Week 16 Towards a transformative and empowering teacher education agenda: Revisioning TESOL

This weeks readings included McKay & Bokhorts-Heng Chapter 7: Towards a socially sensitive EIL pedagogy and Lin, A et al. (2002) Appropriating English, expanding identities, and revisioning the field. Decolonizing TESOL. 

In Appropriating English the authors discuss "their collective story". All four of the authors have learned and used English since childhood in different parts of Asia and met in Canada during their doctoral studies in English language education. The article reflectively analyzes the authors’ experiences linking them to current discourses of language learning and identity. One comparable storyline they found within their different stories involves learning English in contexts where English is not a language used in daily life. In all of the authors’ learning contexts, English was not used for daily communication with families or communities. Instead it was encountered as an academic subject in school. Wendy states that English was foreign to her Chinese upbringing and in school children saw it as irrelevant and uninteresting. Angel also found English was only relevant or appropriate in the school setting.

An ELL student from Japan has told me, that he was unmotivated to use English while living in Japan because he didn’t see a need for it. He knew he needed to study English for university purposes but it wasn’t until he came to the United States was he really motivated to improve his English speaking skills.  English only being seen as a school subject for academic grades and not seen as having much of a communicative purpose may lead to a lack of motivation among students.  I know from my own experiences learning a second language how this perspective can directly affect your motivation to learn a language.  I was very excited to learn Spanish when I took my first whole year course.  Once I was in the class my perspective quickly changed. My teacher was very strict and taught language as a strict set of rules and memorization. For me, learning is much more of a social process and I was not getting this from my class. I stopped doing my homework and participating in class. I spent so much time struggling with the class during school I had no motivation to work on it at home.

           

What’s interesting is the authors stated that while English seemed like just another school subject to them at the time, some teachers helped appropriate English and engage students in practices explaining their horizons and identities. I really like how they said “those moments were experienced as self-transforming, culturally enriching and also at times psychologically liberating”. I believe this quote really shows the relationship between language and identity. While I continued to take Spanish courses upon the request of my parents throughout high school I wasn’t very motivated. I enjoyed learning the language but something was missing, I wasn’t getting the experience I wanted. I was unmotivated to learn Spanish until I met my first Spanish professor in college. Her class provided us with opportunities to communicate with our peers and use our Spanish in real life situations. It wasn’t until I went to a community in Chicago and was able to use my Spanish did bilingualism become a true goal of mine. I liked reading an excerpt of Nobu’s story. After he failed to enter a prestigious high school he began meeting with an English tutor which led him to become an English teacher. My Spanish professor had changed my perception of language development as well. I began to see Spanish not as a set of skills to memorize and but as this interesting dynamic concept which serves a communicative and cultural purpose.

Both Wendy and Angel’s anticlimax where suddenly their English tool became not enough for them in an English speaking community broke my heart. As a teacher working with second language learners I hope I can teach my students to always value their bilingualism. Wendy’s later quoted “I no longer considered English as their language. It was mine”. This is such a confident and enduring statement.  We should be teaching students how to have this type of attitude towards acquiring a language. While the authors’ experiences vary from their students, they still work with their students to become confident English speakers and reach their potential.  

Chapter 7 of McKay and Bokhorst-Heng states that because many English bilingual speakers use English on a daily basis with one or more other languages English is influenced by these other languages. There are different lexical items, grammatical standards, pronunciation patterns for certain sociocultural and socio linguistic contexts. These contexts produce varieties of English “custom fit” for what they need. I like how the book states that these variations should not be seen as interlanguages, errors or fossilized forms of English acquisition. However these are forms of World Englishes and are languages in their own right.

Another interesting point I found in the book was the discussion of rejection of Westernization. In some countries there is a lot of pressure to learn English. There is a large debate on whether or not learning English should include the Western culture. A Japanese best-selling book by a sociolinguistic discussed why teaching English should not be paired with information about Western cultural values.  Many do reject explicit teaching of Western culture in teaching English while others promote it. What is Western Culture? Should it be included in teaching EIL?   

The chapter ends with some principals for a socially sensitive EIL pedagogy. There are many factors that contribute to English as an international language.  The key principles were really interesting. The book suggests EIL curricula to be relevant to the domains in which English is used in the particular learning context and teachers should strive to alter language policies that promote English only among the elite of the country. They state EIL curricula should also include diverse examples of English varieties used today. There is no one English and this should be represented in the classroom. EIL curricula  also needs to focus of the interaction of two second language speakers and full recognition needs to be given to all the other languages spoken by English speakers. Lastly, EIL should be taught in a way that respects the local culture of learning. What did you think of these principals? How do you plan on incorporating them in your future classroom?

Globalization, migration and English spreading across the world has created very diverse social and educational contexts where individuals are learning English. English may be an international language and pedagogical decisions and practices need to consider these many social contexts. We should be working for the benefit of all out students. 

Globalization and language teaching

This week’s readings included Kubota’s The impact of globalization on language teaching in Japan and World Englishes and the Teaching of Writing by Matsuda and Matsuda.

Kubota’s article recognizes the effects globalization has on Japan today. Kubota points out two growing trends in Japan. First he discusses Americanization, how today many American values and customs can be found in Japan. He also discusses an increase in nationalism.  So how does globalization, the influence of cultures outside of Japan affect language learning and language teaching? 

Kubota looks at three dimensions of language learning and teaching in Japan related to globalization first, ethnic linguistic and cultural diversity in local communities and second the prevalence of English. Both of these dimensions threaten national identity and lead to Kubota’s third dimension- nationalism endorsed by linguistic and cultural essentialism, a resistances to Anglicization. Can what Kubota talks about in these three dimension be applied to the U.S.?? What affects could this have on language policy?

Japan is actually a very ethnically and linguistically diverse country and continues to grow.  I thought the term “Koskusaika” was very interesting. Kokusaika means understanding people and culture in international communities via social cultural and educational opportunities. Kokusaika embraces globalization, transforms social and institutional conventions and adapts from the effects globalization has. While this idea embraces globalization it does not embrace total assimilation into the western culture, instead it seeks to maintain Japanese identity and share it with the world. I think there is very important for countries and communities affected by globalization. How can groups of individuals embrace globalization without costing them their own identity? How can you promote the assimilation into a different culture while retaining your own values and identity? While kokusaika attempts to claim power in globalization Kubota points out that it also tends to neglect the diversity within Japan in language education policies and practices.

The article discusses a few reforms in recent years and their effects on the learning English in Japan. The educational reform from the 1980s pushed by Rinji Kyoiku Shingikai believed that students needed to learn English to think in a “linear” English logic. Reforms like this one can have a profound effect on Japanese culture and the perception of English.  The article went into detail about English as a foreign language, how the model for English is seen as being standard North American or British varieties , how learning English leads to an international, intercultural understanding and how national identity is fostered through English that while moving towards English a national identity can still be maintained.  Kubota discusses some perceptions of English in Japan today. A he discusses how there is a strong feeling that being a bilingual speaker of Japanese and English is a good thing while being a bilingual speaker of Japanese and another language is not as appreciated. This ideal English/Japanese bilingual child is promoted within the school system.

 Another point that stuck out to me is an idea that English language teachers must be white and American to teach the “correct” form for English. Kubota mentions the problems some teachers face by not “fitting” this idea. One Australian woman was asked to lose her accent and speak Standard English. This results in racist practices in hiring English teachers within the country. Do we do this with languages other than English here in the U.S? How about our perceptions of non-native English speaking English professors? For those of you who plan on teaching English as a foreign language, how do you feel about this?

Kubota also discuss how learning English increases international and intercultural understanding, stating that it builds bridge across multiple cultures. However, he believes learning English with an emphasis on inner circle white middle class varieties does not. Instead this promotes a narrow view of the world’s cultures and essentialized images.

The Matsuda &Matsuda article, discusses the dominance of English around the world. English is not a one size fits all but World English is much more complex. Some argue that we need to teach a variety appropriate for different local contexts.  The use of English vary depending on where and function.  The traditional model of teaching one single target variety is not appropriate. This does not only apply for spoken English but writing as well.  I liked how the article stated teachers are not left with no choice but to impose dominant varieties. It suggested that while you teach dominant codes and conventions, you can help your students understand the different varieties. That some deviations are more marked than others and some are important to social meaning. Your job does not have to be imposing this one single “World English” but to teach your students to better understand the English as language and evolves.

This suggestion is followed with a few others to incorporate in your future classrooms. “Teaching the boundary between what works and what does not”- helping students understand the boundary, variations and the errors in contexts. “Teaching principles and strategies of discourse negotiation”- teaching whats acceptable and unacceptable in a given concept.  “Teaching the risks involved in using deviation features”- discussing the issue of power. Students should be encouraged to understand how language is complex in writing and speaking. It is our job as language teachers, when working with non-native English speakers to help our students understand the language, embrace the complexity of English and prepare them for globalization, and various language-contact situations. 

Week 14 Language Variations, Language Ideologies

This week’s blog post looked at chapter 5 of McKay and Bokhorts-Heng and also Lippie and Green’s English with an Accent: Language ideology, and discrimination in the United States.

The book discusses Platt’s idea that when a variety of a language develops it doesn’t happen in isolation but depends on the communicative needs of those who speak and write it. I heard a statistic that today there are actually even more L2 English speakers than native speakers. Brutt-Griffler uses the term macroacquisition to describe the process of SLA by speech communities in their own local contexts. English is in contact with so many other languages and used by bilinguals on a daily basis. English is a feature in cultures that have very different food, garments, cultural ceremonies etc. It’s really interesting and logical that language is going to need to vary to be relevant to the people using it. Why would we expect people from all around the around the world to adopt our idea of “Standard English” when there are variations of English within our own country? Variations of English through words and expressions help fulfill communicative needs in cultural contexts in which they act. English is not a “one size fits all” but needs to serve the speakers in the best way it can.  I like the example the book provides about South African communities where the word “sister” is used for any female regardless of the relationship. I feel like this use of English says a lot about the South African culture.

The chapter also discusses standard language ideology which we have talked about in class before. How this term refers to a variety of a language that is seen as the norm and is used in schools, like Standard English. Randolph Quirk said that variation in language use is educationally damaging in Anglophone countries. Kachru had argued that the spread of English means we need to reexamine traditional notions of standardization and codification. Why do we believe Standard English is correct and not damaging? If we are now the minority of English speakers, should this standard be revisited?  

The article English with an accent defined a word a lot of us use without a second thought. But what are we really saying when we say “he had a thick accent” or “it was hard to understand her because her accent”. Accents are said to distinguish stress in words or this term is used to define a specific way of speaking. While the article defines this definition of an accent as loose bundles of prosodic and segmental features over geographic and/or social space it also distinguishes between first language and second language accents. L1 accents are structured variation in language. Each one of us is a speaker of a variety whether it is geographic, associated to our gender, race, ethnicity, income or religion or other elements of social identity. Have you ever been told you have an “accent”?  Why do you think this happened? The article also discusses dialect. I liked how it was said that “language is a dialect with an army and a navy”. That dialects are languages that get no respect. After watching the documentary American Tongues last semester I realized how many people who speak dialects that are variations of Standard English feel like it negatively affects them. Some even feel like they need to lose this dialect, the way the speak to succeed, to be taken seriously and to gain respect. If none of us are truly speakers of Standard English why do speakers like the ones in the documentary need to change how they speak?

L2 accent is also discussed and said that when a native speaker of a language other than English acquires English sometimes their native language phonology shows up in the target language and is seen as an accent. Khakua is a bilingual speaker of English and Hawai’ian Creole English (HCE) who didn’t get a job he was qualified for because of his “hawai’ian accent” and when he sued the employer under Title Vii of the civil rights act, he lost because the judge believed it was reasonable for people to want radio announcers to speaks standard English and possible for speakers to control their language. Can we really correct this? Our author discusses if speakers are able to correct it, it is only temporary. He states that children are born with the ability to produce the entire set of possible sounds but restrict themselves over time to the ones they hear around them. In English 344 we looked at a study which exposed children to sounds outside their native language regularly, specifically children of Japanese and English speakers. It showed when children were exposed to say the l and r sound which are unfamiliar to Japanese they responded better to these sounds later on, opposed to children not exposed to these sounds early on, and later id not respond to these English sounds.

I really like the author’s idea of a sound house, that as children we build a sound house with the materials available to us and we imitate those around us.  The author proposes that if people are exposed to more than one sound hose as a child they have the resources and tools to make them but we are unable to do so when we’re older because the materials to build these sound houses are no long available.

Reading this article and hearing Khakua 's story reminded me of my mom. While my mother is a native speaker of English, she is from a region of the U.S. where speakers have very prominent and noticeable speech patterns opposed to us here in the Chicago area. When she moved from her hometown and to the Chicago area she was placed in speech therapy. While she had not been seen as having any speech problems at her previous school, suddenly her speech was a deficit. Today, you wouldn't doubt that she is a Chicago native. However, when she speaks to anyone from her hometown it’s like a light switch and she uses terms and pronunciation different from her everyday speech. Would this apply to the idea that modification to our speech are only temporary? Is it different because she speaks varieties of the same language?

Language Planning and Policy Post

This blog post is a reflection on this week's readings including Chapter four of International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts by McKay & Bokhorts-Heng and the article, Language idealistic and policies. Multilingualism and education. Language and linguistics compass by Farr and Song. 

This week’s readings discussed the relationship between language ideologies and education. I agree that linguistic culture, our beliefs on a language are in fact inseparable from education and as educators we must understand these language ideologies. So what exactly is a language ideology? The article defines this term as explicit or implicit representations that construe the intersection of language and human beings in a social world. These language ideologies connect linguistics to a social construction. The article also discusses two specific language ideologies relevant for education including the belief in language standardization and monolingualism. These two ideologies relate to language policies which may determine a number of things including what language is used and learned in schools and language choices at home and in the community. Language policies also influences what languages are used where, when, by whom, and what choices in grammar, vocabulary and genre and style are appropriate in certain contexts. The relationship between education and language policies is complex but needs to be recognized by educators for their students.

The article mentions that not only can language policies be stated explicitly via official documents including standardized tests and laws, but it is also derived implicitly by de facto practices including the status of English language. The U.S. Prop 227 is a statement of a language policy. As a pre-service bilingual educator Prop 227 is something that I am familiar with. Prop 227 would require all public schools to provide instruction in English only. This ignores the language differences and needs of minority languages and will make a major impact on language use and the overall education of these students. As the article later states- teachers need to feel empowered as agents in interpreting and implementing language policies affecting their teaching practices (660). I absolutely agree with this statement. I think it is important to recognize that you are more than an educator but an advocate for your students. I will be more than a bilingual educator but also an advocate for bilingual education. This requires an understanding of these ideologies and an understanding of our roles in the classroom, community and in the nation. We need to do our best to provide an equitable education despite students' culture, sexual orientation, race, sex,or English proficiency.  

McKay and Bokhorst-Hengy discuss the English-only movement in the U.S. Including the 1981 proposed constitutional amendment “Senate Joint Resolution 72” which would make English the official language of the United States and make creating or implementing any law which requires the use of any language other than English by the federal or state government unlawful. While languages other than English could be used in educational instruction, ultimately bilingual ballots would not be allowed and maintaining one’s L1 would not be a goal of bilingual education. I found the comment by Hawakaya supporting English as the official language to be ironic. He was quoted as saying “a common language unifies, multiple languages divide”.  How does not allowing someone the right to vote, or not giving them equal opportunities “unite” us? How does discriminating against a group of individuals based on their English-speaking abilities “unite” us? Not providing bilingual ballots or an equitable education for linguistically diverse individuals does not unite us as a nation, it divides us and discriminates.  

Later, the article mentions another hot topic in bilingual education; codeswitching between languages. While some teachers see codeswitching as a lack of competence in one or both languages, codeswitching does serve a purpose. Yes, mixing languages is not random. Codeswitching could occur within a change of topic, participants or setting or have a communicative effect. Codeswitching is strategic and holds social meaning. I thought of a few instances in which a student may codeswitch. For those of you who speak more than one language, you are aware that things don’t always translate exactly. In one of my bilingual education classes, we discussed students that codeswitch as a means of effective communication which I believe should be seen positively. Some students may codeswitch for social reasons. We read an article earlier this semester about a student who got in trouble for saying “I love you” to a peer in her native tongue. Some students even speak in their L1 without even noticing it. One bilingual educator was happy when her student codeswitched. The student spoke Spanish at home with his family and with his close friends. Spanish is a language that is close to his heart which he speaks it to the people he loves and his codeswithching should be taken as a compliment of how comfortable he feels with the teacher. Teachers need to see that codeswitching has a number of purposes and embrace codeswithcing in the appropriate manner.

One last point I found interesting from the article brought was English as an official second language in order to promote economic and political positions in the world. One example of a country that sees English in this way, where English has been adopted as a tool but where local values and traditions are still valued is Japan. I speak with Yuki, my Japanese conversational partner every week. Last Thursday we actually talked about how common English is in Japan. He told me while they must learn English in Japan for college entrance exams and his friends all spoke at least some English- Japanese men and women rarely use English outside of those contexts. He told me there is low motivation from students to learn English. While he stated English was not needed in Japan in everyday life he did discuss the economic and political advantages of English in Japan when he told me that studying English at an American university will help him prove his English proficiency and get a job in Japan. 

Week 12

This week’s reading discussed social contexts for EIL learning and examined multilingual societies. Both chapters are by Sandra Lee McKay and Wendy D. Bokhorst-Heng.

The first chapter discussed issues found in English teaching and learning. Early on the chapter presents Kachru’s seminal model of English use contexts viewed in three concentric circles; inner circle, outer circle and expanding circle countries. While there are arguments raised to modify Krachu’s concentric circles and the authors agree with Bruthiauz, Yanu and other’s versions which present cylinders to represent English speakers, the authors use Krachru’s seminal model in the chapters.

The first is the Inner Circle where English is the primary language. Language diversity is seen as a problem leading programs to encourage the acquisition of English and quickly. This process often times ignores the student’s first language. As a pre-service bilingual educator I know the importance of using a first language in language acquisition. The book also mentions the effects being a language minority can have on a student socially. While students may be seen as outsiders by their peers, unfortunately sometimes educators view these students as having deficient cognitive abilities. I have heard of teachers doing this before. In some cases teachers will refer to an ELL student as “dumb” because they don't speak in class or participate because they are not provided with appropriate materials or instruction. When I first heard of a peer's experience of a teacher referring to a student's cognitive abilities because of their status as an ELL I was shocked. As embarrassing of a reference as this is, I thought of the movie Holes. One character never talked at the camp and the camp counselor teased the boy and called him "stupid". Many times with ELL students understand what is going on around them but focus on the input there are receiving. In learning Spanish, while I can understand what is being said around me and am proficient in reading and writing I still find it very difficult to speak especially around native speakers. In classes where I need to speak in Spanish I find myself participating much less than a classroom conducted in my first language. Being able to clearly express your ideas and thoughts is difficult at first for L2 learners and develops overtime. Putting students down during this difficult time is damaging to their progress and success in their second language. 

In outer circle countries, English serves as a second language in a multilingual country like Singapore, India and the Philippines. Sometimes it’s hard to provide equal access to English education. While the country may be promoting multilingualism the design of the programs creates problems. In expanding circle countries, English is widely studied as a foreign language like in China, Germany and Korea. In expanding countries, teachers may have difficulty motivating their students. Because they are monolingual, many learners may not see a reason in learning English.  The book defines integrative motivation as the motivation that is based on a desire to participate in social groups in which the target language is used. Instrumental motivation is the motivation that drives English language learning to achieve some gain like a job or entrance into a university. I think understanding our student’s motivation to learn English is very important in our instruction and connecting with our student for their progress.

I also thought the section discussing teacher competence was very interesting as many studies have found a lack of confidence among bilingual English teachers. It was also interesting to think about the effects requiring English may take on instruction as fewer teachers may be prepared and that their overall lack of confidence affects their teaching skills.

The second chapter looked at multilingual countries characterized by diglossia and those characterized by widespread English bilingualism. In those societies with diglossia there is an H status to English language learning which leads individuals to acquitting the language in hopes of social mobility.  English is given the status of an official language and other policies encourage learning English.  Whereas non-diglossic multilingual societies the status of English is seen clearly and other languages are seen to threaten national identity- a society of English-speakers.  There is a push towards monolingualism desire despite diversity within the group of people. This is a very important factor in the debate of bilingual education. Many times people see bilingual education as a means of learning English as quickly as possible which they may assume to mean as putting students in a monolingual classrooms in a “sink or swim” fashion. Many times parents share this idea. Supporters and proponents of bilingual education both challenge the idea of learning English. While this idea that multilingualism threatens our national identity promotes the use of bilingual classrooms, some people develop an irrational fear of bilingual education and believe that English is part of our identity as the United States. Many people have told me how unsuccessful bilingual programs are and how they damage the United States. What they are missing, as the authors point out in this chapter is that there is research that consistently support bilingual programs. Students are successful and often times outperform peers. Personally I have encountered a number of people who have told me that if someone immigrates to the United States they MUST learn English. This idea is damaging towards our view of bilingual students as outsiders threatening our identity and not the diverse and important part of our society. I believe as a pre-service bilingual educator is necessary to not only keep a learner’s first language in tact but use that first language as a resource and tool in learning.  We need to support these students and promote the quality of their education. 

Week 11: English in an era of globalization

International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts by McKay and Heng, Chapter one: English in an era of globalization.

The reading for this week focused on English as a global language and how it has developed this status overtime.  What does it mean to be a global language? The article defined the commonly used term globalization as the reformulation of social space in which the global and local are constantly interacting with one another and that neither one should be afforded a dominant position. 

The chapter also discussed colonialism's effect on the spread of English allowing English to become a language of power and prevalence. English spread along with the empire and became associated with power because the individuals who spoke English often had more access to better jobs. This encouraged more to learn English and  unfortunately began marginalizing non-English speakers as "others". Looking at the history of English with colonialism and exploring why this language has become a global language, I for some reason kept connecting English as a global language with teaching about Christopher Columbus in schools. I believe topics like these, which may "other" a group of people is an opportunity for students to critically think and analyze. We should avoid teaching our students; "Christopher Columbus is a hero who discovered America" or that "English is the most important language globally today and everyone desires to learn it". We should have students challenge these statements, the people these statements affect and reflect.

The book also discusses the alchemy of English. It states on page 7, “English is seen as a key to knowledge and personal success”. The paragraph continues to relate English to Aladdin’s lamp- once you have it allows you to open many doors to new opportunities. English is widely spread and spoken by people around the world. Three quarters of the world’s mail is even written in English. My sister recently came home from studying abroad and while she knows a second language, she found English everywhere she went. Other friends of mine have told me they have had trouble speaking their second language abroad. Often times the person they are communicating with will begin to speak to them in English. The chapter also discussed how vital English can be in the global economy- which made me think of a movie I saw years ago. In the movie The Terminal, Tom Hanks plays an eastern European immigrant. What stuck with me from that movie, were the scenes where he struggled to communicate with those around him. It’s interesting to see that this movie showed that not being able to speak English, or Speak English to a certain degree is a disadvantage even in an airport where thousands of people from all around the world  go in and out of every day.

The chapter continued to talk about incentives for learning English including those relevant to me as a pre-service bilingual educator; economic, education and mass media incentives. I am familiar with the economic incentive to learn English. English has become very important in the world market. Even outside of the United States English is helpful for employment as we outsource and individuals attempt to enter the competitive world market. As for education incentives, English is found in classrooms around the world and there are pressures from scholars to publish their work in English first. In some cases as the chapter points out there is an extreme pressure to learn English from the government. In Chinese language-in-education policies, China requires students to study English and methods promoted in English language classrooms. These government policies also leads to pressure from parents to introduce English to their children.  In other areas English learning is in standardized tests for entry of institutions of higher education (page 14). The book uses Japan as an example as English is many times a de facto requirement for higher education. During my interview from our assignment my conversational partner who moved here from Japan last May actually brought this up. He told me that he felt pressured to learn English and that it was required because he needed to learn English to enter a university in Japan. I thought this was really interesting and was excited to see this idea in the book. Finally, the book discussed the final incentive of learning English, mass media including advertising, music, movies and electronic communication. These are great resources to use in our classrooms as ESL teachers. Much of this media is conducted in English- for example 75% of the world film making is controlled by the United States and connected with the English language. English has a great hold on many different types of media and often times these forms connect well with students and would be great to use in the classroom.  I know a family friend who learned Japanese solely because of her interest in Japanese films. Eventually she lived in japan, taught there and is now married and speaks fluent Japanese!  While pop culture is a great resources in language acquisition, the fact that English controls much of the media today is unfortunate as it ostracizes other languages.

The rest of the reading discusses the dangers of this wide spread English phenomenon. For one, widespread English leads to growing monolinguals among English speakers and an economic divide in English learning. I think these are two very important points clearly discussed in the article.Overall, I really enjoyed the readings this week as they allowed me to reflect on how my own future classroom and how I will have students view the English language and what I can do as a teacher to address student’s connotations of the English. 

Blog Post Week 10- Race, language and identity: Critical multiculturalism in TESOL

Arab TESOL Student’s Experiences of Racialization and Othering in the United Kingdom looked at five male Muslim Saudi Arab learners in a TESOL graduate programme at a University in the United Kingdom. The study looks at racialization defined as “ways in which the idea of race might contribute to an experience of Othering” for learners. Specifically, how the image of Arabs and Muslims affect their experiences in the learning community.

The article states that TESOL classes reflect important institutional, societal and global discourses. I think this is a very important statement. TESOL practice is neither value-free nor apolitical. As TESOL teachers this is very important for us to remember and address in our own classrooms. This can affect our learners in a number of ways and can be very dangerous when students are subjected to Othering, marginalizing or inferiority based on their cultural to ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately race has a significant impact on social organization and identity formation. People see race as a REAL thing and not a social construction which excludes certain groups in our society.

The article also uses the term “Islamphobia”. This is designed as an “irrational fear of Muslims and what Islam represents” this has been around for years but since 9/11 has increased in academia, journalism and all other forms of media. Many individuals are affected by the discrimination post 9/11 on account of their religious affiliation, physical appearance and cultural norms and values. This article really made me reflect on my own conceptions and realize how many of images reinforcing Islamophobia I have seen in the media. During our last class we watched the documentary discussing the popular, racist and hurtful image of Arabs in popular media specifically in films. Aladdin is one of my favorite movies from my childhood. As many other twenty year olds Disney movies in general were a "right of passage". I remembered waiting at the door for my mom to return with the newest Disney movie on VHS tape. Before she was even able to take off her coat my sister and I would have the movie out of her hand and into the tape player sitting only a couple inches away from the flickering screen.

    We were Disney zombies.

Even today I still enjoy Disney films more than the average six year old. However, I have recognized and even written papers on the many controversial topics in these Disney films. It's surprising that I have researched, read articles on and written essays on the many things wrong in these Disney films but I have never seen anything that discusses the image of Arabs in Aladdin. As we watched the clip in class I could not believe how I hadn’t seen it before and how hurtful this image is. These ideas are unheard of in other films as well and very popular. These movies reflect an image of Arabs, a stereotype that it is rarely challenged.

"Irish Crossing"

The article also included some very personal experience of participants in their findings. One participant, Saif discussed how he is many times questioned by others especially about the treatment of women and marriage. I found his comment shocking and quite sad. For strangers to be questioning him based off of stereotypes and their preconceived notions is ridiculous. I tried to think of an example that would be applicable for my own heritage. I am Irish.  A popular image of the Irish that I have seen through media is that an Irishman is a drunk man, many times getting into arguments with other drunken Irish man. We even celebrate a holiday in the United States which while it embraces the Irish heritage, is celebrated with heavy drinking in green clothes. While I have never been to Ireland, I don't believe this one image accurately reflects the entire culture from my own experience with my family members that are recent immigrants and better judgment. If a stranger were to question me about my heritage and family members using only these stereotypes I'm sure I would be offended much like Saif as a Muslim Saudi Arab.

Becoming Black by Ibrahim was also a very interesting article to read. This article, like the others, discussed the interrelation between identity and learning. The article looked at a group of French-speaking immigrant and refugee continental African students entering a school in Canada where they were expected to fit in the social imaginary already in place. I found this article very interesting and had not considered this situation before. The research study examined the high school for over six months. I thought the student background info was presented in a really interesting way. Students experienced a lot in regards to identity formation. I think this article encourages us to understand, as teachers, student’s identities and help them. We should incorporate their own voices in our classrooms, not the prescribed ones and allow them to challenge the status quo while including their own personal identities in curriculum. 

Blog Post 6

I really enjoyed this week’s readings again, including the sections from the book which discussed refugees and the concept of social construction. I recently finished a project in which I had to find twnty-five texts related to immigration and was able to discuss and analyze a text about Hmong refugees. While I found these sections very interesting my reflection really focuses on the article, Construction of Racial Stereotypes in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Textbooks which discusses the images in EFL textbooks. As the article says, students consciously or unconsciously use, absorb and interpret the social, economic and racial realities present in the photographs, cartoons or pictures found in the images in their textbooks (page 65). I’ve never considered looking at how images are used to represent English culture(s) in EFL textbooks which is actually a really interesting topic. Learning Spanish, I know that images in these textbooks can reflect a culture weather it is true or not.

Taylor-Mendes believes that images in EFL textbooks should be questioned and discussed. Students and teachers should question race, class and gender imbalances of power as Brazilian philosopher Paulo Freire suggested in the 1960’s. While there was not much of this in my high school, in many of my college courses we discuss unequal power relations found in our everyday lives and are encouraged to take action. In many of my classes including my American Diversity course I took last year I have been pushed to examine who benefits from the existing power structures, who are the disadvantaged and to explore these unequal power relationships. This process has made me more aware of this issue inside and outside of the classroom. I think it is important for teachers to address this issue whenever it is applicable. I agree that looking at images in EFL textbooks is a great opportunity to discuss this issue.

Giaschi stated on page 67 that images in EFL texts that are produced in or by one culture and in context specific conditions are often used and absorbed in sometimes radically different contexts with different sociopolitical cultural realities. He examined images used in texts and made a connection with how physical positioning, body language and clothing suggested that men were more powerful than women. While I cannot connect this with EFL texts, I did write a research paper my freshman year of college examining ads in magazines and how they reflect gender stereotypes. It was actually very disturbing to see how many times a woman is depicted as vulnerable and weak. Even in ads for purses or shoes geared towards female consumers, a woman sometimes looks like she is lifeless or even beaten. Men are often muscular, standing tall and above women.  

Giaschi claims that teachers and students “passively accept and absorb “the images presented to them in their texts and seemed to suggest students cannot challenge these images. I like Taylor-Mendes, don’t necessarily agree with this statement. Just because a person is exposed to something does not mean they are incapable of critical discourse. While I had been exposed to these images of men and women in ads throughout my life, I was readily able to discuss and explore power relations in these images. While looking at ads closely made me conscious of what was actually happening , I was able to challenge these ideas on my own and did not accept these messages as true statements about society.

The study itself was really fascinating.  I thought it was interesting how the author discussed the personal factors that went into the students feeling comfortable speaking with him. I know in one of last week’s readings, the researchers were really concerned about not being able to connect with a culture outside their own. Taylor-Mendes also recognizes this boundary between himself and his Brazilian participants. However he believed he had more of a connection with his students because he spoke fluent Portuguese, married a Brazilian, believed he had started acting more “Brazilian” , met with the participants individually etc. What concerns would you have while conducting a study involving culturally diverse participants?  

In the study, he asked students what they saw in the images in textbooks they provided.  A second interview allowed him to discuss critical analysis questions and the third interview was intended to serve as a follow up.  Taylor-Mendes stated that he found three common themes in his research-that the U.S. is a land of the white elite, blacks are consistently seen as poor or powerless while whites are seen as wealthy and powerful and lastly, that race is divided by continent.

Pictures depicted American culture as economic or social success. These images included Americans on their cell phones, on vacation, shaking hands or making business deals. Participants also found that only whites represent power and that blacks represented the powerless.  I thought it was interesting how Roberto Carlos pointed out the picture of an African American woman using a computer. The caption of the image simplified this action as just “using a mouse”. Her body language made her look defeated, slumped over and bored unlike the images of powerful white business men smiling and standing straight.

I also thought the idea that race is divided by continent very interesting. I didn’t know what Taylor-Mendes meant by this at first but when he stated that many of the images reinforced the limiting stereotype in which the images implied that whites live in “North America, Asians live in Asia, Arabs live in Middle East and blacks live in Africa”. These images ignore migration, immigration, colonization or intermixing of race and identity.  I connected this to something that happened to me the other day while watching a show from the U.K. with two of my friends. One of my friends had never seen the show before and when a black character was introduced she commented on how strange it was to hear a black man with a British accent. She told me how “strange” this was. I think this idea is what Taylor-Mendes is speaking about in his article. Often times, even as educated college students we may stereotype by race and continent. I think these images and the images my friend has seen of the U.K. before the shows are really a disadvantage and can be hurtful. I also thought the image representing South America or Latin America was really shocking as Taylor-Mendes said there was only one image found among the textbooks. Not only was there a lack of images in the EFL textbooks but the image was highly stereotypical.  The image depicted South Americans as dark-skinned, tribal men and women wearing grass skits. I think a description was needed for this image. Last year I heard about a student my professor worked with who did not know there were modern day Native Americans, she believed Native Americans were solely historical figures found in our textbooks.  More of a description would be needed to avoid misconceptions like these with individuals from South America. While it’s great to incorporate these groups of people in the text book I agree that more information would be needed.  

As Taylor-Mendes states in EFL texts Americans look like wealthy, white, powerful, isolated members within their own race, free of problems. That is a very strong statement to make and something being represented in images found in textbooks used in educational systems. The article states that while textbook publishers seem to be trying to neutralize EFL textbook images, the participants in the study found the images were not accurate representations of culture but instead reinforced “made-in-Hollywood” version of culture that does not exist. While we are aware of these stereotypes we need to consider them.

I found this article very helpful for my future as an educator. I have never considered the images used in textbooks before and now realize what kind of messages these images can send about culture, race, power etc. While we cannot choose a text book by the images used in the book, or we may not have the power to choose textbooks used in the classroom- the important thing we must do is recognize these stereotypes in the images of these English-language textbooks and address them in classroom discussions. 

Blog Post 5: ELF

The first article I read was Baker's The Cultures of English as a Lingua Franca which looked at what ELF means in understanding relationships between languages and cultures. This research study analyzed intercultural communication from studies when using English in higher education in Thailand. She looks at how cultural frames are employed and perceived in ELF communication. An interesting point the article raises that I haven’t considered before is that English, or really any language cannot be seen as the property of one culture or community. This is suggesting that language isn't a solid thing belonging to one group of people exclusively but instead is complex and multifaceted. English is not connected to one culture of traditional English-dominant countries.  I don’t think many Americans see English in this way. In my own experience, I think that some people feel that they “own” English. I have heard  people say “If you come to this country, learn English” multiple times. This statement seems to suggest that America = English and ignores the language variation within our country. The article also defined English as a lingua franca which is a way to refer to communication in English through speakers with different first languages . The two people interacting have two different first languages and communicate in English. This definition was very helpful for me.

          I think Risafer’s theory discussing English in a differential sense rather than a generic sense was very interesting. Originally I believed in the generic/universal sense where language and culture are intertwined. However, she believes language can be separated. I didn't like how this was worded or agree with the statement until I read on. From what I understood she believes language can be separated from culture and other cultures could use those languages. What was confusing for me, is that if a culture uses a language other than the one typically associated with their culture, why does that not become part of their culture?  She does go on to say she believes English languages like English language cultures take on new cultural meanings. I agree that in any new communicative event a new language and culture link can be created because the use of that language is special. English is my first language and I have been studying Spanish since I was fourteen. When I am with some of my friends we actually speak Spanish with each other. I have a friend who has been to South America several times and I don’t get to see her very often but when I do we sometimes switch to Spanish during our conversations whether it is intentional or not. My use of Spanish here, versus my use of Spanish in the classroom is different. I’m not sure if this is a perfect example to reflect this idea but I did think about this. She believes events like this create languacultures, and that no language is tied to one culture. Every interaction and use of language is unique. 

           Baker also states language is what expresses, embodies and symbolizes cultural reality (pg. 6). This quote stood out to me in the article. Language could be used for a variety of reason from representing shared experiences and knowledge, creating experiences to membership to a community. As TESOL students we all understand the importance of language. 

           I really enjoyed the study the article provided as well. I thought one of the participants, Nami’s explanation was very interesting. Nami said that English native speaker norms have influenced her but she also has adapted to suit her own needs and purposes. Another participant also commented on English speaking cultures being different than Thai, and seemed to relate to English cultures more.  This is an interesting look at how EFLs view the “English culture” and how it affects them. They are aware of differences.Ultimately I thought these participants observations and experiences were very helpful. The article examined their feedback away from House’s claim but more towards what Kenkins believes; that ELF is a vehicle for expressing and perhaps creating cultures and identifications (pg. 20.) The article overall looked at that specific relationship between culture and languages in ELF contexts. As it points out, there are a couple of ways of looking at the data from the article.One is that ELF has no culture, but individual communication does. Every person has a rich background and history that is reflected through their language, behaviors and expectations. All in all for lingua franca communication it is very difficult to identify a clear relationship between language and culture. As teachers we need to continue to examine data and different points of view to understand the many different theories, make our own conclusions and include them into our classroom.

             Next I read Marra’s Chapter  which discussed something I had not considered before, language in the workplace. This study specifically looked at New Zealand  and allowed participants the volunteers to record their own interactions for research. I thought this was a really interesting way to conduct a study but I immediately had concerns about this particular method. Workplace participants decide what is recorded, when and how so. While seeing how participants interpret interactions is very interesting I would pair this approach with a researchers unfiltered observations as well. The participants personal ideas could be included through interviews etc. but overall I think it’s better to have the control in the researchers hands too. Another change I would make to this study is to look at ineffective communication as well. While looking at effective communication is helpful,  it would be interesting and beneficial to see what doesn't work as well. I think observing ineffective communication would open the doors to many more conclusions and a better understanding of what makes communication effective.

            I also thought it was interesting how aware the researchers were and how much they separated themselves from the indigenous group, the Maori population.  They called themselves outsiders, visitors and limited. I think in this case you need to somewhat step aside to make observations and conclusions. It’s great that they acknowledged their own cultural differences as to avoid making assumptions or allowing those ideas to influence their research but It might have interfered. I think you have to remain neutral and be willing to learn and not focus on your differences.  I liked that the researchers did not take simple characteristics of this culture as true but considered that there are differences among members of this group. As they stated on page eight, they knew they had to “explore deeper” than what they were just told. I also wonder how they found these Maori organizations. Were all of the workers Maori, or did they assume that everyone in the work place related to this culture. I wish they had clarified on that more because I did wonder how they considered all of the workers as Maori when they conducted research on these “Maori Organizations”. I’m sure there was diversity in these corporations. To assume all workers belong to the same culture could have influenced some their research findings.

             I did like that they talked a lot about keeping in contact with the volunteers. They said that they had a lot of really enthusiastic volunteers who recorded a lot of information. The article mentioned that sometimes two people would record the same interaction. As a researcher I would have loved to see that and I would have encouraged it. I think an instance like that really is a great opportunity to look at data for a variety of factors. You could see how different perspectives interpret social interactions, what individual background does in interpreting language and interaction etc. I just thought that instances like that would be really great!

             Overall, the article explained the challenges that occurred in recording and analyzing interactions for New Zealand workplaces. Reading this article really made me think about what I would do if I was conducting a study and raised questions for me to find additional research. I believe that is an important characteristic among teachers. We should be interested in knowing our students and knowing what learning a language entails so we can help them. We need to continuously improve ourselves, ask questions and find information to start forming our own conclusions.

              Looking at social interactions between people from different cultural backgrounds is difficult. We don’t have clear answers and there are many things to explore in this area. As these researchers found, it is also difficult to analyze a group of culturally diverse participants if there is no prior research involving them and/or if you are unfamiliar with their culture. While the researches tried to learn about the culture they were studying from outside sources, they were aware that what they were learning could not compare to what is truly behind the culture.  I think that while the research originally set out to look at how cultural differences play a role in interaction in the work place they found something quite different. They found how really complex this topic is and how difficult it is to asses and how many factors need to be taken into consideration to appropriately collect data, analyze and come to conclusions. 

Blog Post 4: Cultural Differences

     This week’s articles focused on an ongoing debate in TESOL which looks at including culture in teaching ESL students. The first article I read was Kubota’s Unfinished Knowledge: The Story of Barbara. I really enjoyed how Kubota expressed his findings in this article through a fictional narrative. Kubota states his arguments very early on in this article. He mentions that teachers who use culture in teaching ESL students usually have good intentions by respecting their student’s cultural differences rather than denying them. I agree that some of these teachers adopt the liberal view of cultural differences and mistakenly create a barrier between their students and themselves. Kubota also states that to understand cultural differences critically we need to look at issues of power and discourse. Ultimately Kubota doesn’t have a clear answer or explanation on incorporating culture into teaching ESL students, but his article does allow us as readers and as future educators to explore the issue more in depth and lead us to creating our own explanations.

     I really enjoyed reading this article which tells the story of a college writing teacher’s first experience with ESL students and how she begins to look at multiple academic points of view and how her perceptive on cultural differences in the classroom changes over time. Barbara is the teacher who has her first students from culturally diverse backgrounds. In desperation she asks her colleague Carol who has background in TESOL to help her. Carol talks to Barbara about the importance of recognizing and respecting cultural differences which incorporate different social values, beliefs and customs. While Carol’s statements and the background information she shares about Korean, Japanese and Chinese culture are helpful- I believe Carol needed to be more careful in avoiding generalizing these students. Barbara did take their discussion as a learning experience and started doing her own research. Over time, Barbara began feeling comfortable with her culturally diverse ESL students and asked them questions about their linguistic and rhetorical conventions in their native language and how they different from those in English. While I don’t agree with Barbara’s focus on cultural differences I did like that she looked to her students for reinforcement. She asked her students for feedback but I would assume that her discussions of the lack of critical thinking or directness in Asian cultures might discourage some students from participating. Barbara needed to keep in mind that all students differ even within what she sees as their cultural identity. I did like that Barbara believed that no student should ever abandon their own culture however students may need to adopt certain cultural conventions to succeed in the academic community. This reminded me of our discussion on Ebonics. I believe that Ebonics could be very successfully incorporated in the classroom to help make learning relevant to students who use it. Unfortunately, I know that many teachers do see Ebonics as a misuse of the English language and don’t believe it has any place in the classroom. While it is understood that Standard English is important to be successful in our society, we shouldn’t ban the use of Ebonics in our classrooms. We can show students and encourage them to use Standard English in certain situations but to not allow students to use Ebonics could exclude students and discourage participation. We should never allow students to discard part of their cultural identity but we can teach our students what they need to be successful, whether we believe that is right or not.

When love interest David is added to the story he introduces the essentialist position and the constructionist view of culture. I thought how David explained these views to Barbara was very interesting and helpful for her as a teacher.  An essentialist views culture as a fixed category, as something that just “is”. A constructionist views culture as a creation of politics etc, something that we as a society creates. These two views see culture as something that just has characteristics, or as something we create by giving it these characteristics. This idea showed Barbara what she was missing in her teaching. While she believed there just “were” cultural characteristics, their discussion helped her explore the idea that we are defining cultures. She was then encouraged to look at readings that examined images of cultures and what the mean in relation to power between the West and non-West. She realized asking some of the questions she asked her students enforced polarized and fixed ways of viewing these cultures. She saw that she should not be endorsing cultural stereotypes and not promoting English and American culture as worth anything more than their native culture. While Barbara had been trying to incorporate student’s cultures into the classroom she was afraid she was doing more harm than good and after more research she was able to challenge these stereotypes and produce better discussions in her classroom. Have you ever felt that even though you were trying to be accepting of other cultures you were making assumptions about this group? How can you change your own thinking?

      The next article I read was Japanese culture constricted by discourses: implications of applied linguistics research and ELT. Like the first article this article also expands on the idea of drawing on cultural differences between ESL students and the target academic community. As Barbara did, these individuals tend to create a cultural dichotomy between the West and the non-West. Part of Kubota's article looked at Nihonjinron which are theories on the Japanese and assuming that Japanese people and culture have unique interpersonal relationships, group psychology social behaviors lifestyles, language use and business management and even biological brain functions (page 12). Kubota highlights recent studies of schooling in Japan which finds the opposite that instead Japanese education goes education goes beyond mechanical learning, lack of individualism and memorization.  While secondary education was said to focus more on memorization, creativity, original thinking and self-expression are still fostered. I believe these findings could be found in my own middle school here in the United States.  These studies and others challenge cultural representations in education of Japanese students. We as educators need to understand these labels and move beyond them.

     These two articles and Connor’s Changing currents in contrastive theoretic: implications for teaching and research were really helpful for me to read as I study TESOL. I know it is difficult in my own experience to avoid our own stereotypes. These three articles worked so closely together and really helped me consider the advantages and disadvantages of focusing on cultural differences. While teachers , may have good intentions they need to be careful to avoid making assumptions about their students.

Blog Post 3: Kuma

I believe the reading for this week really helped me reflect on what I want to do in my future work with TESOL. As the Kuma article states, TESOL is not free from cultural stereotypes. This statement made me think back to discussions I’ve had in some of my other classes.  As educators, our personal ideas and beliefs are incorporated into instruction whether it is intentional or not. We need to address our own preconceived notions, address them and do our best to not let any of our own misconceptions interfere with our job as teachers. Unfortunately, I believe there are many teachers in the United States who allow their own stereotypes reflect in their behavior towards their students.

The article goes on to discuss the stereotypes many students particularly from Asia face. These students are part of three billion people who belong to very different cultures includingChinese, Korean,Vietnamese and others. These cultures are all very different from one another but still all of these students are all classified as “Asian”. I have seen this in my own experience inside and outside of classrooms. Kuma continues to explore stereotypes of these students including obedience to authority, lack critical thinking skills and a lack of participation in class. Teachers need to understand that any student who fits these descriptions fit them as individuals, not because they are considered part of a group. There are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration when looking at our students and their performance. Simply categorizing them into groups and insisting their behavior is a reflection of their roles in these groups is a “cop-out” and unfair to the child.  One interesting stereotype examined in the article was the idea that “Asian” students do not participate in class. While the article stated that this characteristic is unique to an individual I thought it was interesting that it also stated shyness is a commonly found characteristic among English Language Learners.  I can understand why speaking in classrooms especially for ELLs may cause extreme levels of anxiety. I know that I am very self-conscious about speaking in my second language in front of others especially native speakers. I know that I will take this into account when working in my own classroom. Ultimately there are many other factors that contribute to a student's identity besides their culture. I believe that all too often people struggle to look past what they see as another person’s cultural identity.  As TESOL educators we need to avoid stereotyping at all costs to protect our students.

Kuma Chapter Five began with a glimpse into a school from 1917. This school focused on teaching English as a second language to the immigrants that worked for Ford and to assimilate them into American cultural beliefs and practices. The description of the graduation ceremony shocked me. I thought the details were so off the wall I read the passage to a friend and asked him what he thought. He told me he thought the ceremony was elaborate. He also asked me if the point of this school was to “erase their history so they’re not immigrants anymore?”. In his response, the phrase“erasing a culture” stuck out to me. How can someone’s culture be erased? Does lowering yourself into a giant prop and changing into a business suit make you an American? Does graduating a school that prides itself on assimilating immigrants into the American culture make you an American? The ceremony seemed like a factory producing “Americans”- inserting immigrants, melting them down and producing cold, hard Americans each the same as the one before. It’s sad to think about these individuals needing to shed what made them unique and fill this American mold that the school was forced on them.

Later the article elaborated on this idea of a melting pot. It called this concept a myth that involved “individuals of all nations” melting into a “new race”. There is much more to this process including the selectivity of cultural assimilation, durability of ethnic affiliation and the responsibility of the mainstream community. Assimilation does not come easy and there are many factors that play a role into this idea. Overall, reading this article made me think about the importance of keeping a native culture alive. In one of my bilingual classes we discussed a case where a child was separated from his home life as he rejected his culture and native language. The child struggled to fit in at school and learn English. As a result he decided to separate himself from his family and background and eventually he was unable to communicate with his own parents. Reading this account last semester broke my heart, I could not imagine what it would be like like to feel like you need to give up such an important aspect of your life and what it would feel like to no longer have that connection to your home, history or family.

Another point I found interesting came from the book readings. The book discusses how we should understand people before we can communicate with them. I agree with this statement. I believe that there is more to communication than having a lexicon of vocabulary terms in a shared language. There has to be an understanding between the speakers.  Haven’t we all had times where communicating to an English speaker was difficult? The book also discussed the influence personal relationships and interactions have on our perspectives. A2.2 provided an example in which perspectives of other cultures were altered from personal relationships. I had never heard of a “middle culture before” but found this term very interesting in this reading. The middle culture is created when people from different backgrounds meet, to help them interact. How those people see each other is influenced by this middle culture. How this single interaction plays out can influence an idea of someone or a group forever. Interesting how we see stereotypes in our every day lives and while many of us accept these to be true, if we were to look at them in depth we'd find they are only social constructions. 

Blog Post 2: Holliday and Paulenko

I found the readings for this week very interesting. I really enjoyed the first piece I read by Paulenko, The Making of an American: Negotiation of identities at the turn of the twentieth century. The paper focused on the narrative identities constructed in first-generation American immigrant autobiographies. We often forget to look at autobiographies which are really powerful sources that provide real-life perspectives from someone’s personal journey. As a learner, hearing other’s experiences helps me make connections and relate to the material.

A large part of the article looked at several memoirs published during the Great Migration by immigrants who had arrived in the United States between the years 187O and 1913. Twenty-four million immigrants uprooted and came to the U.S. during this time. Most of these immigrants came from southern or eastern Europe. However, as more individuals came to the U.S. people began to differentiate between the “old immigrants” and the “new immigrants” who were perceived as different from the population culturally, linguistically and ethnically. People began searching for a ‘national identity’ when the large number of immigrants, different than those before them came into the U.S.  With this array of newcomers with very different backgrounds, “old immigrants” sought the need of a standard, U.S. citizen which eventually led immigrants to ‘Americanization’, the process immigrants undergo to assimilate into American culture. 

The many stories that were in this article were chronicles of the first immigrants to undergo the process of Americanization. Their stories were originally needed to provide hope for other immigrants, help educate mainstream citizens and continue the process of Americanization in the U.S.  As I read this article I asked myself, why does undergoing Americanization require individuals to give up their own personal culture and heritage? Why can someone not belong to more than one culture? I am a student and a daughter. I am also a big sister, a friend and a tutor. I can’t belong to only one cultural identity. Why can’t immigrants keep their culture while assimilating to the American culture? I remember learning about the Great Migration when I was little and hearing the old saying “America is a melting pot”. This statement refers to all the very different immigrants like the men and women from this article that came to America, stepped into its pot and melted beside each other into one thing, a result of Americanization. I always thought this concept of a ‘melting pot’ was sad. When I first heard it I imagined a toy of mine melting out the in the sun after leaving it on the driveway too long. It is no longer the toy I loved, it is barely recognizable. Last year I heard a student refer to the U.S. as a “salad bowl” instead. In this salad bowl, we recognize we are a country made up of immigrants, made from people who are diverse and who came to the United States for a better life. We recognize these people are here, and we appreciate them for their differences. We do not try to melt them down until they are unrecognizable but instead we appreciate each and every one as a whole, contributing to our nation, a nation built by immigration.

I’d also like to mention a quote by Lanunzio in the article recalling his own identity after years of trying to assimilate “I have now been in America for nineteen years; I have grown up here as much as any man can; I have had my education here; I have become a citizen; I have given all I had of youthful zeal and energy in serving my adopted country; I have come to love America as I do my very life- perhaps more arid yet they still call me a 'foreigner.' Though he had gone through the process of Americanization he was still treated like an outsider. Even when a population decides to recognize a group of people, they may never be treated as equals. I hope that in my work with bilingual and multicultural students, I can help these children not only feel like a contributing part of the classroom but a contributing and accepted part of society. I want my students to know that despite what others may tell them, they are Americans.

While the first article discussed how immigrants were expected to reconstruct their identities in order to assimilate into American culture through a process of Americanization, A1.1. looked at how people construct their own identities. Parisa is a woman who struggles with others view of her as an Iranian.  It was interesting to hear how she tried to mold others image of her and her fears of being seen as different or accepted by her colleagues. It was sad to read her story because it seemed like while her colleagues respected her as a person they could not respect her as an Iranian. They seemed to assume she was an exception and not the rule. It was interesting to see how instead of challenging their own conceptions on what an Iranian woman is like, they assumed that because she did not fit their preconception of this role- she was different. A1.2 looked at what people say about their own culture. I thought the story about Janet, Zhang and Ming was actually very interesting. I have heard others discuss this topic before but I never really thought about the reasoning for these students. It discussed how some students may exaggerate their own cultural identity to counter American culture. I think it is important as educators to remember that despite how the student portrays their own cultural identity, it is still meaningful to them. Whether or not their cultural identity is seen as correct or not should not influence how we work with these students. A1.3 claims that when two people converse they send messages about their culture whether it is intentional or not.  The example given was of a group of girls on a school bus whose cultural identity was seen in the way they talked to each other while on their ‘home ground’. Reading this story made me think of the different dialects found across the United States. Dialects are not only variations in pronunciation but they may hold differences in etiquette and mannerisms. For example, If I needed something from someone it would seem normal for me to go to them and simply ask “Hey do you have the math worksheet?” etc. While that is considered normal here it may be thought of as rude to other groups of people, in other areas of the countries. My mother is from the south, what they call the “boot hill” of Missouri. I have noticed how different things are in my mother’s hometown and where I am from up north near Chicago. In that particular part of Missouri if someone needed to borrow something, no one simply asks for it. Instead the person visits the other, sits with them and talks. Students have very different cultural identities whether they relate to situations like Parisa, Zhang or the group of school girls. Despite their differences their cultural identity is valuable and I believe it is important to keep this in mind for instruction to better connect with students.

Cultural identity is key when working with students. We must remember the many factors that go into creating this perception of our cultural identity whether it is our own perceptions or others. We should also remember that we do should never give up our native culture or encourage others to do so to assimilate into American culture. Our native cultures make us who we are and should be embraced by society as contributing members. 

Blog Post 1: TESOL and Culture

Dwight Atkinson’s article discussed the significant relationship between culture and TESOL which many times is misunderstood or ignored. Reading this article was very helpful for me as a future educator. It required me to think and reflect on my own ideas and beliefs about what culture truly is and how to adopt culture into my teaching.

In the reading I began to see culture as a rapidly changing enmity and started thinking about the relationship between different cultures. As the article pointed out there is no such thing as an isolated culture. Cultures are affected by those around them and have continuously evolved. I thought this portion of the article was particularly interesting and reminded me of one of my favorite courses here at Illinois State.  I took Human Geography as a general education requirement my first semester at this university. In that course I remember looking at groups of people around the world and how they have interacted with others around them over time. We also looked at some cultures that have more recently been affected by the introduction of technology. I remember learning about one area of the world where a company had installed computers outside some of the buildings. The community was impoverished and the residents had never seen a computer before. Children surrounded these computers and used them together throughout the day. You can see how much these these few computers on the streets have affected their culture and the children using them since their instillation. One study done by Appadurai found while looking at previously localized groups of individuals that globalization had a substantial effect and made a fundamental change in their culture.  I liked how the article said cultures have never been pure or separate but are always being influenced by what is around them. Culture does not simply exist on its own or remain the same but are in a constant state of development and interaction.

On the first day in this class we wrote down our definition of culture on an index card. The definition I wrote down has already changed.  Specifically after reading this article, I have realized that “culture” does not have a clear definition. The article is filled with scholars trying to define this one term and yet there still is no one agreed upon one concrete definition.  One change I have made to my own definition comes from a realization- that culture can be individualistic. One part of the article states that cultures are not “neatly bound and mutually exclusive bodies of thought and custom” which are shared by each and every member. Cultures are not groups of brainwashed robots who think, feel and act the same way but instead consist of living, breathing, unique individuals.  

In the conclusion of this article there is a reference to the relationship between a forest and its trees. When I read this I saw the overall forest representing a culture but each tree representing a member, unique from the rest. This article helped me see that culture is actually very individualized. As a future teacher it is important to know this because you cannot assume something about an individual, or about your student based on what you believe their culture means. Each person has their very own culture and their own set of beliefs, values and norms. One comment Zamel made which was stated in the article was “teachers and researchers who see students as bound by their cultures may be trapped by their own cultural tendency to reduce, categorize and generalize”. Educators need to be careful not to make assumptions and as one of the six principles in the articles states “All humans are individuals. Teachers and researchers need to view students as individuals, not as members of a cultural group". This statement goes along with the second principle “Knowing students individually also involves knowing them culturally.”  As teachers we need to embrace all students’ individual cultures. We must look past this view of a culture as a forest filled with identical trees but instead look more closely and see the  individual trees, our students, each different from another.