Chapter 2 focused on the reasons people learn English and the programs that nations from each circle use in order to teach the language. The chapter starts with an intriguing quote on page 31 that states "There is tremendous pressure for immigrants to learn English since most social and employment situations require the use of English." I thought that this was a little ironic because they feel pressured to learn English, many English-speakers are feeling pressure to learn other languages for the same reason. Is their pressure similar to the pressure that Americans feel to learn languages such as Spanish or Mandarin-Chinese?
The author next looked at different models that inner circles used, such as Britain, the US, and Australia. In Britain, the Swann Report endorsed mainstreaming so the students could interact with native speakers. However, critics say that the report fails to recognize "the important role that first language maintenance can have on both cognitive development and the acquisition of a second language" (p. 33). The author acknowledges that a decision Inner Circle countries has to deal with is whether to give emphasis to social integration and risk losing language support, or emphasize language support and risk losing social interaction. It's a give or take situation. This decision then questions "to what extent development in a learner's first language can have beneficial effects on second language acquisition?" (p. 35). Unlike Britain;s train of thought, Australian programs were designed to promote bilingualism. Their 4 guiding principles were:
1. competence in English
2. maintenance and development of languages other than English
3. provision of services in languages other than English
4. opportunities for learning second languages
In my opinion, I think that the Australians were dead on as far as intentions go. They wanted their citizens to be bilingual because they understood that knowing more than one language is a resource and not a deficit. Unfortunately, some "teachers cast these students' ability to communicate in two languages not as a special talent or strngth but rather as a disability" (p. 37). We clearly know from various studies and research that the old saying "two is better than one" is certainly true when it comes to languages.
An interesting point was make on page 49. According to the text, "there is tremendous pressure for teachers to conduct English-only classroom." I found this ironic because all the evidence proves that "the use of L1 in language classrooms have documented the ways in which the first language can be used very effectively in language classrooms" (p. 49). My question, not only for just the Expanding Circle but for everyone, is that if the L1 can help in language classrooms, then why have English-only classrooms? I firmly believe that all teachers should either have certification in bilingualism or ESL and it would not only be beneficial for teacher but for the students as well. I think that bilingual teachers would be able to help the students realize that their language skills are a gift that is meant to be cherished, not a problem that needs to be erased.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
McKay Ch. 1
The first thing that I will discuss in this post is Phillipson's 5 tenets about the English teaching profession.
TENET 1: "English is best taught monolingually." No offense to Phillipson, but he clearly has never analyzed any of the studies that prove English is best learned among with other languages. This tenet suggests that bilingual education and ESL instruction are not necessary, and obviously that is not the case. IF a student has a native language other than English, then that language needs to be included in the learning process in order to obtain maximum results.
TENET 2: "The ideal teacher of English is a native speaker." Again, this is a very limiting and exclusive statement that I completely disagree with. If we are going to say this, then they need to answer certain questions such as "What makes an ideal teacher?" The only reason I would even think this could even remotely resemble a true statement is that a native speaker understands coloquial sayings, and even then, such sayings can be looked up in a book. This tenet automatically assumes that anyone who is not a native speaker can never be a good teacher.
TENET 3: "The earlier English is taught, the better the results." This I do agree with. So many studies show that the earlier a language is learned, English or not, the more likely it is that the learner will achieve native-like fluency. This is why more bilingual programs need to be installed at the elementary level.
TENET 4: "The more English is taught, the better the results." Although this seems like a confusing statement, I interpreted it as "the more often English is spoken." If this is the case, then I agree. I feel that continuous contact with a language is extremely beneficial for the learner. Why else do students who go abroad come back more proficient? It is because when the first thing you hear in the morning is that target language and it's also the last thing you hear at night, your brain adapts to it. As teachers, we can hep our students by having different resources for them to access the language.
TENET 5: "If other languages are used much, standards of English will drop." I am honestly not sure what this tenet is supposed to mean, it seems very vague. I took it as "if other languages are used, then English will not be as powerful." I think that people feel that the English language will be threatened if other language use is promoted. I do not fell that this is the case at all in reality. The reason that English is such a powerful language is because people learn it for different reasons. Some do it to help advance them in their careers, some do it to make more money, and some do it just to improve themselves or learn something new. No matter the reason, everyone has the right to be able to freely use their native language without discrimination or prejudice.
I believe that the reason that people are scared of foreign languages is because they are uneducated. That is where language teachers come into place. Not only do we educate our students, but we need to inform their parents and community members ab out acceptance and awareness of different languages. Once society can come to the realization that other languages should be praised instead of shunned, then it will be more beneficial for everyone.
TENET 1: "English is best taught monolingually." No offense to Phillipson, but he clearly has never analyzed any of the studies that prove English is best learned among with other languages. This tenet suggests that bilingual education and ESL instruction are not necessary, and obviously that is not the case. IF a student has a native language other than English, then that language needs to be included in the learning process in order to obtain maximum results.
TENET 2: "The ideal teacher of English is a native speaker." Again, this is a very limiting and exclusive statement that I completely disagree with. If we are going to say this, then they need to answer certain questions such as "What makes an ideal teacher?" The only reason I would even think this could even remotely resemble a true statement is that a native speaker understands coloquial sayings, and even then, such sayings can be looked up in a book. This tenet automatically assumes that anyone who is not a native speaker can never be a good teacher.
TENET 3: "The earlier English is taught, the better the results." This I do agree with. So many studies show that the earlier a language is learned, English or not, the more likely it is that the learner will achieve native-like fluency. This is why more bilingual programs need to be installed at the elementary level.
TENET 4: "The more English is taught, the better the results." Although this seems like a confusing statement, I interpreted it as "the more often English is spoken." If this is the case, then I agree. I feel that continuous contact with a language is extremely beneficial for the learner. Why else do students who go abroad come back more proficient? It is because when the first thing you hear in the morning is that target language and it's also the last thing you hear at night, your brain adapts to it. As teachers, we can hep our students by having different resources for them to access the language.
TENET 5: "If other languages are used much, standards of English will drop." I am honestly not sure what this tenet is supposed to mean, it seems very vague. I took it as "if other languages are used, then English will not be as powerful." I think that people feel that the English language will be threatened if other language use is promoted. I do not fell that this is the case at all in reality. The reason that English is such a powerful language is because people learn it for different reasons. Some do it to help advance them in their careers, some do it to make more money, and some do it just to improve themselves or learn something new. No matter the reason, everyone has the right to be able to freely use their native language without discrimination or prejudice.
I believe that the reason that people are scared of foreign languages is because they are uneducated. That is where language teachers come into place. Not only do we educate our students, but we need to inform their parents and community members ab out acceptance and awareness of different languages. Once society can come to the realization that other languages should be praised instead of shunned, then it will be more beneficial for everyone.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Holliday A3.1/3.2 & B3.2/3.3
Unit A3.1 talks a lot about how much power the media has on the representations of images that we see. “In modern society we are constantly fed images of the foreign other…” (p. 41). What is crucial for society to remember is that what we see on T.V. is most likely only a portion of what is going on in the real world, and also very carefully selected. We see what the media wants us to see; the opinions and prejudices we make are done so because they want us to think that way. “The news media provides us with a very narrow, very tightly constrained and grotesquely inaccurate account of the world in which we live” (p.195). It’s a little scary to think of how much power the news media has on a society, how they can change the image of a certain group of people in either a positive or negative light, and how they can create new stereotypes.
On page 200, Stuart Hall writes that “stereotypes get hold of the few simple. Vivid, memorable, easily grasped, and widely recognized characteristics about a person, reduce everything about that person to those traits…” (p. 200). I absolutely hate stereotypes; I don’t understand how people think it is acceptable to take a human being and shove them into a mold of how society thinks they should behave. Everyone has been stereotyped. I personally have been stereotyped for several things. People don’t understand the effects of stereotyping until they have personally experienced it. On a personal level, I get stereotyped for being in a sorority. Once people find out that I am in one, they automatically assume that I am a “typical sorority girl”: a raging party tramp with a low GPA and absolutely no ambitions in life. The fact that people would assume I am this type of person just because I wear Greek letters across my chest is hurtful and damaging to my esteem. Then once they get to know me, they realize all the positive things that a sorority can bring out in someone; my friends are flabbergasted when they learn that I have a 3.5 GPA, I don’t party a lot, and I complete over 100 hours of community service every academic school year. Stereotypes not only hurt the people that is mentioned, but also the people that hold those stereotypes mentioned. When I studied in Spain, many of the Spaniards thought that all Americans were over-the-top alcoholics, basically exactly like the cast of “Jersey Shore”. I had to break those assumptions as well.
I feel that recognizing stereotypes is important, especially for educators. In my classroom, there will be a variety of races and cultures among my students. It is up to me to take care that not only I remain neutral from stereotypes, but that I encourage everyone to look at the assumptions society has about their peers and to get to know each other on a deeper and more meaningful level. If every teacher was able to accomplish this in their classroom, imagine what the next generation of students will be like: open, accepting, and independent.
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