"TESOL at 40" by Canagarajah

 "Crucial to this shift is the exploration of the way one subject position interacts with others in students' language practices.  So researchers are exploring how identities like gender, race, ethnicity, or one's immigrant and 'nonnative' status impact language learning."


Focusing on different aspects of one's identity is highly crucial in learning a language.  Many times, teachers or researchers focus on one aspect of one's identity; whether they are non-nnative or native speakers is one that particularly comes to mind.  Because everyone is so different, there is no way to put a generalization on all non-native or native speakers.  Many studies in the past have only focused on those particular characteristics and have failed to mention whether participants were male or female, Japanese or Russian.  Because of this, their data tends to be very one-sided and highly biased.  By having teachers and researchers be more aware of the different sides that makes up one's identity, they will better be understand how a Colombian female may learn a language differently than a German speaking male.  They will no longer have to categorize them in the same group.


In the classroom, teachers will be able to better gauge where each student learning a second language is at if they take into consideration the different aspects of their students' identities.  Instead of making a blanket statement, they will be able to better assess which student may need more help than another if they were to focus on each individual rather than focusing on them as an entire group.  Students will also be able to feel more comfortable with the language being learned if they know their teachers are paying individual attention to their needs.

Saville-Troike Chapter 6

"While speakers of these languages (French, Spanish and Italian) face a simpler task in acquiring this aspect of English, they conversely must learn when not to use the definite article:

I always enjoy the rap music."

I think this rings true for speakers of Romance languages and for other languages as well.  My parents, being born and raised in Korea and then moving to the US, tend to use the definite article when not needed.  When practicing her English, my mom will sometimes say things like, "there's the food on the table."  Although it is not needed, she tends to slip in definite articles throughout her speaking.  Another aspect of English that is difficult for Korean speakers is the fact that English contains the indefinite articles a/an.  In Korean, there are no indefinite articles and so for someone who is a native Korean speaker to learn English and then to acquire the use of English articles, is definitely a struggle.  For those learning to speak English, I find that they have the most trouble with the "simpler" things, such as when to use the/a/an or how to switch from the past to the present tense.  By having them practice speaking as well as writing, English L2 learners will be able to better understand the usage of the different types of articles and tenses in English.  However, if we were just to have them only write, only read or only speak, they would not be able to fully grasp the different grammatical concepts of English.

Wong Chapter Four

"Those of us in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages, who have been trained in Western universities, have a lot to learn from the non-Western sources of knowledge and intellectual traditions of our students."

I completely agree with Wong when she states this in the small section about Mao Zedong.  Many times, we as Americans, think that our ways of teaching and learning is superior to that of other ethnicities.  However, when many other cultures look at Americans, they often think of us as lazy and not hard working.  In many Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea, education is of utmost importance; while here in the United States, focus is placed on major exams such as the ACTs/SATs for high school students and college exams for those in higher education, education is focused on almost year-around for all students.  For students, school takes priority over things such as an active social life or personal free time, which here, in the United States, is highly valued.

While it definitely isn't to say that we should follow in the footsteps of other cultures and completely and wholly dedicate our lives to studying, I believe that Wong has a point when she says that we could learn a thing or two from students of other cultures.  In many cultures, it is unacceptable to not continue with an education after high school; many students must go on to achieve a college degree in order to have a successful career.  However, in the United States, college and even high school dropout rates are staggeringly high.  Even without a college degree or high school diploma in some cases, people are able to get jobs and make a decent living.  However, in other countries, a degree is a necessity.  

I don't keep meaning to bring Japan up, but in Japanese culture, they go back to school immediately if they cannot find a job within 3 months of graduating college.  By placing such an importance and value on education, Japanese students are focused on the task at hand and know what they have to do in order to be successful.  However, in American culture, we tend to be almost too laid-back with how we go about with our education and finding jobs.

By focusing more on the importance of education and where it can lead students, I think that it will be a valuable lesson for future students to understand just how important a proper education is; that it can get you to places where you might not be able to get to if you never graduated high school or college.

Wong Chapter Three

"A student's participation may be to present a partial solution for a problem.  The teacher can use a variety of assessment techniques as well as questioning techniques to help students work within their 'zone of proximal development,' and thus to change the nature and quality of their participation within the classroom.  Mistakes and partial solutions, then, do not represent failure as much as they represent opportunities for learning."

I completely agree with Wong when she states that participation is key when it comes to learning a second language.  Many times, teachers lecture the students, hoping that they will practice at home, when in fact, many students do not.  However, by engaging them in the classroom with class discussions, teachers will be able to see how their students are progressing and will also be able to help any students that may be struggling.

Another big problem that Wong addresses is the fact that many second language learners may be apprehensive when it comes to speaking aloud in class because they may fear sounding "dumb."  However, by having the teacher ask guiding questions, the students may find it easier to speak aloud in front of their peers and may also give them a boost when they are able to answer correctly.  This may go the other way, in the sense that if they are to answer incorrectly, they may be embarrassed, but the teacher could always encourage them by telling them that their effort shows that they are trying and learning.

By the time students begin to speak aloud in large class discussions, I think that many students will also feel comfortable speaking to each other in the second language that they are learning.  Small group discussions may be beneficial for those students who may be afraid to speak aloud in front of the teacher and the rest of the class; they will have the benefit of having a few students listen and then gaining confidence as they do so.  Participation plays such a huge role when it comes to learning a second language as it produces confidence and encourages active learning.

Toohey and Wong

In Toohey's article "'Breaking Them Up, Taking Them Away': ESL Students in Grade 1," I somewhat disagreed with the seating arrangement that the teacher initially had.  I understand that by placing the L2 learners towards the front, they would benefit by being closer to the teacher, allowing for a better learning experience.  However, I think that by being able to interact with the other students that the L2 learners would have an easier time learning the language as well as learning the culture.  Although I think that it is important to allow students to verbally interact with each other, I also think that it is important that new students are able to feel as though as they are a part of the group; by having all of the L2 learners sitting close to each other, they would be able to get a better sense of community amongst themselves and not feel so different than the other students.

A lot of the practices observed in the article focused on individual practice as opposed to group learning/interaction.  While I definitely think that it is good for someone to practice their new target language on their own, they also need to have interaction in order to pick up other social cues that they may not be able to get from a book.  I also think that by interacting, L2 learners will be able to better understand the culture that they are surrounded by, making it easier for them to learn.

"Critical and dialogic teachers can address bullying by uncovering assumptions and attitudes towards those who come from different communities" (Wong 67).

I think that bullying is an issue that is overlooked when thinking about L2 learners.  There are so many times when misconceptions and stereotypes rule student dialogue that L2 learners are often left feeling alone and outcast.  By having the teachers be more understanding and knowledgeable of an L2 learner they may have in their class, they will be able to better prepare when/if student harassing/bullying is to occur.  By being educated themselves, teachers will be able to also give their students a new perspective on their fellow classmates.

Political and Philosophical Roots of TESOL

One thing that really stuck out to me was the Grammar Translation Approach as a TESOL method: "In this approach, sentences are translated from the foreign language into English.  The mother tongue is used as the medium of instruction, and speaking the target language is not a major aim of instruction."  For those who speak a different language, one of the first things (that I have noticed) they want to know is the direct translation of words.  An example of this is when I am speaking to my grandmother.  Although she does know a little bit of English, we mainly speak to each other in Korean.  When I cannot think of a specific word in Korean, I say it in English, which then has her asking what the word means.  When it comes to my grandmother (and many other non-native speakers), Wong states it perfectly when she says that "speaking the target language is not a major aim of instruction."  Those who want to know the direct translations usually only want to know key sentences such as "Hello, how are you?"  or "Where can I find _______?"  They choose the most useful sentences that will help them throughout their day, instead of wanting to learn the language as a whole.  They often do not try to practice speaking the target language and when they do practice, it is the sentences that they have translated.

One thing I found interesting was that Wong doesn't mention anything about culture.  While learning the language/linguistics of a certain language is important, it is also important that teachers and students of TESOL alike are aware of the cultural differences that they may come across.  I think that not only is it important to learn about TESOL methods, but it is also important to be able to know how to react to a student if they may not be used to our customs.

"Oh, are you an international student?"

I couldn't help but laugh when I read the Characteristics of foreigner talk on page 106 in the Introducing Second Language Acquisition textbook.  It reminded me of a lot of times when my parents are literally yelled at by Americans, thinking that they cannot speak or understand English.  I find it humorous that many people think that raising one's voice will get their ideas across to a non-native speaker.  I also find that many people who do speak to non-native speakers (or think they are speaking to non-native speakers) also simplify their vocabulary and their grammatical structure.  There was one time my freshman year when four of my girlfriends and I decided to visit a church in Normal.  Normal not being a very diverse town, the church was also predominantly Caucasian.  When the pastor told us to greet our neighbors around us, a Caucasian woman turned around to us and said, "HELLO!  NICE MEET YOU!  ARE YOU INTERNATIONAL STUDENT?!"  Needless to say, all four of us were offended by her ignorance and replied in perfect English, "No.  We were all born here and some of us have never been out of the country.  Good morning to you, too."  There is definitely a huge difference as to how native speakers may talk to non-native speakers.  However, I think there is also a huge difference between understanding and ignorance.  Just because someone yells or "dumbs down" their English does not mean that the non-native speaker will understand them any better.