Tuesday, October 14, 2008
class on 10/13
I continue to be amazed by the cultural aspects of ESL that I didn't know I didn't know. I was reminded of this when I saw the movie clip about the Samali refugees. I never thought about having to show someone how to use a gas stove. I suppose though, I have to show friends/family how to use my stove when they come over because each one is a little different. I have rather mixed feelings about the idea of non native speakers teaching a language. I do believe it depends on the situation. The reason I showed the first youtube video with the Americans with strong accents (and some inappropriate opinions) was to illustrate the point that some American accents are further away from standard English than some of the international students in our class (plus I just think dialects are fun). Also, it is important for teachers to understand methods of teaching and not just content. And the reason I showed the second video is to illustrate the point that not all Americans know specific regional termonology, or even have a broad general vocabulary, so a non-native speaker may have a leg up in that area as well. On the other hand, my Spanish teacher in high school was a non-native Spanish speaker and she--in my opinion--didn't do a very good job. Whether it was her teaching method or grasp of the language that was lacking, I'm not sure, but I didn't learn (retain) a thing. She tended to revert back to English far too much. I wish we had had more time to discuss the English-only debate.
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2 comments:
I agree with you in terms of "it is important for teachers to understand methods of teaching and not just content" this reminded me "instead of giving a fish to somebody each day teach how to fishing" Knowledge is infinite and human life is finite so we are not able to learn each specific content but if we are equipped enough with teaching methods and techniques then we can teach according to specific context.
I agree. The cultural differences are astonishing. Last year I had a friend who would invite me for tea all the time, but I didn’t have time to stop right then or I’d just eaten or something. Eventually they “threw a fit” I was being rude and insensitive to them. What I would say was something like, “I’m sorry I have to finish an assignment by midnight.” or “Gosh, I’m so full. I just came from dinner.” It turns out they just wanted to talk and tea was cultural code for that. The days that I had no room I could probably have dropped by for a little conversation. Culture is tough...I mean communication is tough.
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