Week Three Post

After reading "Dialogues around 'Social identity, investment, and language learning,'" my idea that language learning is fueled by wanting to learn, rather than having to learn, is greatly enhanced.

The responses to utilizing the information in Peirce's article are experiences that, I'm sure, we'll all face as English as a second language teachers.

Sharkey's discussion of Ivan, the Russian student, and his unwillingness to participate in the Christmas activity, posed a question: How does one foster assimilation into American-English culture when there is clearly a lack of interest? I'm sure that Tom, Ivan's teacher, had dealt with students lackadaisical attitudes before. So why, then, did Tom automatically perceive Ivan as being an "unmotivated English language learner?" Is it because he didn't want to participate in an obviously childish activity? Is it because Ivan felt as though the activity was beneath him? I don't have an answer, but what I took away from Ivan's story is that he was uninterested in the activity because it didn't benefit him. As a student, I am less inclined to put forth all my effort for an activity if I feel that the reward is minimal. I can't help feeling that this was the same position that Ivan was in.

Moving on. Sharky comments on "Learner Identity" and mention's his fault with attempting to learn Chinese. He says that his "inability to retain important piece of [his] identity-sense of humor" was a struggle for his language learning. I can relate in my experiences with learning German. It's hard to express yourself when you're vocabulary is limited to conversational words and phrases. Expressing interest, dissatisfaction or sadness may be difficult when talking to a native speaker.

Sharky continues by saying "being aware of power issues does not guarantee access to power, but it can initiate a dialogue that, as Bonny says, helps us 'understand how feelings of inadequacy are frequently socially constructed, and find spaces for the enhancement of human possibility.'" Feeling powerful with a language, in my opinion, is the first step to really understanding a new language. You have to be comfortable with yourself and have enough courage to speak in a new language. Courage = power and power = courage. It's a double edged sword.

Sharky concludes by saying that a recurring theme is the "English language learner as a buffoon and English language teaching as a non-profession that any (native English speaker) can do." Further more, he says that "it is a manifestation of the unjust policies and practices that sustain the asymmetrical distribution of power." This statement has weight. In order for non-native speaking students to fully understand the target language, the theory and actual way of teaching may need some adjustments. As future teachers, we can't expect all of our students to learn in the same way. Teaching practices may need a few tweaks before learning can begin. Until teachers realize this, there will always be a barrier between student learning and teaching.

Ling Shi made a good point as well. Student's social identities will, inherently, guide their learning capabilities. It may "integrate the learner and the learning environment and explain the complex relationship between the two." Furthermore, "the conception of investment rather than motivation to capture the complex relationship of the language learners to the target language." Okay, so that's a little mumbled, but reading on further, Shi says "language is seen as a powerful tool that structures social relations as it offers or denies individuals access to social interactions... language learners, even when situated in the target language environment, could be deprived of opportunities to speak as a result of the power relationships in society and their unwillingness to invest their identity." Makes pretty good sense. It's pretty much impossible to learn a new language when the opportunities to speak are limited.

While studying abroad, I found that people were more inclined to speak English rather than wait for me to form a German sentence. At first, I felt annoyed and disappointed that I had wasted effort in learning the language, but then I had my "ah hah" moment; they're trying to learn English in the same way that I'm trying to learn German, by practicing with native speakers.

Bonny Norton Peirce comments on theory and classroom practices. She says that "access to resources is crucial for access to power." I couldn't agree more. In order for students to become proficient in a language, they need to have adequate resources for learning, including interaction with target language speakers and accessibility to easy-to-read texts in the target language, just to name a few. Without these tools, it is impossible to become comfortable with a new language; there is no power behind the language learned.

Peirce also mentions that "if theory suggests that such learners may have high affective filters, a sympathetic discussion with these learners may suggest that those filters are social constructions rather than invariant personality traits." Non-native speaking students, submersed in the target language culture, may throw up personal protective barriers. These barriers may be the result of the target language's cultural perception of the non-native speaker.

We've all been there. Being looked down upon because of our differences within a new culture is uncomfortable. As humans, it is natural to feel out of place when nothing around you is native. How one copes with the differences is what will make or break their assimilation into a new culture.

So, what does it all mean? Does it mean that in order for non-native students to learn, method and practice need to be rethought? Should non-native speaking students be spoon fed the new language or should we watch them sink in the face of new language?

I understand that in order for non-native speakers to learn, they need to feel like it's worth their time. They need to feel that the time spent learning will be time well spent. They need to feel comfortable within the new language barriers and powerful when speaking. This may be the key to successful language learning.