A Step from Heaven
This story had a lot of different things we can learn from. Young Ju does not know a lot about coming to America because she is so young. Her parents don't tell her that much and it is hard for her to assimilate to America coming from a Korean background.
I was surprised when Young Ju mentioned in her class that her brother had died when it wasn't true. She called him a worm when she first saw him. She felt like she was not a baby anymore by having that new baby in the house. Not being the baby anymore affected her.
The issue with the new language was a big problem for them in the family. This is seen when Young Ju goes to school for the first time and then when the father goes to get Young Ju a green card.
Besides the fact that this poor girl has to go through so much in order to assimilate, I was not surprised to read about the problems that the father and the mother had going on. Everything started to become worse when the father's mother died. He let it out on the family, he was not who he was before. The first issue they had was with money. They were struggling with where they were going to live because both of them didn't agree. It is sad that the dad became so violent with Young Ju and the mom. This to me, was the most heart-breaking, to see a family fall apart just because they came to a new country and they couldn't deal with everything that is going on. This happens with many families. Families come from other countries to the United States just so that they can work and have a better life, but in reality sometimes it's worse. They miss their family and if something happens to their family members from their home country, there's not much they can do. If they don't have a great job, they will spend their lives working just so they can pay off the rent or whatever it is they have to pay. Fights start in the family just because they're not happy with what they have.
It's important for schools to have bilingual programs so that children can assimilate a little easier. Not only should they teach the language, but it would be good to teach them about the culture as well. The parents could benefit from information about the country as well, anything that can teach them how to be a part of the country and not feel too left out.
This story of coming to America is very well explained with much detail that portrays the family's personal life. It makes me think about the struggles that people deal with. Instead of us watching newcomers in this country, we should try to become friends with them and make them feel comfortable.
Kang's article
I was really surprised to see that bilingualism is such an important part for Koreans. For those that come to America, they still feel the need to maintain their home language. Even if they have good jobs where they speak English fluently, at home they will still use their native language and they want their kids to do the same. They enforce the language use in the home and some parents are even willing to go back to Korea just so that they can have their children learn their native language.
I guess the reason why it is such a big deal to continue using the lanugage in America is because they don't want to forget who they are and the culture they're coming from. I see this in my own family. Even though we can speak English well, it is still nice to know our Spanish language. A person can't just go to a new country and completely change who they are. They can learn the new language and customs, but keeping their own identity is key.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Week 4- Norton & Pavlenko
Norton & Pavlenko articles
"It is through language that a person negotiates a sense of self within and across different sites at a different point in time, and it it is through language that a person gains access to- or is denied access to- powerful social networks that give learners the opportunity to speak" (Heller, 1987). This quote explains the importance of language and how it is used in everyday life to have everyday conversations. It can make someone be a part of a social interaction or it can exclude someone from doing so. For those who are immigrants to this country (or any country), if they don't know the language fully, they will not be able to have a very well understood conversation with others. Language is what keeps things going. Without making clear sense of what someone is trying to say, then it will be really hard for communication to occur.
We can see this in how Martina and Eva struggled to improve their language in order to be understood. This happens all the time. There are many immigrants coming from South America into the United States, especially from Mexico. As future teachers, we need to be aware of this and be prepared to help these people out. It is not easy for them to assimilate into a new country, but as teachers, we can guide them along the way and help them do so.
When people don't know the language, they might feel like they don't fit in or that others don't like them, which is true in some cases. It was interesting to read about Eva and how she thought that no one cared about her just because she is seen as inferior since she doesn't know the language. People will feel this way if they are recent immigrants or if they don't speak the language, but we can help them out. As teachers, it is important that we approach these second language learners in a friendly way and help them get more comfortable.
One important thing mentioned is that second language teachers need to help language learners speak outside the classroom. The article talked about classroom-based social research (CBSR) which might help language learners speak outside the classroom. The objectives are-
1. Investigate opportunities to interact with target language speakers.
2. Reflect critically on engagement with target language speakers.
3. Reflect on observations in diaries and journals.
4. Pay attention to and record unusual events.
5. Compare data with fellow students and researchers.
Language and identity play an important role on identity and investment, communities, categories, educational change, literacy, and resistance.
Autobiographies were mentioned in Pavlenko's article as a way to have an identity narrative of someone or the community the member is a part of. As a future teacher, I would like to have my students write a short personal narrative at the beginning of the year in order for students to get to know each other better and be a little more comfortable in the class. They will be able to find similarities from other classmates.
It was interesting to find out about European immigrants and their struggles to assimilate in America. At first they were not accepted and they were seen as foreigners. I think this is something important that happens today. Immigrants are made fun of or are told that they don't belong in this country just because they have not fully assimilated or they are not US citizens yet.
Knowing English means so much. It was mentioned that it is one of the most important forces in the process of Americanization. This is true because English is required almost everywhere in the US. If someone wishes to become a US citizen, they most definitely have to know the English language as well. English is the main language of America and although other languages are appreciated, English is still the main one used.
"It is through language that a person negotiates a sense of self within and across different sites at a different point in time, and it it is through language that a person gains access to- or is denied access to- powerful social networks that give learners the opportunity to speak" (Heller, 1987). This quote explains the importance of language and how it is used in everyday life to have everyday conversations. It can make someone be a part of a social interaction or it can exclude someone from doing so. For those who are immigrants to this country (or any country), if they don't know the language fully, they will not be able to have a very well understood conversation with others. Language is what keeps things going. Without making clear sense of what someone is trying to say, then it will be really hard for communication to occur.
We can see this in how Martina and Eva struggled to improve their language in order to be understood. This happens all the time. There are many immigrants coming from South America into the United States, especially from Mexico. As future teachers, we need to be aware of this and be prepared to help these people out. It is not easy for them to assimilate into a new country, but as teachers, we can guide them along the way and help them do so.
When people don't know the language, they might feel like they don't fit in or that others don't like them, which is true in some cases. It was interesting to read about Eva and how she thought that no one cared about her just because she is seen as inferior since she doesn't know the language. People will feel this way if they are recent immigrants or if they don't speak the language, but we can help them out. As teachers, it is important that we approach these second language learners in a friendly way and help them get more comfortable.
One important thing mentioned is that second language teachers need to help language learners speak outside the classroom. The article talked about classroom-based social research (CBSR) which might help language learners speak outside the classroom. The objectives are-
1. Investigate opportunities to interact with target language speakers.
2. Reflect critically on engagement with target language speakers.
3. Reflect on observations in diaries and journals.
4. Pay attention to and record unusual events.
5. Compare data with fellow students and researchers.
Language and identity play an important role on identity and investment, communities, categories, educational change, literacy, and resistance.
Autobiographies were mentioned in Pavlenko's article as a way to have an identity narrative of someone or the community the member is a part of. As a future teacher, I would like to have my students write a short personal narrative at the beginning of the year in order for students to get to know each other better and be a little more comfortable in the class. They will be able to find similarities from other classmates.
It was interesting to find out about European immigrants and their struggles to assimilate in America. At first they were not accepted and they were seen as foreigners. I think this is something important that happens today. Immigrants are made fun of or are told that they don't belong in this country just because they have not fully assimilated or they are not US citizens yet.
Knowing English means so much. It was mentioned that it is one of the most important forces in the process of Americanization. This is true because English is required almost everywhere in the US. If someone wishes to become a US citizen, they most definitely have to know the English language as well. English is the main language of America and although other languages are appreciated, English is still the main one used.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Week 3 Readings
I learned a lot in these three readings. The first one, which is Hinkel's Chapter 2 and 3,talked about implicatures. The person hearing what someone else is saying has to inference what is meant when not everything was described in detail to describe fully what they meant. It's hard for a bilingual student to learn a new language and sometimes a lot of guesses have to be done in order for them to understand the new language.
In the Kumaravadivelu article, what caught my attention was when culture was said to be used as a noun and it gives the wrong impression of an object, thing or museum piece. The article mentioned that culture is a verb. What is important is what culture does not what it is.
In the Wintergrest article, what stuck out the most to me was reading about the differences in big C culture and small c culture. Big C culture includes the "classic or grand themes," little c culture is "minor or common themes." I had not learned about these differences before and I found it very interesting in this article. I also liked that the article gave a lot of activities that teachers could use in their classrooms in order to teach students about culture. Finally what I liked about the article is that they explained the five dimensions of culture, which include identity, hierarchy, social gender role, truth value, and virtue.
It is important for teachers or future teachers to know these definitions about what culture really is in order to be a great bilingual teacher. There are so many parts of the definition of culture that I didn't know before reading all this. It is interesting to know that the word culture can have such a big definition.
In the Kumaravadivelu article, what caught my attention was when culture was said to be used as a noun and it gives the wrong impression of an object, thing or museum piece. The article mentioned that culture is a verb. What is important is what culture does not what it is.
In the Wintergrest article, what stuck out the most to me was reading about the differences in big C culture and small c culture. Big C culture includes the "classic or grand themes," little c culture is "minor or common themes." I had not learned about these differences before and I found it very interesting in this article. I also liked that the article gave a lot of activities that teachers could use in their classrooms in order to teach students about culture. Finally what I liked about the article is that they explained the five dimensions of culture, which include identity, hierarchy, social gender role, truth value, and virtue.
It is important for teachers or future teachers to know these definitions about what culture really is in order to be a great bilingual teacher. There are so many parts of the definition of culture that I didn't know before reading all this. It is interesting to know that the word culture can have such a big definition.
Monday, January 21, 2013
My Own Definition of Culture
After reading Morgan's Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 in Teaching Culture, I have learned a lot about culture and language. In her articles, she defines culture as having five dimensions to it, which are products, practices, persons, perspectives, and communities. She says that culture is the evolving way of life that consists of a group of persons, that share a set of practices that are associated with a set of products, based on a shared set of perspectives on the world, and that are set in specific social contexts. I agree with her definition.
I agree that culture does consist of the products or artifacts that are produced by those in the culture. Each culture has its own objects that are used to identify them. If we look at the Hispanic culture, people might have pinatas at a birthday party. Maracas, sombreros, or a mariachi band might be heard or seen at an event. The objects that they have make them a distinct culture from everyone else.
Members of a culture have their own practices and this is very important. They have their actions or interactions that they carry out by themselves or with other people. If we look at a group of preschool students and their culture, we can see that some of their practices could include reading out loud, singing, or dancing. These actions can be used anywhere else, but the way it is used in their own classrooms makes it possible for them to have their own culture.
The perspectives of culture include the beliefs, values, and attitudes about the culture. I agree with this as well. People have different views on different things. If we look at the Catholic religion, they believe in God and saints. Everything that they believe in, what they, and so forth, is part of their own culture.
Culture has it's own community, where they do whatever they do. Offices at work have their own community where they carry out all their activities, they work at buildings with offices and do office work. This goes for any other culture; they have their place where their activities are held.
Everything in the different cultures is carried out by the persons. These individuals are the members who carry out their own unique actions to keep their culture alive.
Language is used throughout all this in order for people to be successful in their culture. Things so basic, such as products, that seem like no language is necessary to use them or buy them is not true. At some point you had to read how to use them or how to read the value of money, which requires knowledge of the language.
It makes sense to me that culture is all of the above mentioned that I read in Morgan's article. After reading all this, I have realized that culture can be anything from race, religion, work, school, or anything else. It happens everyday through active members that keep their own traditions going. Culture is ongoing, it's nonstop. It also keeps changing everyday, new things could happen, etc. Culture can be a social group, ethnic group, or age group. It includes the shared beliefs, ideas, values, attitudes, and goals.
I agree that culture does consist of the products or artifacts that are produced by those in the culture. Each culture has its own objects that are used to identify them. If we look at the Hispanic culture, people might have pinatas at a birthday party. Maracas, sombreros, or a mariachi band might be heard or seen at an event. The objects that they have make them a distinct culture from everyone else.
Members of a culture have their own practices and this is very important. They have their actions or interactions that they carry out by themselves or with other people. If we look at a group of preschool students and their culture, we can see that some of their practices could include reading out loud, singing, or dancing. These actions can be used anywhere else, but the way it is used in their own classrooms makes it possible for them to have their own culture.
The perspectives of culture include the beliefs, values, and attitudes about the culture. I agree with this as well. People have different views on different things. If we look at the Catholic religion, they believe in God and saints. Everything that they believe in, what they, and so forth, is part of their own culture.
Culture has it's own community, where they do whatever they do. Offices at work have their own community where they carry out all their activities, they work at buildings with offices and do office work. This goes for any other culture; they have their place where their activities are held.
Everything in the different cultures is carried out by the persons. These individuals are the members who carry out their own unique actions to keep their culture alive.
Language is used throughout all this in order for people to be successful in their culture. Things so basic, such as products, that seem like no language is necessary to use them or buy them is not true. At some point you had to read how to use them or how to read the value of money, which requires knowledge of the language.
It makes sense to me that culture is all of the above mentioned that I read in Morgan's article. After reading all this, I have realized that culture can be anything from race, religion, work, school, or anything else. It happens everyday through active members that keep their own traditions going. Culture is ongoing, it's nonstop. It also keeps changing everyday, new things could happen, etc. Culture can be a social group, ethnic group, or age group. It includes the shared beliefs, ideas, values, attitudes, and goals.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
About Me
I am currently a senior majoring in bilingual elementary education. I still have two more years to go so that I can graduate with my degree. I'm from Palatine, IL and I transferred two years ago from Harper College.
I am really excited about this course and hope to learn a lot.
I am really excited about this course and hope to learn a lot.
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