I have learned a
great deal from this class, but I learned my most important lesson in
Dr. Seloni’s office last week. I was
excitedly talking about finalizing my research and drawing conclusions when Dr.
Seloni reminded me that my research wasn’t over once I finished this
paper. In order to be an effective
educator, my research must never cease.
Think about how many things change in the world each day, each week, and
each year. I cannot expect what I am
learning now in college to carry me through the next thirty years of
teaching. Constant reading, discussion,
and learning is required to keep improving as a teacher. Despite how much I have learned from this
class, I still have so much more to explore as I begin my teaching career.
This week’s readings really
highlighted the important concepts that we studied this semester. The majority of both readings talked about English
learning in a global environment and from a world perspective. In the McKay text, Suzuki argues in favor of
teaching and promoting English throughout the world, specifically in Asia, but
against including cultural values in these teachings. He spoke about the worldwide dominance of
Western culture as a form of unofficial imperialism. Although this course has emphasized the
implicit connections between language and culture, why can’t Japanese students
learn English while maintaining their own language and cultural values? Classes for teaching English could focus as
much as possible on the language itself and conversation skills, while global
studies classes can focus on teaching Western values and history. Page 195 of the McKay text lists the
principles for a socially sensitive EIL pedagogy, which are obviously important
for us to follow as future educators.
The Lin article had several features
that interested me as well. My favorite
piece is the quote, “The world is not owned by English; English is owned by the
world” (196). This asserts that people
control what languages they speak rather than having languages forced upon
them. Furthermore, people should
incorporate different languages into their culture and not allow for one
language to influence all other parts of culture. This quote is consistent with having a world
view of English. However, although a
global perspective is important, global views must be adapted to local
perspectives (310). Unfortunately the
globalization movement has often pushed aside local values and traditions. People are mimicking the language and
behaviors that they see on television and the internet. We often see media as a way of becoming “more
cultured”, but we fail to realize that exchanging culture should be a
dialogue. Not only should we use new
technology to learn about new cultures, but we can also use it to share our own
and to keep our values and traditions alive.
If the message is received, isn’t
communication successful? Lin advocates
that TESOL educators stop emphasizing differentiation between different
speakers and start emphasizing the importance of practically
communicating. People should not have to
change their accent or how they speak as long as their intended messages are
understood. Instead of criticizing
people for pronouncing words with accents, perhaps we should reward them for
successfully communicating new messages.
Both of the readings this week introduce many ideas and ways of thinking
that would change the TESOL field. One
of the ideas is changing the TESOL acronym to TEGCOM—Teaching English for
Globalized Communication. Although this
name change would help on the surface, all educators know that it will take
more than a name to change to impact educational philosophies. More so than any facts that I learned from
this class, I will benefit in the future from a new, more complex way of
thinking. I have learned to see issues
from all perspectives. This will not
only benefit me in the future as a teacher, but this will also make me a better
person.
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