanding that Canadarajah was asking if we can raise our students' awareness of their communication strategies, attitudes and linguistic identities. Researchers are aware that English is one of the fastest growing languages and is a main source of communication in multilingual contexts. This article talks about English Lingua Franca, which is exactly what I just said. It is a process of accommodation, and defined as any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
LFE is based on interaction. On page 925 of Canadarajah (speaking about ELF) it says, "Speakers are able to monitor each other's language proficiency to determine the mutually appropriate grammar, phonology, lexical range, and pragmatic conventions that would insure intelligibility."
Everything that we have read about is coming together, especially the importance of dynamic and interactive learning. SLA speakers need interaction in order to communicate efficiently, accommodate, and learn about the culture they want to assimilate into.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
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.
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.
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