Kuma and Murcia

Alright, let's just start with the first article I read, the Celce-Murcia article, which was an overview of methods and how each method compares, or is in reaction to, previous method.

The first thing that caught my eye was on page 3 of the article where they discuss the differences between approach, method, and technique. I thought this was important because all three sound so similar and to define each gives us a better understanding of how each idea works within teaching. That was fairly confusing for me at the beginning, differentiating between the three and a working definition which separates the three is definitely helpful.


I also thought it was helpful that the authors summarized their ideas about choosing methodology by creating three rules by which to choose and use a method. Their rules were based off of valid criteria, such as classroom size, student diversity in learning, time constraint, etc. Though these 'rules' may not help in all cases, they bring up an important guideline for those who may be searching for a good method for their teaching.


And finally, on a more random note, I liked the quote they placed at the end, on page 8:
Adapt; don't adopt -Clifford Prator
I feel it holds a certain significance in how we should teach and how sometimes in teaching, or many times, we have to learn to think on our feet and adapt to the situations we find in the classroom where methodology won't give us all the answers. This idea of adapting, and knowing how to adapt, is important than for teaching because adopting a method won't always be the answer while teaching.

Second article I'll briefly touch on is the article by Kuma. The article mainly discussed three transitions which teaching has undergone:

    1. communicative language teaching to task based language teaching
    2. method based pedagogy to post method pedagogy
    3. systemic discovery to critical discourse




The article made it clear that the advances made in the study of teaching and method has transitioned us to change the way we feel about using any one method at all. Instead Kuma sees the method changing into Task Based learning, which in many instances covers a multitude of methods, giving the classroom and teacher a more rounded way of teaching.

I see this as important as an observation because it means we, as teachers, no longer have to confine ourselves to choosing one method over another, and instead we can teach to students of many backgrounds and learning proficiencies. (Not that we couldn't do this before, this article merely shows a more broad acceptance of this kind of teaching).

Not Sure What to Say

This particular book, our reading chapter 1 and 2, will not be happening for me since I have yet to receive my book. I will post on those chapters when I receive the book. Sorry guys.

peace & grace,
Kiersten

Who Speaks English Today?

This particular article talked a lot about different models that were used to portray the spread of English and how each model worked well or didn't work well in that goal. I'm sure there have been discussions of the spread of English in my TESOL classes before but this article struck me as particularly in depth on the subject, going so far as to point out discrepancies with each model and how those models were subsequently changed to try and better them. I don't believe that there can ever be a perfect model on the spread of English because there are so many components to that kind of history. As the article mentions, the spread of English can be geographical, economical, cultural, international, etc. and each of these components play a key role in how the language spread thus making it difficult to portray it on paper or in a drawing.

This becomes further complicated, as the article states, by the different assumptions made by the models' author and how some of the models placed a higher significance, or power, in the hands of the native speaker. This can be controversial because there are many non native speakers who may be as proficient or at a higher level of proficiency then that of the native speaker. English can no longer be placed in small boxes, neatly organized in it's specific categories. There are too many speakers of English, since it is a lingua franca, for it to be confined to such a small organizational strategy.

I see that as the importance of this article because it has an at length discussion on the fact that English is so wide spread that the models we have previously used to show it's spread are now holding us back from fully understanding just how English has been used and continues to be used nationally and internationally. Thus I think the title of the article itself gives us a lot of insight, 'Who Speaks English Today?' is a valid and important question in how we create and use models to explain that use of the language.

And now I've lost my train of thought but I hope it makes sense from what I've written that I find this article to be very enlightening and, i think, extremely important when considering just how unorganized the use of English is and how all the different factors of the language use change the way we view the spread of English.

Transitioning

Hello all,
A quick announcement:

Since I used this blog for my TESOL class last year it will now be transitioning to be used in my next TESOL class, Eng 345. This is a space where I will be reflecting upon the different theories and controversies in TESOL. Hope you enjoy!

peace &grace,
Kiersten