Week 4 blog

Week 4 blogg

Just because a learner is highly motivated doesn't necessarily mean he or she will in turn be a successful language learner.  There are several factors that come into play when it comes to learning a new language- environment, classroom instruction, etc.  A person may be labeled as "unmotivated" when in fact they are really motivated and would be able to learn the language given different circumstances.  The classroom base study conducted by Duff shows that the students involved were quiet in the classroom not because they were "unmotivated," but because they were not invested in the language practices.  In other words, they did not feel comfortable  in their classroom setting. They stayed silent for fear that their native English speaking peers would criticize or laugh at them.  According to Stephen Krashen, the "silent period" is a natural stage of second language acquisition, but I strongly believe that in order for students to be able to move beyond that stage they really need to be invested in the language and overall classroom practices; it is the teachers duty to create such a classroom community. I agree with Norton's theory that despite teachers' best intentions in the classroom, their practices can potentially recreate subordinate student identities.  If second language learners are made to believe that their culture is not as important as the majority culture they will associate their own culture and their own identity with being less important. As a future language teacher of students from linguistic and culturally diverse backgrounds, I fear that it will be difficult to avoid biases and incorporate all students' cultures fairly so that they develop a strong sense of identity.  I think that one good way to battle this fear is by making a genuine effort to get to know my students well.  I think it is unfortunate when students are automatically labeled as unmotivated simply because they have a hard time opening up and relating to their teacher.  

While reading about Martina, the immigrant woman from Czechoslovakia, her story sounded all too familiar.  She reminded me of my mother's experiences in migrating to the United States and not knowing any English.  My sisters and I would always have to accompany our mother to serve as her translators. My oldest sister began translating for my mom at as young as 8 years old.   To this day, she will occasionally bring us along if she needs help translating because her English is not quite as good as she would like it to be.