Week 7

I had never really been exposed to what lingua franca was until I read Baker’s article in this weeks readings. Before I read this article I thought that English was a good bridge language for two people with different native languages because English is known as one of the most powerful languages globally. Reading this article gave me a lot of insight to things I had not thought of before or was just simply not aware of.  When Baker stated that language is used to both represent shared experiences and knowledge and to create those experiences (527) it made me think of how people who solely use English as a lingua franca relate to one another. I feel that even though they understand what the other person is saying, they might not be able to understand the concept behind it if they do not have knowledge of one another’s culture.   Another part of this article that really made me think more about the struggle of learning English as a Second Language or simply a lingua franca was when Baker stated that learners of English are not learning to join a single language community, but are ‘‘shuttling between communities’’ between the local and the global, in which a variety of norms and a repertoire of codes are to be expected (572).  The learners need to be able to keep their culture and gain insight on a new culture, and also now when to go back and forth between the new language and the new culture they are being exposed to. I brought this up to my parents and they explained to me that they are still so rooted in their Mexican culture because they still celebrate all the same things and have not changed their traditions, but instead have added new things to their culture. They feel that exposing my brothers and me to both cultures from the beginning was beneficial to us so that we were not completely out of the loop of either culture or language. The study done by Marra in the Maori workplaces was very interesting and I liked that it focused on the difficulties of understanding the interaction in those workplaces. The fact that they speak English in New Zealand has always made me think that it is the same kind of American English we speak here, but now I know that is not the case and even in the same workplace there can be differences in the way people communicate.

learning log #4

The Kuma article, “Cultural Assimilation and it’s Delusions” really had me thinking from the beginning when he was explaining what the Ford company did with the immigrant workers they hired “helping them assimilate American cultural beliefs and practices, including ‘table manners’ and ‘the care of their teeth’ (65). I was a little bit offended that the Ford Company thought that their new employees did not know how to do those simple things just because they were immigrants. I think that they indeed do know how to care for their hygiene and they have their own table manners, but the company thought the employee’s way was incorrect simply because it was not the “American Way”.  The rest of the reading talked about the concept of assimilation and how different people view it when it comes to assimilating to the American culture. When Kuma talked about the way Peter Salins views assimilation to the American society I was shocked by the three things he wanted people to do to become truly assimilated, “As per this contract, immigrants "would be welcome as full members of the American family" if and only if they (a) accept English as the primary language, (b) take pride in their American identity, and (c) live by the Protestant ethic” (67).  I do not think anyone needs to give up their first language to live in America, I do believe that they should make an effort to learn English because it will make life easier in the long run. I also think people need to take pride in America, but they do not need to lose or lower the pride they have for their homeland in order to live in this country. The Protestant ethic does not coincide with everyone’s beliefs and therefore I do not believe that in order to be a true American that one needs to have the same beliefs as everyone else. I think one of the things that makes our country so great is all the diversity it has to offer and if everyone assimilated to the way Salins thinks we should, then America would not be what it is today and the culture would be completely different.  The “Old Stock” immigrants were the first to come to this country, but that does not mean their way is the way everyone has to live by, they came here to escape religious persecution so why were they trying to get everyone to convert to their beliefs?

 In Kuma’s article “Problematizing Cultural Stereotypes in TESOL” he talked about how even though the TESOL community is supposed to be away from stereotyping the students and learners there are still some stereotyping going on particularly in the Asian community.  The stereotypes that are given to Asians are not just in the TESOL classroom, but in the academic setting in general. People think they are anti-social with class interactions, are very obedient to authority figures and they do have good critical thinking skills. Those generalizations can be very offensive to anyone and we need to learn to step away from them and look at every person as an individual. As TESOL educators we need to try extra hard to not assume things about our students when we first see them, we need to let them be their own person and achieve their goal of learning a second language. Even though we live in a society full of stereotypes, I know we can look past them and help the students succeed.

learning log #3

      

    This weeks reading about identity and culture really out some things in perspective for me and it made me realize that it is really easy to make a generalization about someone because of their culture, but it does not always mean that it is part of their identity. I also learned that just because someone is learning a new language it does not necessarily mean that they are familiar with that culture yet, and we as teachers need to make sure to not assume things about our students just because of where they are from. The story of Gail and Eva was a really good example of not making generalizations and I liked that Gail said how she felt about what happened in the article. I also liked how the twelve month case study was executed and started out with a diary study. I think that the diaries could come in handy as a good reflection tool for the students so they can look back to see what they can improve and what they have been mastering throughout their time learning the new language. 

      The only downside I saw to this article was that it focused on all adults learning English and as a bilingual elementary education major I would like to know how children act in situations where they are learning a new language and have to adjust to a new culture. Martina's story about having her daughter go with her to apply for jobs showed how stressful it can be for the whole family when it comes to finding jobs in a country where you do not speak the language.  I could really relate to this part of the article because my parents came to the US in the late 80's and spoke very little English, my dad said he regrets not taking ESL classes right away because he and my mom struggled to find good jobs when they first got to Illinois and he also said that once they became fluent in the language it was a lot easier to find good jobs. They both also noticed that they were more accepted in the society they lived in once their English improved. Back then it was hard for them to make the ESL classes because the closest one was a 40 minute drive but they went twice a week and it was very beneficial and worth the time. Now in the town we live in there are ESL classes offered right in our public library, so the community has acknowledged that they are needed in any community with people who do not speak the language but want to learn. 

learning log #2

The reading by Pavlenko grabbed my attention right away. The different immigrant stories towards the beginning of the readings made me realize that everyone that is in this country now has a different story of how they came to America whether or not they were the first in their family to travel here or not everyone should try to trace their roots back to how they got here. As a future elementary educator I would like my student to know about and be accepting of all the different cultures their classmates could be because all their cultures mixed together is what made America what it is today. The section in the reading where Pavlenko explained that back when European immigrants were coming to America in great numbers and were not being accepted into "mainstream" America really surprised me because I had never really thought that they were widely discriminated against. Another part that was surprising to me was that when Asians first starting migrating to America they thought that the they could not contribute to the American culture and that it did not belong to them so they kept to themselves. That saddens me because I think that every different culture that has come to America has contributed something great that makes our country what it is today. I feel that learning another culture's language is one of the best ways to learn more about that certain culture and their customs or traditions they have. I know that teaching English to people who have not been exposed to it before is going to be challenging at times but opening up a whole new culture to someone is going to be very rewarding. 

While I would love to think that our country is past the prejudice of new immigrants in know that there are still some people out there who think that America is not a melting pot and that they are the only ones who deserve to experience the benefits this country has to offer. One of the first ways people may criticize others is when they hear the language someone is speaking. If someone doesn't speak English it might be more difficult for them to get a job than for someone who know the language well. A communication barrier like that can be overcome and it also opens up a lot of new doors. in the reading I learned that in 1906 the government switched the policy of becoming a US citizen and made it a requirement for the immigrant to be able to speak English. I think that learning a nation's language is a plus for immigrants but I do not think that they should sacrifice their first language to learn English so they can have all the benefits of knowing two languages and not losing their cultural identity.  National identity is a big part of how a person sees themselves and the way they form opinions. To me culture is a big part of how people for friendships and how they view others, all of these immigrant stories were eye opening and it made me realize that being a new person in a foreign country has its difficulties. 

Learning Log #1

In the Kumaravedivelu article, I found a lot of interesting thoughts and points about culture that i had never really thought about before. The opening of the article where Kumaravedivelu states that a 30 year difference in age can also mean that the cultures of the 2 people are different really made me think because i am going to be a bilingual elementary teacher so the way my students and i view culture is going to be different and i need to learn how to prepare for that.  All the different views and ideas of culture need to be taken seriously, just because one person doesn't see eye to eye with someone else about a certain culture, it does not mean that one person is wrong and these readings really made me realize that. Language and culture have always gone hand in hand because when an individual is learning a new language, they are also picking up parts of the culture where that language is spoken and learning the traditions and customs of that culture as well. As a TESOL minor I want to be able to tie culture in with my teachings and lessons, i know that it will be important to understand my students culture as well, i would like to learn more about how to tie everything together and have it make sense to the student while they are learning the new language. When Kumaravedivelu brought up the fact that people with different languages pay attention to different aspects of reality it made me wonder why that is and why a persons language can have such a big impact on their culture. I can relate to having to accommodate to two different cultures. I come from a small town in northern Illinois that is predominately white, and my family has very strong Mexican roots. I grew up having two different cultures, and having to be able to distinguish some of the differences between them was hard when i was younger, but now I am glad that I have both cultures in my life and I know that it will help me in my teaching career.

The chart in the Holliday et al book made me realize that people can have very different ideas of what the word "culture" actually means to them and they can both make sense, it just depends on how an individual wants to view it. That made me realize that people need to let each other know what they think culture is before they strike up a conversation about it. I feel like I fall more into the category of a non-essentialist when it comes to my view on culture. I believe that people can have more than one culture throughout their lives and that they can greatly benefit from having multiple cultures. I feel that cultures can blend together and have incorporate other cultures to create one. I think that the American culture is a good example of multiple cultures coming together to form one because this country was founded by immigrants and it is full of people from different countries with different cultures. 

Intro post

I am very excited to take this class. I have always been interested in culture and the way people view it around the world. As a TESOL minor I know that learning about other people's cultures will be an integral part of my profession and I am really looking forward to it. I hope to gain new perspectives from this class and I am very interested in hearing other people's thoughts on different cultures and what they have experienced since all of us come from different backgrounds.