As I read through this chapter, I kept being struck by the acknowledged fact that we just don’t do the things that need to be done for our L2 students if our goal really is to help them become bilingual in their first language and English. The authors admit that school teachers are rushed to quickly make students proficient within a year to three years when they know that it takes more time than that to give student learners an enduring learning experience that will cover more than surface issues. It is so frustrating to even think about education at times, because there are so many things that need to be done that people in power have been told need to done but those things just are not considered a priority.
I liked the idea of having students write in a code-switching style, it does seem like it could encourage the expansion and development of biliterate writing skills in a more flexible and less pressured way. I definitely agree that teachers should avoid looking at students as if they are deficient as they go through natural processes of learning to write coherently and fluently in their target language. Scientists make a living of repeating experiments with failing results until the process gets more and more refined with the end result of a successful experiment. Language learning requires trial and error, especially considering that culturally embedded meanings and connotations are built into any language.
I was very empathetic when I read the translation of one student’s poem on spring. It was so beautiful and eloquent in English that I can only imagine how wonderful it would be if I could read and understand it in its native Chinese language. When I wrote in German or Russian, I would also tend to write in English first to fully capture my expressions because I could not achieve the same depth with my L2 until I became more fluent in them. I was extremely proud one day when I managed to freestyle a poem in German that was equally eloquent when translated into English. It kept to a rhyme scheme and it made sense, it was like winning the language lottery when it came to classroom achievement. It had been a risk to attempt because the teacher had offered to allow us to write creatively if we would like and I suggested we try to write poems. The entire class looked at me as if I should be stoned for suggesting something as difficult as to produce a piece of creative writing in a foreign language. The teacher said he wouldn’t force anyone to write creatively if they did not want to but he let me know that he would enjoy seeing what I could come up with if I wanted to try. He was thrilled with my product, but I think he was even more thrilled by my willingness to attempt the process and the effect my success had on my classmates willingness to become more flexible with the language.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Indeed Kat, I do agree with you that the problem is that despite what the research says as far literacy development is concerned, policy makers seem to disregard those findings. As such then, teachers find themselves compelled to rush their students to make them “proficient within a year to three years when they know that it takes more time than that to give student learners an enduring learning experience”. There is clearly a gap between theory, practice, and educational policies.
ReplyDeleteKat I really could connect with your experience to freestyle a poem in German because it really captures the essence of writing in two languages. Reaching the intended meaning in an L2 is not always easy but doing it is so fulfilling. It is an achievement that requires much investment. In fact, allowing the students to code switch between their L1 and L2 as they needed and without teacher’s pressure was a very good idea.