Saturday, April 27, 2013

Week 16: Re-visioning TESOL


The article by Lin et. al begins by explaining how even in applied linguists’ “objective” writing, there are ways that we can see Otherization. There seems to be unequal power relations between the research (Self) who is able to conduct meta-analysis and theorize about the subjective group or individual who is being researched (Other). I never actually thought about the ideologies underlying this type of writing that we are always analyzing. The authors then introduce Richardson’s “the collective story” genre that combines narrative writing with sociological analytic writing to evade this problem of Otherization. These collective stories demonstrate EFL learners working diligently to acquire English and have been successful, but may find themselves being Otherized in the process, yet continue to value their skills in the language. The autobiographies demonstrated learners who have used English as a cultural tool and have found themselves in a search for identity in the context of language learning.

The article then suggests that we use these narratives to redesign TESOL into TEGCOM, which is Teaching English for Glocalized Communication. Their rationale is that TESOL already implies Otherization by having an Anglo teacher as the Self and the learner as the Other, rather than focusing on the postmodern position of English learning in today’s world. TEGCOM would consider all learners to be monolingual “native English speakers” who need to be taught in ways that would promote cross-cultural communication in sociocultural contexts. Once again, we need to look at this field with a critical view and see how our perspectives of the world are influencing English learners and what we should do to prevent problems of power relations.

Chapter 7 by McKay and Bokhorts-Heng discussed how to use the sociolinguistic context of English to make new EIL pedagogical decisions. The first part of the chapter really related to what we have learned thus far about English in a globalized world with learners who have different motivations and access to learning the language. Two issues that are evident in current EIL pedagogy is glocal-local tensions and the discourse of Othering, which can lead to many problems. One thing we can do as teachers is critically analyze all of the materials that we are using and then have our students do the same, so that they can see the unequal power relations or stereotypes that may exist. After completing that ESL text analysis earlier in the semester, I love this idea and I think it would be a great way for students to view EFL/ESL with a critical perspective. The end of the chapter provided key points that a socially sensitive EIL pedagogy would include and some of them are:

-“EIL curricula should be relevant to the domains in which English is used in the particular learning contexts.”
-“EIL curricula should include examples of the diversity of English varieties used today.”
-“EIL curricula need to exemplify L2-L2 interactions.” ---I agree!
-“EIL should be taught in a way that respects the local culture of learning.”

Monday, April 22, 2013

Week 15

I really enjoyed the readings for this week because I think sociolinguistics and variations in English are interesting concepts that aren't always brought up. In Chapter 5 of McKay, we see how the spread of English has led to the development of varieties of English between countries and also varieties within countries. For example, Nigeria has four varieties of English that reflect different levels of social acceptance and international intelligibility. I thought it was surprising that very few Nigerians spoke the varieties that were closest to Standard British English, but that is what makes their form of the language unique. I like to think of all of the variations in English as being unique, rather than inadequate to the Standard English that we know. Kachru argues that English has "blended itself with the cultural and social complex", so we must look at these varieties as intertwined with the culture of the country, instead of inferior to the Standard form. The chapter also discussed those who support a monolithic model of language and argue that if we allow local spaces to modify the language for their environment, that soon English speakers could not understand one another. This idea really surprised me and I think that we need to realize that language is constantly changing and we cannot prevent variations in English. It will always be changing, but what matters is that speakers can work together to understand each other.

The article by Lippi-Green further brought up language variation, but specifically accents. It specified the difference between accent and dialects by saying that, "Two varieties of a single language are divided by accent when differences are restricted primarily to phonology." Dialects are when the language varies in morphological structures, syntax, lexicon, and semantics. Many people often think it is easy to change your accent and that if you cannot adapt to the "standard" accent, then you have not tried hard enough or are unintelligent. However, accents can be difficult to change and why should we have to change our accent? I never realized my "Chicagoan" accent until I went to Spain and everyone from the East and West Coast in the U.S. always commented on it. Just because we had a few differences in our English, it doesn't mean that theirs was better than mine or that mine was better. 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Week 14: Language planning and policy


The readings for this week required the understanding of the differences between language planning and policy, which I was unfamiliar with. In Chapter 4 by McKay and Heng, Deumert (2000, p. 384) states that language policy "refers to the more general linguistic, political, and social goals underlying the actual language planning process." Language planning involves making conscious decisions about a language status (official or national) or language corpus (the script, grammar, spelling, etc.) based on the previously mentioned goals and ideologies. These two concepts are undoubtedly linked, which we can see in the examples given in Singapore and the United States. Language is a concept that must be studied with a 'worldly' view and looked at in its social, cultural, historical, economic, or political contexts. This notion relates to language politicking, which concerns how language reflects the current society and the interplay of language and power, especially with the recent impact of globalization. This worldliness of language has certain implications for language planning, often causing conflicting viewpoints on the status of a language. This chapter also discussed English as an official language and how it is seen as a unifying bond for nations and believed to lead to economic success and international/inter-racial communication. Even though the goal is for English to be a neutral medium, this still underlies the idea that Standard English is the only appropriate form and it places English as superior to other languages. I was intrigued when reading about Ebonics in the United States and how it is a “ghettoizing” language rather than an “empowering” one, which is a perfect example of how our ideologies are reflected in the languages we value. I thought this quote on page 111 was something that all ESL/EFL teachers should keep in mind when embracing our student’s native languages; “the reality that Ebonics, the linguistic form a student brings to school, is intimately connected with their loved ones, community and personal identity.”

King and Fogle’s paper examines family language policies regarding additive bilingualism and how families’ beliefs shape their actual language planning. Bilingualism in the United States can be difficult due to the high status of English and policies that fail to support non-English languages. This is why the choices parents make in aiding their child’s bilingualism, whether it is for economic opportunities or maintaining cultural ties, are very significant. The findings of this study found that parents indeed are critical consumers of information that guides their decisions and they also rely on their own personal language learning experiences. Although these parents were very informed on why bilingualism is important, they were relatively unaware on the challenges that they may face in the process that may hinder their high expectations for their children.

Both of these readings stress the impact of language policy on language planning and what it demonstrates about a nation’s belief on a language, especially English.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Week 13: Multilingualism and World Englishes

The readings for this week related to the impact of globalization on English, resulting in multilingualism and World Englishes. Of course the spread of English across the globe has led to much more linguistic diversity, such as a variation in pronunciation, vocabulary, idioms, and rhetorical styles. This is not limited to the diversity in other countries, but also the linguistic variations within the United States. There are many different dialects within America (even spanning across Illinois) and it is important to be aware of the linguistic and cultural diversity of English speakers, rather then hold one type of English to a higher standard. This reminded me of my experience studying abroad in Spain and how it was not until those five months that I began to realize the different forms of English. My 13-year-old host sister was learning British English and there were times when I could not even help her with her homework because I was completely unfamiliar with the vocabulary. My host sister was shocked that I couldn't even help her with my own native language! The dialogue in her textbook was also very formal, so I tried to explain that the way I used English in America was actually different from what she was learning. I think this definitely sparked our awareness about the differences in English in other parts of the world. My classes in Spain were also with students from all around the United States and it was not until then that I realized how many "Englishes" there were in my own country. People from the West and East coast always commented on my Chicago accent, which I thought was the "standard" until I was being teased for it.  Kubota and Ward's article explained the implications for teachers to prepare the younger generations to be tolerating, respecting, and knowledgeable of this diversity that they will face in the community. I believe it is a great idea to incorporate teaching diversity into all content areas so that it is a concept that stays with students for their entire lives, rather than turning it into a one-unit lesson.

Chapter 3 by McKay and Bokhorst-Heng discussed multilingualism in societies with and without diglossia. In diglossic bilingual societies, the linguistic differences are functionally distinguished and one language (the H-language) is typically used in the formal domain while the other language (the L-language) is only used for more informal situations. In this type of multilingualism, the main incentive to learn English is its status as an H-language and the ability to communicate in these important domains, such as higher education or the government. Once again, English is seen as bringing power but this is not always true and it may actually keep the poor and disadvantaged students from ever fully learning the language. This chapter along with Farr and Song's article explained how language policy is a reflection of language ideology. The beliefs and values of a culture are always embedded in the approach to language learning, which is essential to remember if we will be teaching in a foreign country.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Week 12

The world is undoubtedly being influenced by globalization, whether it be in a positive or negative way, as was explained in Chapter 1 and 2 by Mc-Kay and Bokohrst-Heng. It is making it much easier for information to be shared and for more cultural and linguistic exchange, which has an enormous effect on the usage of English. English is now a worldwide language, being used in various social contexts, which Kachru presented as the Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and Expanding Circle. Is English being learned because it is needed in day-to-day life, or to succeed in formal and educational settings, or because of the pressures of globalization? These three learning contexts influence how language learners approach English and it can affect their motivation and even alter their social identity.

I found the alchemy of English to be a fascinating concept discussed in Chapter 1, which asserts that knowing English is like possessing Aladdin's lamp and it holds the dreams of linguistic knowledge and personal success. Many believe that investing in English provides power, which is why it continues to be such a global language, but to what extent is this good or bad? I do not believe it necessarily grants power and it makes English seem more superior to the many other languages of the world. I truly think it is important for ESL/EFL teachers to consider how their students view English and remember to incorporate their cultural values and languages into the curriculum, instead of placing full importance on English. As a native speaker of English, I cannot imagine putting so much faith in a language to bring success; but this belief has led to English being spoken by more second language speakers than native speakers. That is truly a sign of the impacts of factors such as colonialism and globalization on English.

Chapter 2 explained the many programs designed to teach English in the Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and Expanding Circle, which made me question which program would be the best. I was left feeling confused on how this should be approached because of the diversity of the three contexts and of course, there are always individual student differences. However, I do believe that when designing these educational programs, it is always important to consider the relationship between ethnicity and language support. I personally do not think a program should force students to fully assimilate themselves and lose their cultural identity, but it should be a balanced mixture between English learning and maintaining or adjusting cultural identity. I am confident that there will be more research in the TESOL field that will provide us with better ways to address the impacts of globalization on English teaching.

The Kubota article discussed the discourse of kokusaika (internalization), which tries to balance the tense promotion of English and nationalism. However, it pushes aside the local linguistic and cultural diversity. It has led to four premises for foreign language education: English is the foreign language, the model for English should be standard North American or British varieties, learning English leads to intercultural understanding, and national identity is fostered through English. I thought these were very pushing towards English and did not effectively promote other cultures or languages, which is always important.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Week 11: Race, language, identity

While reading “Becoming Black” by Ibrahim, I learned more about how students identify with cultural and linguistic influences and how that affects their learning. One quote I found very interesting was,  “Because language is never neutral, learning it cannot and should not be either.” We have discussed about the many diverse students and languages we will have in our classrooms, which implies that we need to teach to these differences. Ibrahim’s proposal is that rap, hip-hop and Black popular culture in general are curriculum sites where learning takes place and identities are formed. By using rap as a tool to teach, this would tie together the student’s investment in learning a specific marginalized language. I believe that rap and hip-hop would be more a site of critique than Ibrahim’s idea of a site of hope because it does not seem very appropriate for a class setting. I understand that it will help link the students’ world and identity with their language, but perhaps there are better ways of doing this. But in thinking this, I have caught myself valorizing my own language and giving it more legitimacy than Black English. This relates back to our class discussion on what makes Standard English and how we should value other forms of English in the classroom. I like the ESL pedagogy of engaging one’s identity and investment into their learning, but in my own classroom, I would maybe include other authentic texts that relate to the students or make sure the rap lyrics were appropriate. 

I thought the article “Cultural Stereotypes” by Kumar was very interesting and problematized the cultural stereotypes that exist in TESOL, specifically with Asian students. Many times we may find ourselves stereotyping and as teachers, we should look to the reasons of why we are doing this. I found myself relating to Kumar’s idea that stereotyping helps us reduce an unmanageable and unknown reality of our diverse students into a more manageable label. I think it can be overwhelming to be unfamiliar of your students’ backgrounds, which makes stereotyping an easy thing to fall back on. We should be critically aware of this and make sure not to generalize because there are many components that make up one’s identity. I found this quote about stereotyping to be very true: “People everywhere practice it, knowingly or unknowingly. It is an all-pervasive phenomenon that affects gender, class, race, language, religion, nationality, and ethnicity. We stereotype others, and others stereotype us.” 

Kubota and Lin’s article titled “Race, Culture, and Identities in Second Language Education” gave a basic overview of these key terms. There is no concrete way to define race, culture, and identity, which is what we have been learning throughout this semester.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Week 8: Culture and Material Evaluation


As we have been learning throughout the semester, culture is composed of multiple aspects and it can be a concept that is difficult to learn and teach. I have gained a lot of knowledge on how an ESL teacher can influence the way in which their students view culture (both the target language culture and their native identity), but this is the first time I have read about the significance of ESL materials. The readings this week by Tyler-Mendes, Giashi, and Hinkel have all demonstrated how textbooks can be a factor that may influence how gender roles or race are perceived in a specific culture. There has recently been an increased amount of focus on the images in textbooks in comparison with the textual content, which is why this is such an important topic. Tyler-Mendes argued that the images in the EFL textbooks should be discussed in order to counter racial stereotypes about English speakers and English-speaking nations and I completely agree. I have not had access to these textbooks yet, but this study found that their images create an American culture with economic and social success. The people in the images are also predominately white and represent the middle class, power, and money. If other races were shown, such as African Americans, they were represented in a poorer or powerless position. I found this to be very sad and it would reinforce the racial stereotypes that we want to avoid. The reading by Tyler-Mendes also addressed the critical pedagogy by Paulo Freire, in which we should examine the politics of unequal power relations and then take actions for social transformation. This relates to how ESL teachers should incorporate dialogue in our classrooms so that we can question who benefits from the existing power structure and what the purpose of the textbook is.

All three of the readings provided great implications for ESL teachers that I found to be very useful. We may not be able to choose the materials for our classes but we can employ literary skills to address this problem. Giashi stressed the importance of critical image analysis as a tool that can help us reveal underlying trends in the resources we use. This skill is especially important as we encounter ESL texts because they may be reinforcing stereotypes or serve to benefit a specific person or group. We should consider the textbook images and then initiate discussions with our students about them. Being able to critically analyze resources will help my future class to examine race and power issues in our surrounding society and how that affects one’s perception of culture and identity. I also found the implications in Chapter 11 by Hinkel to be interesting because they focus on how a teacher can learn along with their students. I love that idea and I hope to reflect on cultural awareness just as much as my students. The reading stated, “With encouragement, students can learn how to learn about cultures” and that reiterates the idea that one needs to critically analyze the information they are presented with to learn about culture and be aware of possible stereotypes.



Monday, February 18, 2013

Week 6 - Cultural Writing

I found the readings of Hinkel, Kubota, and Silvia to be very eye opening and filled with useful information as pre-service ESL teachers. I believe that writing is such a crucial part of the learning process and it can really demonstrate the students' understanding of certain content or their ability to formulate their own ideas. Since this is such an important aspect of literacy, I think it may be a frightening and overwhelming process for ESL students. With the help of these articles, such as Silvia's, I have been able to collect some ideas on how to teach appropriate writing skills and ones that are culturally representative. It seemed a little disheartening that ESL writing skills are significantly lower than NES abilities, but I think that is due to the language barrier. America has such a structured process for composing writing, but what makes this the correct form? For example, Silvia explained the tendency for Japanese-speaking students to form persuasive essays by incorporating mixed arguments (arguing for and against) and argument alterations (between arguing for and against.) If an American student were to use this structure while trying to form an argument, they would probably be given a low grade because you are taught to only pick one side and then stick with it completely. I really thought this was interesting because it is up to the ESL teacher to instruct how to compose culturally appropriate writing and I'm sure this would be a very difficult habit for anyone to break. I almost feel uncomfortable teaching these types of strategies because maybe it could cause the ESL students to feel unworthy and it does not seem very open to cultural differences.

With that said, I can relate to the difficulty that ESL students may faced when they are given the task to write. Throughout college, I have written numerous lengthy essays in Spanish, but each time I feel as though I can not reach my peak performance level. I am able to say everything I want to say, but sometimes I feel like the sentence structure is limited or I have to talk around what I am not able to articulate. Sometimes I feel like this is hard enough and now I have to write it in a foreign language! I hope to remember this feeling so I can relate to my students and encourage them to do their best, no matter how difficult it may seem.

These readings helped me to realize that we need to be aware of how culture is represented in writing, whether it be through content or actual structure. Chapter 6 by Hinkel demonstrated how sometimes ESL teachers can enforce their students to take on cultural stereotypes, so writing prompts need to be selected carefully. I will work to think of ways that this can be done, possibly by giving total freedom to the students to write about their own definition of culture and identity, instead of enforcing the "we" versus "you" thought process.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Korean Immigrants in America

Questions for Dr. Kang:


How do you recommend that we encourage parents to be involved in their student’s bilingualism?


Do you have any personal experience similar to the research in your study that would help us further expand on the significance of parental involvement?


I found this study to be eye opening because sometimes I forget about the importance of parental involvement in bilingualism. For example, I am a bilingual tutor to a 6-year-old boy and I have not really thought about what his use of language is like at home because I have not been able to interact with his family. I have only worked with him for a short time, but this will undoubtedly affect how I direct my teaching for him. I wonder what language is prominent in his home and how much his parents are invested in his bilingualism? I realized that I have caught myself assuming that he is easily developing Spanish with his family, but that may not be the case! This is yet another reminder that assumptions can be detrimental to teaching and I should always consider all aspects that may factor into a student’s language acquisition.


However, regarding this family language policy, how will I be able to figure this out for students? It may be difficult to know how language is acted upon at home and it could easily vary for every child. In this study by Dr. Kang, these policies were clear because they were elicited from the research, but I will not have this specific information as a teacher.


On a side note, it is nice to know that English can be acquired even if the children’s parents do not speak it. It makes me feel like we are making a difference as teachers and we can provide a support system for children to practice their English if they cannot at home. But at the same time, it also saddened me to realize that the languages of the immigrants, such as Korean, could be lost without parental involvement or use. I believe holding onto and appreciating the different components of your culture is so important and it would be sad for a child to miss out on that.


Moving onto “A Step Away From Heaven,” I really enjoyed this book and it gave me insight into Korean immigrant culture. The story did a great job of displaying the struggle of transitioning and assimilating into America.  As we saw earlier with identity narratives, many of them focused on the success of their immigration, but there are many sad realities that they face. It can be an extremely complicated experience to acquire a second language, maintain the native language, and figure out your cultural identity throughout this process. As Dr. Kang’s article explained, the support of parents for their children’s bilingualism is extremely important, and it was clear that Young Ju was lacking this support. This may be an impacting factor of why she could not read or write in Korean because she was much more surrounded by English. When Young Ju initially began school, she had difficulty understanding and communicating with her peers in English, but she also struggled with cultural issues and how they affected her family life. I found some of these quotes to be interesting representations of her difficulties between her American and Korean identity: (**I read this on my Kindle, so I do not have access to the page numbers.)


-“I inch away from Uhmma, pretend I am not that woman’s daughter. Not a poor Oriental who saves pennies like gold.”

-“You, Apa shouts and hits the side of my head with his knuckles, will never question me.”

-“Your life can be different, Young Ju. Study and be strong. In America, women have choices.”

-“I pick up several boxes near the front door with Korean words scribbled on the sides and take them to Uhmma for deciphering. A few of the characters look familiar, but I never learned to read or write Korean.” (This connects with the fact that children of immigrants may not achieve proficiency in their parent’s language, especially in reading or writing.)

-“I do not understand why I have to speak Korean at home so I will not forget where I come from.”

-“You are becoming too American. That girl is worthless, Apa says.” (Apa’s disapproval and resistance of assimilating into the American culture.)


I found both of these texts to be extremely interesting and applicable to my future as a teacher!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Learning Log Week 4


In Norton’s article “Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning” I became more aware of how language learners are viewed by SLA theorists. I found both of these views to be very black and white, with little acceptance of the other possible variables in language acquisition. That is why I really enjoyed Norton’s viewpoint in this article. She discussed how motivation of the learner is not fixed, but it may vary and must be looked at in the context of social relationships. I believe you need to be in a discourse in which you feel comfortable enough to practice the L2. If I were in the same situation as Eva in the article, who was shut down by an authoritative colleague, I would also feel fearful to engage in more English practice. Eva also was silenced when Canadians commented on her accent and this is actually one of my greatest fears in my process of learning Spanish. I believe I have a deep understanding and proficiency in the language, but due to my inability to use a native accent, I always fear the embarrassment of my flaws being pointed out. Reflecting on this, I believe creating a safe classroom environment is essential to the learning process. I hope to make my students feel confident enough to practice, even though mistakes will be made, because it will just facilitate deeper learning. As Norton concluded, we should help language learners claim the right to speak outside of the classroom and be confident, which could be done through classroom-based social research. I first found this idea of the students as ethnographers to be too difficult to achieve, but then I opened my perspective on it. It would actually be great to have students reflect on their daily conflicts and then see how we can use and learn English skills to empower ourselves and solve these problems with the language.

            While reading the other article by Norton, “Language and Identity,” I was able to make many educational connections. I am currently in a Reading Literacy course in which we are learning many concepts similar to Norton’s conclusions about pedagogy. She discussed how an effective teacher could incorporate multimodal texts into his or her lessons, such as videos, drawing, photography, or drama. I believe this would be a great way to help students build on their English comprehension and production. Through additional modes of instruction, students can work on producing their own meaning of English and use it for communicative and practical skills. I think this strategy towards teaching would also help appeal to different learning styles and diverse social identities. The ESL students also would be confronted with different types of literacy that they may face outside of the classroom setting, which could make them feel more comfortable. I was thinking of the many different ways that language learners would be faced with English, such as websites, books, magazines, the radio, and TV, and all of these require different comprehension skills. It would be helpful if we incorporated these into class, similar to how Victoria mentioned demonstrating culture through YouTube videos, so that it can help students adjust to the more practical side of the language. Since the readings focused on how all students have different identities, this could be a great way to have them express their unique qualities.

Monday, January 21, 2013

My Perspective on Culture


The task of defining culture can be difficult because it encompasses so many different things and can be seen from a variety of viewpoints. After reading the chapters from Teaching culture: Perspectives in practice by Morgan, I was able to grasp a clearer definition of the word and its importance in an ESL classroom. Originally I defined culture as the way of life that is shared within a community and it is always changing. This can include beliefs, values, traditions, art, food, and many other aspects.

The approach to culture in this article was much more complex and covered features that I had not previously thought of. According to Morgan, culture has five dimensions, which are products, practices, perspectives, communities, and persons. These five dimensions are all important parts of culture and they work together to create a way of life. This definition shows how there are components that are explicitly seen, such as products or language, but also parts of culture that cannot be seen because they are embedded into the culture, such as beliefs. This proves that culture can be difficult to understand from an outsider’s perspective because there is so much more than meets the eye. It is what makes this concept so complex. However, I resonated with Morgan’s analogy of culture as an iceberg because it was a clear visual of this idea. It showed how the perspectives in a culture are unseen, but products, practices, communities, and persons are visible reflections of that. An iceberg is so large, just as the concept of culture is, and I believe it is difficult to know what lies beneath the surface.

After reading, I came to the conclusion that culture is best understood when it is experienced. Culture is constantly evolving over time so it is never concrete and easy to thoroughly understand. For example, I have studied Spanish culture many times but it was not until I actually lived in Spain for five months that I began to understand it on a deeper level. The lifestyle there was so greatly different from America and it was difficult to adjust to their new customs. Morgan illustrates the five dimensions of culture through the example of drive-through restaurants and this led me to think of more examples from my time abroad. I thought of their cultural phenomenon of siestas and how this is a practice valued throughout the country. It is based off of their belief that you should work to live, not live to work, and it is important to go home and spend time with your family. This reflects their perspective on life and how the economy and daily routine is structured around it. If one was not familiar with this practice, they would be confused as to why all of the stores were closed mid-afternoon and it may seem like an inconvenience.

Now that I have a clearer idea of culture, I look forward to seeing how this can affect an ESL classroom. Since culture is so varied, what is the best way for teachers to relate to their diverse students?

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

This is my blog about my experiences in Cross Cultural Issues in TESOL. I hope to learn a lot more about teaching English and how culture plays a role in learning!