Class Sept. 1st, 2011

The Celce-Murcia article was one of great interest for me because it looked at the history of teaching a second language; honestly, this field is still very new to me, so gaining some background on it is always a wonderful benefit. What struck me most was the ever-evolving meaning for second language acquisition. Obviously the approaches, methods, and techniques changed over time, but their purpose was equally as changed with the inception of new perceptions about TESOL. I almost laughed aloud when it said that the earliest forms of second language teaching could be done by those who have no working knowledge of how to speak the target language- it just didn't make sense.

I suppose that is the natural progression of, well, things, though. Because these are human thoughts, human inventions, they are constantly being adapted to different human thoughts and being packaged as new human inventions. Improvement is bound to be made form one point to another, whether for better or worse. I feel, though, that we are nearing a point where a sort of culmination of each of the 4 most recent approaches should be achieved. It's like with technology; you always assume something better is coming, and soon. It's an ever-changing, ever-evolving entity. So, too, should this field, which has so many great minds constantly thinking, thinking in it; so, too, should this field find its change (or evolution or whatever you want to call it) in something so important. Maybe that's the "perfect method" we're all looking for? Who knows.

Jenkins Response

I think it's amazing how many dialects and renditions of English one runs into; we're all speaking the same language, but we're not. Whether referring to soda while down South (Coke) or talking about erasers in England (rubbers), words change and their meanings can become obscure, but the branch is so wide that we can usually figure things out. Simply the magnitude of the spokenness of this language can wow anyone in turn. While this may also be a bad thing in regards to globalization and loss of culture and the like, I still think it's a little awe-inspiring to witness the vast push of English throughout the world. Also, creoles of English are pretty sweet, I think.

Diaz-Rico & Weed Response

This is a somewhat tenuous step as my complete understanding of what is required of these blogs is somewhat lacking, but, in that grand old American spirit, it's time to take a stab. My initial reaction to the "Cultural Diversity" reading was along the lines of, "Wow, that's an awful lot of information." Taking a moment though, I realize that these are things that we've known or are becoming more aware of: the increasing number of minorities (almost to the point of no longer being a minority, but an equal share in population- a very exciting step), the number of children living in extreme poverty, the ethnic majorities living in extreme poverty... The reading certainly showed a depth in regards to its insights about life outside of "what we know" (very generally speaking, of course) and in its data gathered. Indeed, my head was swimming with all the percentage figures before all was said and done.

I suppose what is desired here, though, is a little bit more than a text overview; like some insight or sudden understanding of my own would help the cause. I can't offer much more than simply saying that this reading gave quantity to numbers of population I'd always guessed at, had assumed information about. With that having been said, the inordinate amount of Blacks and Hispanics living not just below the poverty level, but in extreme poverty, is a concerning trend that hasn't bucked for...well, ever. There is something inherently wrong with a system that keeps certain segments of the population down. That sounded incredibly unscholarly, and I know that these problems run into complexities of astounding proportion the more one looks into them (education levels which leads to school systems which leads to property discussions which leads to gerrymandering accusations which leads to me angrily banging my head on the desk and giving up), but we should definitely question the reason for these trends and issues and seek to find some solution, even if it isn't a complete one. After all, the point is to keep thinking and keep searching, right?