Session 2: Language & literacy biographies
This week's readings were about Literacy Biography or Language Biography assignments. Students who are learning a second language can benefit from this activity because it causes them to identify sources of language learning from their childhood on. Most of us do not realize some of the richness of texts that surrounded us and led to our literacy in adolescence. By looking at the impact that language has had on our lives we can understand the journey of others as they learn to communicate. For example, both Terese and I had experience being non-native speakers in a land of German-speaking people. We had to deal with some of the frustrations that students who are English learners probably face in public school classrooms.
Amanda's reflection on Feb 2, 2014:
I am grateful for the two readings of this week because they clarified the purpose and the procedure for doing a Language Autobiography. I have had similar assignments in some of my Education classes dealing with literacy and my life as a reader, but this is the first course where I am asked to consider my acquisition of language in this way. I like the term mentioned in Steinman's (2007) work: Transcultural dialogue. I greatly enjoy hearing about others' experiences with language and culture, comparing my own experiences to others. I think this type of discourse leads us to embrace diversity, just like Steinman's students when they shared their LAs. On a very concrete level we can evaluate the details of other languages and see how others communicate, and on a deeper level there are connections to be made with others as far as our values and experiences. It is always important to give others a voice in a classroom and I see the value of this as an educator to creating a welcoming environment.
Reading Kubota's (2001) experience of becoming a reader and writer of Japanese and then a reader and writer of English gave me a good foundation for things to include in a language autobiography. Like her I have kept many of the writings I've created since I was a schoolgirl. Her details about her family life and the teachers who encouraged her along the way gave insight into why she values language and is motivated to study it. I liked how she mentions the instructional and social purposes she had for writing. One thing that surprised me about her education was the assignments she learned to copy from Japanese texts at an early age. In America we would likely disapprove of copying, but many children learn to write initially by copying practice words and letters.
I also greatly support the type of writing described in both readings for this week: writng about one's lived experiences. Every child who can access their memory to gain insight into their past will have some authentic writing available to them as they describe their history of learning language. The seikatsu tsuzurikata (writing about lived experiences) described by Kubota is engaging and very personal, but as Steinman points out, causes learners to connect their first language experiences with current language development by forming pathways through their most proximal development as writers. The experience of sharing their writing adds a social aspect that appeals to us as human beings using words to communicate with each other.
Dr. Cho's reply:
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for your thoughtful post. I, too, like the term "transcultural dialogue" within the self and with one another. I also like what you wrote: "to connect their first language experiences with current language development by forming pathways through their most proximal development as writers" is indeed a crucial process for second language learners.
As you may know, Kubota is one of the leading scholars in TESOL and one of the most prolific academic writers that I've known. I greatly admire her work on critical approaches to TESOL, global Englishes, and race in TESOL. It is interesting that she still feels uncomfortable writing in English though. However, her strong L1 literacy skills are definitely of great help in developing her L2 literacy as a scholar. This has been my case as well. However, I often feel more comfortable writing in English than in Korean because I have been writing in English most of the time, esp. for academic purposes. Well, everyone is different in L1/L2 development, yes?
Hyesun
Terese's reflection:
Kubota's description of the roles of writing in Japanese education and society was fascinating, and one that forces the reader into self-reflection. I paused periodically while reading her essay to consider my own experiences and early memories with reading and writing. I recalled the books my mother would read to me as a child and remembered passing notebooks back and forth between friends multiple times a day in junior high, sharing gossip as well as intimate thoughts and feelings we wouldn't dare say out loud. When Kubota detailed her so-called "silent period," I instantly related. Being immersed in German, a language I hadn't previously studied, I constantly struggled to express myself. In large groups when conversation was flowing, I tended to shy away. I could follow along well enough after a year, but coming up with something relatively "correct" and interesting to contribute in a timely manner felt impossible. I often came away from such experiences feeling discouraged and exhausted from the various mental processes going on in my head while working to comprehend and produce the language.
Additionally, I related to Steinmann's article from the standpoint of my German students learning English. Though the backgrounds of my students tended not to be as diverse, it was crucial to keep in mind that these were people with rich and complex language backgrounds. It may seem an obvious point, but I have been warned as an ESL teacher not to mistake students' inability to express themselves in English for stupidity. If the only language being used in the classroom is the teacher's native language, it can be the case that the teacher loses sight of her students' backgrounds, expertise, literary education and experience etc. Furthermore, I have also had students who would have been unable to write a successful academic essay, but who produced the loveliest and most unique sentences, phrases and observations, similar to what Steinmann noted of her students.
This brings up an interesting point touched on by both Kubota and Steinmann. How often do we correct, and what do we correct? I am glad to hear that the current trend is to encourage L1 to influence L2, or at least to accept that the influence is inevitable. They cannot be entirely isolated from each other, and why should we attempt to make them so? The knowledge of one increases the knowledge of the other. By learning another language, we discover things about our own language and culture we would be otherwise blind to. I struggle with correcting stylistic choices. My German students were upset if they discovered I left anything uncorrected, whether it was written or spoken. I often found myself telling students that certain expressions sounded awkward or unnatural, but struggled to come up with an explanation that would satisfy them. But, I found the entire process endlessly interesting. I kept notebooks filled with any unusual and perhaps unintentionally poignant expressions they came up with. I considered what this awkward sentence structure said about the German language, and how it could broaden my understanding of German. Perhaps my thoughts aren't completely organized, but both readings have stirred up a lot of thoughts. In conclusion, I'm looking forward to writing my own L.A.
Amanda's reply:
Terese, your post is very reflective and I identify with what you have said.
I also found myself comparing my own experiences with Kubota's. I too noted the point where she said she remained silent when her L2 skills were holding her back from engaging in discussions with others. I have also felt this when trying to immerse myself in German language and did my best to adapt and grow from the situation, but it was very stressful and difficult for me. I think we can use this experience and insight to understand how our students feel who are still hesitant to use their L2. It helps to understand why this happens and what it feels like, and though we can make great gains in language acquisition at that stage of learning language, it is not easy.
Thoughtful observation about L1 influence on L2. Yes I agree that the one influences the development of the other, and not just in recognizing similarities between the two language structures. Even with limited knowledge about a student's L1, an instructor can invite exploration into the patterns a student sees emerging in his or her education and development. It is very interesting and very complex how different cultures and languages give us different foundations for acquiring new language. I think this makes the LA extremely valuable to ELLs because it gives them a point of analysis and a way to develop metalanguage about academic writing and literacy and talk about how they are learning to communicate to speakers of these languages.