Week 2

Book: So you’ve decided to be a language teacher!”

Me: well, yes, should I be scared?

Book: “you definitely choose a profession that will guarantee you more that your fair share of challenges, growth, joy, and fulfillment”.

The little conversation I had when I opened the book. It was also interesting because I have never seen a book with such opening.

I was glad to finally learn about the history of language teaching and how it came about. It was also interesting to learn the different types of methods that were used in the past. Methods such as the grammar translation, the direct method, the audio-lingual method, etc… Although for several of them I did not quite understand how people could see it as beneficial, for example The Silent Way. Like any other method, it has both pros and cons. But it was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of learning a language through the use of (cusiniere) rods. The purpose of learning a language it to be able to communicate with others therefore, in my opinion, the use of rods just about defeats the purpose because there is no communication involved in the process. The quote by Marckwards “changing winds and shifting sands” essentially summarized how and why over the past decades there have been new methods.  Even in present day, the same pattern is repeated. A new theory or method is introduce, then the world ( educator, psychologist, etc.…) evaluate it, selecting the parts that produce the most positive outcome, methods starting with the classical method all the way down to the natural approach.

As educator we tend to be on a search for what is best for our students, what methods we can use to help them achieve.  So as new methods of learning language developed, they were used, analyzed, and criticized. The parts deemed most successful were kept in hopes that overtime a perfect method can be devised. But as Prabhu mentioned in her article just because we blend “what is true of each method does not mean that it has any more truth that any other methods” (167).  Just because we blend certain aspect of a method we see truth/ successful, it does mean we have created the perfect method. Before this week’s reading, I always believed that if I retrieve different components of different methods I deemed truth, then I would be getting closer to achieving the unrealistic task of created the perfect method for all learners. But that is not the case anymore. Combining different parts of different methods only creates another method that “shares some concepts with other methods” (168).   We often think that a good method is one that works and the bad one is one that does not, but reading this article helped me realized that is not the case.  It is not about good or bad, rather it is about if the method is “active, alive and operational to create a sense of involvement” for both parties (173). If we believe to have found the perfect method, we tend to stop evolving, renovating or even update our methods, and overtime we become robotic and the very perfect method we thought to have developed deteriorates. With time, the perfect method starts failing.

 Switching back to the beginning of the article, I completely agree with Prabhu, too often we use the term “there is no best method” to run away from a heated debate or to avoid confrontation.  Often, expressions like these are often praise because there are looked upon as going to the next level. But what is the purpose of going to the next level to just quickly end the discussion? And for too long and I agree with that. But on the other hand, it seems that if I was to engage in a discussion about learning strategies and methods, the conversation would be infinite because the learning strategies and methods are endless. So how do you end such conversation? Is there such think as ending a conversation that deals with language learning strategies?

To end my post, I would like to add this quote that I found very inspirational “the enemy of good teaching is not a bad method but overroutinisation”. As a pre-service teacher my biggest fear is that I will always choose the worst method for my students, but with this quote I get reassurances. The only way for me to fail as a teacher is if I become frozen in a routine.

 

Week 1: Hello

Hello everyone,

My name is Aurelie Kenfack I am a bilingual major and TESOL minor of course. The more I think about what I want to do the more I just want to focus on TESOL. When I first came to the USA, I had no knowledge of English so I was placed in an ESL class.  There I learned the language to communicate with my peers and others around me. That is the reason why I decided to be an educator. I want to help other achieve what I did and more. In my perfect world, I want to teach to in an elementary class filled with students from different backgrounds. Whenever I talk about my experience, I always mention the teachers that inspired me to become who I am today.  Being that I want to be an educator myself, my goal is to achieve that same goal, I want to inspire others. Knowing that there exists no perfect teacher, I still want to be the perfect teacher for my students; because the idea of being a perfect teacher entails that all my students will succeed. This is the unrealistic dream of all passionate educators. I hope at the end of the course I am able to, as the course objective says, “learn how to maximize language opportunities for diverse students”. As a future educator, I want to be able to provide my students with the necessary tools for them to be successful in not only acquiring but also mastering the language.

Last Post

I can honestly say that I was one of those people who walked in the advisor’s office and said I want all the minors available so I can get a job. I just wanted to add a minor that will make me stand out and spice up my resume. As an ESL student I had some amount of passion towards this field, but not as much as what I have developed over the semester.  Now I clearly see why this class in required for those wanting a TESOL minor. I can say that I have grown intellectually, and culturally 100%. This class was a wonderful experience, and has thought me so much. It thought things that although seem common sense, must of us do not bother to take time and think about it and impact it has on students (for example the writing differnces), for that I am very thankful for taking this class. To close the semester I would like to talk about the last chapter in McKay and Bokhorst-Heng’s book. I found this chapter a nice way to end the semester. It took the concepts that we have talked about and gave us, pre-service and current teachers, advices on how to prepare our learning environment for all English learners whether natives or non-natives. A few of my favorite implications or the ones I found very important were “EIL curricula should include examples of the diversity of English varieties used today, full recognition needs to be given to the other language spoken by English speakers and EIL should be taught in a way that respects the local culture of the learning”. I believe that a lot of the problems that we see today in all circles(inner, outer, or expanding) is lack of understand or knowledge of the diversity that exits in the English language. People are not aware of the complexity of the learning process. As I mentioned in my previous blog, it is very important that students are exposed to the varieties of Englishes that exits in today’s world. Exposure to such varieties allows the students to be knowledgeable about the language, and also give them a wide repertoire of which variety to use in a certain context.  I believe such exposure can also eliminate the negative views we have about certain varieties. What ties perfectly to the concept of teaching different varieties, is the idea that educators must teach it in a way promotes and respect the other cultures. There are many struggles that exist with the concept of learning English, not only we must fight to include the different varieties but we also must fight to include those varieties in a way that does not promote inferiority. This reminds me of Taylor-Mendes’s article on cultural representation, the issues that were explored within the article. I believe there is no importance of introducing or teaching a culture if it’s only looked in a negative way. It just pushes to students to me more discriminatory towards that culture and furthermore reinforces the concept of othering. These and many other factors must be taken when teaching English. I agree with the chapter that “effective pedagogical decisions and practice cannot be made without giving special attention to the many varied social context in which English is taught and learned” and even go further and “promote bilingualism for learners of all background”(197). I think that all of us wish for an environment like that but often do not know how to create such environment or have the willingness to do so. Just like the chapter says “most learners make it clear that monolingualsim is not their preferred goal” (181), but due to a combinations of reasons most educators do not strive to accomplish this goal. But my biggest dream is to create a classroom that reflects the diversities that exits in the world both culturally and language wise.

Matsuda and Kubota

I found this week’s reading a perfect way to close the semester, giving teachers implications. While I rejoiced over the article by Matsuda, the article by Kubota brought unwanted feelings. I will start with Matsuda’s World English. There were several teachers suggestions on how to accept and teach the different standards and varieties of Englishes. I agree with the suggestions, we as pre-service teachers/teachers must give the students all the information available to us so that they can make a language choice. For example, students need to understand both the dominant and the non-dominant language form, what works and what does not, and the risk associated with using a particular form. Giving students this type of information allows them to grow language wise and also gives them a choice to which form to use depending on the context. Although teaching the different forms or varieties is important, I believe the real work is manifested in how the teaching is carried out, the method one uses. We must teach them without “valorizing the privileged varieties” I believe this was a good point to be made. I believe we must try to instill a sense that all forms and varieties are the equal. We must teach without making one variety appear better than the other.  Reading this made me think about the video we watched in class of the teacher who taught his students about the different varieties through a game. I believe this is a great example of how the different forms can be taught without giving more power to one. I strongly agreed with the teachers implication that the author mentioned in the article, I believe we must present students with a wide variety of information so that they can have the option of which form to use.

The article by Kubota on the other hand brought some disturbing feelings.  It was shocking to me to find out the term “foreign language” essentially means English (at least in Japan). The world has been swallow by the power , and benefits ( whether true or not) that is associated with learning English that they go as far as dismissing other language and overtly publicize that English is better.  For example the article mentions the different treatments that two individual students receive base on the language they are learning, with the students learning English receiving more praises and attention while the other student is left alone.  There is also a false idea/plan that advertises that other languages are being offered when in reality it is false.  For example, in the Course of Study for high school that advertises foreign language as being different language but nevertheless there is only one foreign language offered, English. This just goes to support the idea that foreign language is English. Another issue that is brought up in this article is the discrimination that exits between the different English countries and ethnicities. Because English is so closely linked with American and British English other countries tend to suffer some discrimination or biases, this is another piece of information that I found to be discouraging especially for those are not white. ALTs from other countries are often giving a hard time although they speak native English just like the rest. For example the Australian ALT who is asked to speak with an American accent, as if that is effetely done, or the African American ATL is asked to speak Standard English. These bias ideas revolve around the idea of English having one correct form. Although the article states that we have grown in our school of thoughts, I believe we still have a great way to go. 

Mckay and Bokhorst chapter 4 and Farr and Song

As I was reading the book and the article I just had this recurring question of why are people in some way shape or form force to abandon their mother tongue in other to be proficiency in English. Or why it is that people are punish for speaking their mother tongue?  Throughout this week’s reading I felt like I was seeing people being force to do just that. Starting in Singapore with the annual speak mandarin campaign, which encouraged Chinese Singaporeans to replaces to use of dialect with Mandarin. And I just thought that this was outrageous, the campaign was not encouraging people to adopt or practice Mandarin it was asking them to completely replace their dialect language. And this same concept just about happens in other countries.  The other thing that also shocked me was the question of why people were getting penalized for using their mother language. For example the book mentioned the two nurses that were reprimanded for using Tagalog in the hospital. I just ask myself what sense does that make.  Why would someone not be able to communicate in their language of choice? The book continued with saying that the mayor of Monterey Park opposed gifts from the Chinese books store to the city library because “if people want foreign language (books) they can go (buy it) on their own (100). And in my head I am wondering what the logic behind refusing the gifts. To me, it seems like the issue on language has become such a big problem. We have gone as far as refusing students to communicate in their language in class, at work, and now in public domains. And I wonder what is so special about English that certain countries would go as far as forcing their citizens to abandon their dialects? Why is there a growing idea that English is the only acceptable language in the classroom? I feel like we are so preoccupied with certain things(such English only) that we do not have to chance to see how this impact children and their view on their language and culture. Telling someone that their language in not acceptable in the class or only using their language in “derision” circumstances only makes them feel as if they are not important. It encourages people to reject their own language to pursuit that which is more accepted in the community. The article by Farr and song just about took the words out of my mouth when it comes to language and the reason behind certain actions, “In order to deal most effectively with multiplicity of language ideologies in the classroom, we must first understand them” (651). I fell like too often teachers are too busy saying no that they don’t take the time to understand and pay attention to what is actually happening. This kind of behavior and attitude affect student. But all these issue stem from language policy and the impact it has on everyone.  Language policy not only affects those at the macro level on national language planning it also affect those at the micro level. Language policies go as far as impacting what kind of language people use in the community and at home.

McKay and Bokhorst

McKay and Bokhorst

·         EIL learning context

In this section, the author talked about the inner, outer, and expanding circle and the type of English that is use in each. This section of the book reminded me of where I am from. In Cameroon we have two official languages French and English. The author talked about the bottom cylinder of Yano’s model. This cylinder is for those who speak a variety of English, a local variety distinct from the bilingual of “real English”.  In Cameroon there is a language called “pidgin”.  It’s English but it’s very different from the regular English. The words sound nothing like English and I cannot see merging with the others just like Yano said “this variety is not permeable”.

·         British/English/Australia

So when I was reading this I was really surprised by the information that I found about how each country attacks or go about solving the problem of having nonnative English speakers in the classroom. The program designed in Australia I thought was great (at least the thought behind it). Having the students not only strive for English competence but also maintaining their native tongue and pushing for more by encouraging students to learn other languages.  The 1^st step is pretty common in all English countries but the 2^nd and 3^rd step are different. Often you see many people who are so focus on learning the main language and they forget about their native tongue. This happened to my younger siblings, my parents were strict on us to learn English. They slowly decreased the amount of French spoken in the house. So now 15 years later my siblings do not understand French let alone speak it. That is why I like the idea that the program also put an emphasis on maintaining the language. Now going the USA versus the British requirements whether to put those students in a regular class or to take them out, I side or I agree with the program that is offered here. When I first came here I was place in ESL, for about an hour a day. And I think this was very beneficial for me. I did not feel discriminated nor did I get comments from NES students. Also I think this good/healthy for the students because it gives them a chance to see other students that are just like them. Within this environment, I fell like students are more comfortable to learn and take risk because they know everyone here doesn’t know English that well. So I believe taking those students out of the regular class helps them.

·         While reading this I stumbled across comment made from teachers that just about shocked me.  Comparing a student who speaks two languages to someone “who’s very bright and has a stroke. And can’t express themselves”. My mouth just about dropped when I saw this. I could not believe that someone, let alone a teacher can say this. This is the kind of comment that puts kids down and makes them not even want to learn the language.

Overall I feel like we are always going to see English as a power language, we might/ the program might show that they want others to learn a language or maintain the one they have but ultimately we/society/ the media still give students to notion that English is the power language, forget about the other language, thus making some people to completely disregard their language and making others to be motivated to learn. I believe those outside of the English speaking countries who are motivated to learn English are those who know that someday they will immigrate to an English speaking country, those who put acronyms such as TENAR, TENOP, and TENOR, are students who do not see themselves leaving their countries. They do not see why or how this could be beneficial to them.

Cultural Representations

From Taylor-Mendes’ article Construction of Racial Stereotypes in English as a Foreign Language Textbook.

As an ELL, I don’t remember the pictures in my ESL books or whether if I took some underlining message from it. But again this is a different context than what Taylor-Mendes’ article refers too. This week reading left me speechless. Mendes’ article explored how images in textbooks, shaped students’ and teachers’ impressions of the target language foreign-language culture. The study took place in Sao Paulo Brazil, where 15 participants (students and teacher) were asked specific questions during interviews. This is where I had my 1^st problem with the study. For a research that looks at what images say about a particular group of people (mostly minority) I find it faulty that 95% on the participants were Caucasian and privileged. I believe the results would have been different or different ideas would have been presented if the participants were equally divided. During the first interview, students were asked to examine a textbook and talk about the pictures in general. Their responses were categorized into the following stereotypical images or conclusions; America is the land of the white elite, blacks are represented as poor, and race is divided by continent.  The last part, which says race is divided by continent, really took me by surprise because I never looked at race that way, and now I realized it is because it is not true. Anyone who knows a little about history knows that is not real. The article then continues to describe the differences the images portrayed between majority and minority groups of people. In a classroom, the white kids are shown as sitting down nice and neat while the blacks kids are sitting like “they are waiting to be hit” (73). This disturbed me, not that it was said but because a comparison of a picture could reveal something as negative as that comment. This reminded me of some comments made in class in regard to blacks( getting rape because there are a lot of blacks, the swimming pool and talking Ebonics) being “African” black  I wonder how I am suppose to react to that?   Because depending who the comment talks about may bring different emotions.

As I continued to read the article I became more and more frustrated because I can relate to these things. In one of the textbook, an image (the only image) that could potentially represent South America or Latin America is from a Hollywood film, which about just killed me. Because I know these movies are not all true. Many of you watch the Discovery Chanel which explores different types of cultures. (Just speaking about what is show about Africa) the TV makes it seem appeared like Africa is uncivilized, where everyone lives in huts and hunt for meat. What does this do or bring to the viewers? Absolutely nothing, it just reinforces what they already know. This ties perfectly with what the book mentions on page 41, this makes is easier for other cultures not to know that “Arabs do not wear the Kufiyah, … many people do not live in traditional souks, or war-torn streets with livestock,… that there are cars and computers much like “we do”. Many people do this both young and old,  they ask these tyoes of questions and I began to wonder; do I have the right to be mad at people who ask me such questions? Is it their fault? Shouldn’t it be their job to use deductive reasoning before formulating questions such as “do you have cars in Africa”?

Comments

What does an English speaker look like? What is culture? What does it mean to be an American? These questions should never be asked to students.

I don’t know if anyone else found it hurtful when one student said “They sell you dreams that you can achieve in the USA but those dreams can’t happen in my culture”.  EFL books should be written with a country in mind.

As for teachers who are trying to break the typical stereotypes ideas that are reinforce through pictures. We should try to go outside of the book, also use our own images to give students another point of view. This can easily be done especially if you are from a different country.

Also as teachers, we should handle these types of topics with sufficient sensitivity, the earlier we start talking about it the more comfortable students will be, but we still need to be careful as to when to introduce it.

In the article they mentioned an activity for teachers to do in order to explore about different groups of people. They should reflect on “how will their lives be different if they were of a different race”. Although this experience is a great idea but in the end I don’t think it is not enough because you can never really know what it feels like. At any point in time,  you are capable of switching roles. Unless you do like the white writer that completely went out and changed his color.

Question: When is it right to give up on a student? Was it right for Martha to give up on Reza?