This article gives me the time to think sexual identities in teaching for the first time. Particularly the matters about homosexuality and the other sexual identities. To be honest, I’m not familiar with sexual identities because that issue begins to be emerging problem very recently in Korea. But through this article, I came to know the concepts of queer theory and I learned many things.
A few months ago, when I talked about cultural shock with a native teacher from Canada. I was surprised to hear that he thought that my school boys were gays because they held hands and arm in arm sometimes. I have never thought like that because homo sexuality is not common in Korea. And I think boys can touch each other because they are definitely not sexual partners. Though they are gays they never hold hands in public because in Korea there’s not enough social recognition about the issue. So sexual identities are done in different ways in different cultural contexts, and it calls for a close look at social contexts.
After reading this article, I realized that I should try to understand and consider the diverse sexual identities or sexual minorities including. bisexual, transgenderal in my teaching context as an English teacher. Also this article changed my prejudicial attitudes on the sexual minorities and widened my range of thinking
2009년 11월 29일 일요일
2009년 11월 15일 일요일
From the Periphery to the Center
George Braine's "From the Periphery to the Cente" made me reflect my career as an English teacher in Korea. In many parts, I can really understand the situation in Sri Lanka, because it's not so different from Korea at that time. According to the article, she was the first trainned teacher of English in the school's 40-year history. I remember one of my English teacher in high school whose major was not English. It was not the rare case. At that time there was not enough qualified English teachers because most young iob seekers prefer to entring big company like Samsung and they could earn much more money than teachers.
But now there's big change and improvement in teachers as well as Korean society. Nowadays new English teachers have English proficiency and almost have at least one year studing experience in native countries. 2 years ago I attended the Seminar provided by the Epik with my native teacher, one of the presenter described Korean English class as passive and teacher-centered, she couldn't finish her presentation because of native teachers' disagreement about that. I think she had too old data.
And I also doubt that only native teacher is the best way in teaching Englsih. It gives English teachers much more works to do. Sometimes he/she doesn't know about the tecahing plan and the basic know-how to treat the students. They can get a job too easy with only Englsh. A few days ago Korea Education department announced that from next year they recruit Enghish assistant teachers from India who are highly qualified as a teacher. But actually native teachers in Korea are assistant teachers, so there is less porblem. It means they can't be a homeroom teacher and teach students alone or independently.
As Canagarajah said, language teaching is an art, science and a skill that requires complex pedagogical preparation and practice. I know that there's no guarnatee that I will be a better teacher after finidhing my MA cousre than before. Preparation porper to the context that I will meet with open mind to changes, maybe it's closer to the better teacher. Teachers and students are always in Center of education.
But now there's big change and improvement in teachers as well as Korean society. Nowadays new English teachers have English proficiency and almost have at least one year studing experience in native countries. 2 years ago I attended the Seminar provided by the Epik with my native teacher, one of the presenter described Korean English class as passive and teacher-centered, she couldn't finish her presentation because of native teachers' disagreement about that. I think she had too old data.
And I also doubt that only native teacher is the best way in teaching Englsih. It gives English teachers much more works to do. Sometimes he/she doesn't know about the tecahing plan and the basic know-how to treat the students. They can get a job too easy with only Englsh. A few days ago Korea Education department announced that from next year they recruit Enghish assistant teachers from India who are highly qualified as a teacher. But actually native teachers in Korea are assistant teachers, so there is less porblem. It means they can't be a homeroom teacher and teach students alone or independently.
As Canagarajah said, language teaching is an art, science and a skill that requires complex pedagogical preparation and practice. I know that there's no guarnatee that I will be a better teacher after finidhing my MA cousre than before. Preparation porper to the context that I will meet with open mind to changes, maybe it's closer to the better teacher. Teachers and students are always in Center of education.
2009년 11월 8일 일요일
Native or non-native: who's worth more?
A s the other articles about the native speaker, this article also made me think about native speaker again with problematic wiews, and it's more interesting to me that dichotomay in ELT.
While reading several articles including this, the idea about the native speaker has changed.
Edge's view that all users of English are simultaneously learners of English reduce my burden to English study. However, I really agreed the other's claim that for all thier efforts, non-native speakers can never achieve a native speaker's competence. When one of my daughters asked me dicatate some words from her list for spelling test, there are so many words that I don't knowd the meaning. The words are for elemetary school students in America. So I realized I have learned taught very narrow spectum of English (for International or broadcating English).
I really agreed that one of the most professional duties non-NESTs have to perform is to improve their command of English and it's also true that teacher's learning process is impeded by several kinds of constraints. I have a similar experience in Korea. I want to study English more for my fluency, but I don't have time to do. In high school I had too many classes a day and sometimes we work over 9 pm.
A few years ago, In Korea president Lee said "Egnlish teachers must teach English only in Englsih and Korean edcation department will hire more and more native teachers who will replace the korean English teachers. But I certainly sure that to teach English effeciently to L2 learners, both teachers are needed through my experience with native teachers. And speaking is not the only thing to teach. One of my friends worried me saying "Maybe you may lose your job as an English teacher, and Korean Enghish teachers may disappear in schools. So I answered very firmly, "Don't worry. Non-NESTs also have many constraints in our education system.What you worried will not happen". Until now there's no change in Korean English education system, but to me there's big change "I'm in America for my English study"
It's ideal that we try to find good balance of NESTs and non-NESTs who complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses.
While reading several articles including this, the idea about the native speaker has changed.
Edge's view that all users of English are simultaneously learners of English reduce my burden to English study. However, I really agreed the other's claim that for all thier efforts, non-native speakers can never achieve a native speaker's competence. When one of my daughters asked me dicatate some words from her list for spelling test, there are so many words that I don't knowd the meaning. The words are for elemetary school students in America. So I realized I have learned taught very narrow spectum of English (for International or broadcating English).
I really agreed that one of the most professional duties non-NESTs have to perform is to improve their command of English and it's also true that teacher's learning process is impeded by several kinds of constraints. I have a similar experience in Korea. I want to study English more for my fluency, but I don't have time to do. In high school I had too many classes a day and sometimes we work over 9 pm.
A few years ago, In Korea president Lee said "Egnlish teachers must teach English only in Englsih and Korean edcation department will hire more and more native teachers who will replace the korean English teachers. But I certainly sure that to teach English effeciently to L2 learners, both teachers are needed through my experience with native teachers. And speaking is not the only thing to teach. One of my friends worried me saying "Maybe you may lose your job as an English teacher, and Korean Enghish teachers may disappear in schools. So I answered very firmly, "Don't worry. Non-NESTs also have many constraints in our education system.What you worried will not happen". Until now there's no change in Korean English education system, but to me there's big change "I'm in America for my English study"
It's ideal that we try to find good balance of NESTs and non-NESTs who complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses.
2009년 9월 13일 일요일
On Discourse, Communication, and Fundamental Concepts in SLA Research
It was a kind of challenge to read this article. Because it's not easy to understand this article completely. But it's very useful and helpful to understand the status of some fundamental concepts in SLA, principally NNS, learner, and interlanguage.
According to the article, their ultimate goal is to argue for reconceptualization of SLA as a more theoretically and methodologically balanced enterprise. I noted that work that purpots to examine nonnative /learner discourse and communication is impaired despite many important and groundbreaking findings and theories due to imbalance of theoretical concerns and methodologies. and redress this imbalance requires three major changes in SLA: 1. an enhanced awareness of the con textual and interaction dimension of language use, 2. a increased emic sensitivity towards fundamental concepts, and 3. the broadening of the traditional SLA data base.
In discourse and communication acorrding to Chomsky linguist should establish certain general properties of human intelligence because lingusitics is simply the sub-field of psycchology that deals with thses aspect of the mind. and Gregg contends SLA theory is not only a theory of the acquistion of linguistic knowledge but a theory of the acqusition of linguistic knowlege.
I really agreed that we do not argue that such theoretical predictions or methodological practices are erroneous or flawed, rather we point out therir striking predominance within the field, leading to a general methodological bias and theoretical imbalance in SLA studies through interactive discourse.
In communication strategies, I agreed that communicative problems are likely to be recognized as problems in interaction, so it is more useful to view problems in communication as contingent social phenomena, as intersubjective entries, and not invariably as things possessed by individuals.
At conclusion remarks, language is not only a cognitive phenomenon, the product of the individual's brain; it is also fundamentally a social phenomenon, acquired and used interactively.
I'm not sure I understood this article well, I leraned a lot of things through this article and this will be basement of my tesol study.
The most impressive words to me in this article is " Native speakers and nonnative speakers are multiply handicated in conversations with one another. Varonis & Gass
According to the article, their ultimate goal is to argue for reconceptualization of SLA as a more theoretically and methodologically balanced enterprise. I noted that work that purpots to examine nonnative /learner discourse and communication is impaired despite many important and groundbreaking findings and theories due to imbalance of theoretical concerns and methodologies. and redress this imbalance requires three major changes in SLA: 1. an enhanced awareness of the con textual and interaction dimension of language use, 2. a increased emic sensitivity towards fundamental concepts, and 3. the broadening of the traditional SLA data base.
In discourse and communication acorrding to Chomsky linguist should establish certain general properties of human intelligence because lingusitics is simply the sub-field of psycchology that deals with thses aspect of the mind. and Gregg contends SLA theory is not only a theory of the acquistion of linguistic knowledge but a theory of the acqusition of linguistic knowlege.
I really agreed that we do not argue that such theoretical predictions or methodological practices are erroneous or flawed, rather we point out therir striking predominance within the field, leading to a general methodological bias and theoretical imbalance in SLA studies through interactive discourse.
In communication strategies, I agreed that communicative problems are likely to be recognized as problems in interaction, so it is more useful to view problems in communication as contingent social phenomena, as intersubjective entries, and not invariably as things possessed by individuals.
At conclusion remarks, language is not only a cognitive phenomenon, the product of the individual's brain; it is also fundamentally a social phenomenon, acquired and used interactively.
I'm not sure I understood this article well, I leraned a lot of things through this article and this will be basement of my tesol study.
The most impressive words to me in this article is " Native speakers and nonnative speakers are multiply handicated in conversations with one another. Varonis & Gass
피드 구독하기:
덧글 (Atom)