Culturally Sensitive EIL Pedagogy

Towards a Culturally Sensitive EIL Pedagogy

Throughout this class we have learned so much about our future students in our classrooms and what types of backgrounds they might come from. Learning about different cultures and learning about how to be sensitive towards other cultures and ways of living puts everything into perspective. We are going to come across so many different cultures and Englishes in the classroom and we are going to have to know how to respond to multilingualism and multiculturalism. At the same time we are going to have to recognize that our English speaking students are also going to have very different variations of Englishes and come from homes who have different attitudes and beliefs about language and language learning.

We are also going to come across students who hail from countries who have idealized westernization. They are going to learn about American culture and while doing so they are going to learn stereotypes and things that are just not true. In the classroom we need to be able to be sensitive to that fact while showing them that learning through stereotypes isn’t the best way to learn because most of the time these stereotypes are just not true. Another issue we are going to come across is other students in the class being stereotyped against. Through taking these TESOL classes I have realized that every classroom is going to be different and every student is going to come from a different background and as teachers sensitivity is a big issue that we must learn. 

Language Variations and Ideologies

Language Variations language ideologies

It is so interesting to me that in the one city I will be teaching in (Chicago) there will be hundreds of different Englishes that I am going to see, right in my classroom. To me this is exciting and fascinating and because I have taken so many TESOL classes I know that this is indeed a great thing rather than a negative which some teachers might think. Before taking TESOL classes I did not really know how I was going to address some language issues in the classroom, and to be honest with you I still don’t know perfect ways to deal with language diversity.  This is why I am so excited to actually be in the classroom to gain experience and confidence. Because so many of my future students are going to be coming from different households with parents whose ideas and principles about language are going to differ. I am going to have many different Englishes as well as different languages completely. I am going to have so many students who are going to depend on me to teach them the language skills they are going to need to thrive. This makes me extremely excited and stressed all at the same time but I cannot wait to get in the classroom.

Recently in my history of the English language class we have learned about African American English and while sitting in the class I found many similarities between what we learn in this class and what was being taught that specific day. We talked about how AAE can either be seen as a variety of English or its own classification of English but either way we must treat the students who speak AAE with the respect that they deserve. Just because AAE is not “standard” English the students who speak it are just as intelligent as the students who do not. At the same time we must teach “standard” English to ever student while still supporting their home language. The similarities in the class made me happy because there are students in that class that do not take TESOL courses and it is nice knowing that they we are all being taught similar practices. 

Week 14

Language Planning and Policy

Language planning and policy apply directly to education and the US has a great responsibility to meet the needs of all children of all languages in the classroom. Along with different languages in the classroom these students are going to come from different homes that speak different Englishes. Teachers in these classrooms have big decisions to make about how do accommodate these students who come into the classroom with different language backgrounds. In a single classroom there can be multiple languages and there is no way a teacher can be fluent in 25-30 languages. Because there is no official or national language in America

Bilingual education is fascinating to me as a non-bilingual ESL pre-service teacher. The goal of these classes is to cultivate bilingualism and not just teach in English and that is a big concern of mine if I were in that position. In any classroom nurturing both the children’s home language and English is a big goal. All teachers should be up to date about ESL teachings and always be stepping back in the classroom asking themselves if they are doing enough for the ESL students. A big part of cultivating bilingualism not only takes place in the classroom but also at home. The language climate at home, how parents and children feel about language and how they support it makes a big difference in the classroom.

To me, family language policies are particularly interesting because I grew up in a home that only spoke English, so my parents never had to make these decisions about what languages to speak at home. Bilingualism is a great goal to strive for and I understand why parents push bilingualism so much. It is not just about communicating with family members, even though that is a good reason, it is about connecting with the past of the family and feeling a sense of self when becoming competent in the child’s first language.

Beliefs and ideas about language differ from family to family. Both the children’s environment and how the child is being raised comes into play in bilingualism. With both parents working, after school activities, number of children, babysitters, reasons for raising the child bilingual and other daily stresses bilingualism may be hard to achieve, even if it is a high priority for the parents. Internal and external reasons for bilingualism do affect the success of bilingualism. 

Week 13

Multilingualism, World Englishes and Diglossia

The fact that there are 700 non-native speakers, 350 more than native speakers really surprises me. It also makes me wonder, if the number of people who are non-native English speakers doubles the number of native speakers why are we as a society not doing more to accommodate these speakers, especially in school settings. Students are going to be coming into our classrooms from inner circle countries, outer circle countries where English is a second language and from expanding countries where English is a foreign language. As a pre-service teacher it is imperative that teachers know that each and every one of our students have individual needs and wants when it comes to language learning and we must know how to learn and address these needs. As a pre-service teacher it is important to know the difference between students who come from inner circle countries, outer circle countries and expanding circle countries because their needs and experiences are going to differ.

Knowing the history of the student’s countries concerning globalization and nationalism is something every teacher should strive to know and understand. The student’s teacher should take time to understand the culture and the history of the country especially concerning language. Teachers also need to learn about the individual student; his or her motivation or more importantly their investment to language. Knowing the student on a personal level will be instrumental in every aspect in the classroom but especially with their language learning skills. Knowing about their home country’s language history and the individual child will inform you about problems they may have in the classroom.

Globalization

Globalization

The world is a lot smaller today due to technology. Over the weekend I Facetimed my cousins in Ireland, in a matter of seconds we were talking and looking at each other through our phones. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and blogs have not only made it easier for us to communicate ideas and thoughts faster and more efficiently but it has introduced us to other ways of living. We can now get inspiration from cultures we didn’t even know existed ten years ago and that is a wonderful thing. As Ryuko Kubota states “Globalization implies increased local diversity influenced by human contact across

cultural boundaries as well as speedy exchange of commoaities and information.” While I stated that I think the world is getting smaller, meaning that within seconds we can Google Earth places thousands of miles away and get much more information about different cultures than ever before, Friendman says the world is today is flat. He says that individuals can “stay in their own locale while participating in a globally linked economic and information system.” These ideas about globalization would be classified in the area of globalization as universalization because it is spreading common objects and experiences to everyone that is interested in seeing them. It can also be an example of globalization as deterritorialization because with all of this sharing eventually an object or an idea may not belong to just one culture now.

The circles of English have become more interchangeable because the use of English in outer circle countries as well as immigrants moving into inner circle countries. The world is not only just learning about each other’s cultures through the internet but joining together in such a big way with English. What happens to the other cultures while immigrating or learning English, is there a big identity loss going on? We have talked a lot about identity loss in class and how detrimental it can be. When looking at the immigrant narratives we discussed that some of the immigrants felt a loss of identity when learning English and they felt like they were losing a piece of themselves that they did not want to lose. Imagine people going through this identity loss without immigrating, is globalization going to feel like a loss of self to the people learning English even thought they are living in the same country as they always have? Is culture going to slowly tear away?

Race and Stereotypes

Race and Stereotypes

The terms race, ethnicity and culture are extremely hard to nail down with one definition, they are broad terms that people define differently. The similarities with these terms are that they are thoughts that categorize people; these terms either group or divide people. These terms can lead to racism which can lead to heated discussions and can even lead to wars and destruction. Racism and stereotypes exist, no matter how unfortunate it is hate and racism are alive in America. As a pre-service teacher I struggle with the idea that children will be coming into my classroom with ideas of hate towards their other classmates or even me because of what they hear at home. Students are going to judge others on how they look or where they come from because it is what they have grown up with at home. It is awful but it is the truth. One of my many worries is knowing how to deal with this prejudice and discrimination in my classroom. Racism will not be tolerated in my classroom but there is no way that I am going to hear every single conversation between my students or see every eye roll or mean face that these students may encounter. Dealing with these issues will be difficult but it is essential that we deal with it head on instead of sweeping it under the rug and letting it cultivate into something much bigger. In ELL classrooms today there are so many different races represented and I want to teach my students that this is an amazing thing; these students can teach each other so much about culture and ways of life if they open their eyes to it.

As poisonous as they are cultural and racial stereotypes are out there and even young students are well aware of them. The best thing we can do as leaders in the classroom is educating ourselves and not letting these stereotypes effect our thinking. In Kuma’s article the idea that TESOL professionals stereotype based on social identity. “if our students fail to interact in class the way we expect them to, or if they fail to show that they engage their minds the way we want them to, we readily explain their behavior in terms of culture and cultural stereotypes”(Kuma 717). As educators we have a responsibility and we must be critically aware and understanding.

Week 8: Materials and Methods

Materials and Methods

The materials an ESL teacher decides to use have a great effect on the whole classroom environment. The decision making of what texts and materials that should be used, when they should be used and to whom should use them are important decisions and should not be looked over. As a pre-service teacher it is a little overwhelming to look at all the aspects and the individual student’s needs that goes into planning and rearranging the curriculum.

I agree whole heartedly with what Cortazzi and Jin say about culture and communication, “communication in real situations is never out of context, and because culture is part of most contexts, communication is rarely culture-free.” Because the classroom is filled with different cultures it is a difficult job to lay out the materials to use in the classroom. Text books can be an extremely helpful medium to help the student learn but it should never be the only material used, the teacher should not depend on the text to do the teaching. Texts should be resources for successful learning but never the “teacher”. This is why I had a hard time reading this particular chapter because it made it seem like textbooks were the end all be all of resources and materials used in the classroom. There are wonderful texts out there that should be used in the classroom but I do not think that they should be the only materials used. Language learning should be done in a natural setting, I’m not saying that textbooks do not have a place in the classroom but they should only be used as a resource.

Because every student has unique needs the materials and texts should be catered for the individual student. The class should have many different resources; ones that support oral, visual and audio learning styles. Text, pictures and sounds all effect students differently and I think it would be important to integrate all types of learning styles into the curriculum.

I learned a great deal in the Methods and Pedagogy TESOL class and one of the most important things from that class is to mold your curriculum around your students and to make the classroom individualized for the students. A teacher should not take one “method” and replicate it year by year, the students do not get their needs met that way. Instead the teacher should see what the students need and go from there, that might be combining some methods or just forming a unique one.