Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning

I really enjoyed reading ‘Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning’ by Bonny Norton Peirce. This article made me think about my English learning and teaching experience. I have taught and learned English without taking into consideration social identity and investment related to me and my students. While I am reading this article, I have an opportunity to understand myself and my students. Two things, social identity and investment, attracted my attention and interest. So I’d like to talk about it.
I have used and heard about the word ‘identity’. Maybe it could mean ‘who I am’. Very often I don’t know ‘who I am’. However, while I was taking the lecture, I had a chance to understand it. I have taken charge of many roles regardless of my intention. In these different roles, I took different contradictive selves. I agree that these different selves have affected my English learning. As an English teacher, I needed to get many opportunities to talk with native speakers in the classroom or outside the classroom, even though my personality was very shy and calm. At that time my two selves were contradicting each other. However, it is very interesting that talking with native speakers has changed my personality. Even though I was really shy, I talked with a native speaker. As time goes by, my English ability has been getting better and better and confidence in myself has been improved. As a result, I become more active than before. Like this, I have noticed that my social identity is multiple, usually contradictive, and a site of struggle. My active personality struggled to beat my shy personality. Eventually, my identity has changed. There are numerous possibilities for my social identity to be changed in every moment.
However, when I taught my students, I had prejudice against students, especially unmotivated looking students. Even though some students want to improve their English abilities, they seem to be unmotivated because they don’t have any successful experience in learning English. I am just wondering how many times I gave them to experience their success in English learning in the classroom. They might struggle to learn English inside of themselves. I didn’t give a chance to try it. They lost their power in class. That might affect their attitude toward English learning and English teacher negatively. I think that it is necessary to take into consideration students’ situations from different aspects when there is a student who doesn’t have any interest in learning English.
I have lots of interest in the notion ‘investment’. I am investing all I have in my own social identity. I don’t know if my investment has a positive effect or a negative effect on my own social identity. In my opinion, any investment accompanies some risks. The more dangerous risks are, the more benefits we get. Language learning itself can affect my social identity. As I mentioned before, while I am improving my English ability, my attitude toward English has become positive in general. However, when I have faced with a difficult situation, for instance, I was surrounded by native English speakers in class, I lost my confidence in English and was frustrated again. Because they spoke so fast that I couldn’t understand them. In addition to that, sometimes they spoke a slang I couldn’t understand. That seemed to make me alienated from them. But I think of the investment (money, time and efforts) I made for my English learning and once again I struggle to survive. With the help of the notion ‘investment’, I can understand my multiple self identities in myself in different situations.
Finally, I think that I need to get rid of the prejudice against my students. I used to think that the unmotivated students cannot be chanbed. They are very flexible and changeable in different contexts like me. Therefore, if I understand their investment and give more chances to succeed in their language learning, I can help them improve their English ability. One of the ways I can understand students’ investment can be a journal. I will have a chance to understand my students and to help them improve their English abilities through analyzing their journals. However, the obstacle I should overcome is to make students feel comfortable and write down their candid journals of themselves. I think that it’s not so easy to get students’ candid journals. The notion that students’ social identities are flexible gives me high hopes.

Toward a Postmethod Pedagogy(B. KUMARADIVELU)

After I have read this article about a postmethod pedagogy, three pedagogic parameters: particularity, practicality, and possibilty come to my mind. Even though I have taught English for about 15 years, these parameters gave me an opportuntity to think about my job as an English teacher.
I read new theories in anticipation that these fantastic theories could solve all the problems I would face with my students in the classroom. However, whenever I tried to apply the theory in the class, I felt frustrated. The theory was not fit for my students. The class was a mess. First, I didn't consdier my teaching situation; my students' levels, my goals and students' needs, even more institutional context. Without considering the specific situation, I just tried to pour all the knowlege I have learned to my students. My students were very embarrassed and I was very frustrated in spite of my efforts. I have always thought the theory was useless for me and it is just an ideal.
When I had chances to listen to lecutures about new theories, I always nodded my head. However, I didn't try to test theories in my classes. I just tried once or twice. That's all. As I mentioned above, my efforts were always useless. I didn't analyze the reasons theories were not so effective in my classes. I always doubted about the usefulness of theories. Frankly speaking, I know that I need to acquire context-sensitive pedagogy knowledge and to use it in every day teaching. However, I know that it is too difficult. Very often I think that it is difficult to just follow theories without any consideration of the context. Right now, I am very frustrated. I am wondering if I can deal with this practicality parameter in my classes. I think it is really painful to theorize through my practice and practice what I theorize. In my opinion, first I need to firm my context-sensitive knowledge through endless efforts.
In my teaching experience, I didn't think about the last parameter, possibility. Language teaching is not neutral. I can have a strong influence on students' identity formations. I was a little bit of surprised to see that nobody wants to have English nick name, even though I was forced to make up my English name when I was very young. People tend to understand the relationship between English names and their identities. I should aware what I am teaching and asking all the time. In addition to that, language is related to power. I also need to conscious of sociopolitical aspects, for instance, the changes of social positions when I teach English.
In conclusion, after I have read this article, I feel responsibility as an English teacher. Before I came here, I was too passive that somebody had a key for my problems. However, the key is in me. The greater autonomy I have, the more responsibility I accept.

Firth, A. & Wagner, J.(1997). On discourse, communication, and some fundamental concepts in SLA research.

This journal is a little beyond my understanding. It is difficult for me to catch some important ideas. Even though my understanding is not correct, I will try to write a response related to my teaching experience.
The first thing which attracts my interest is "theory culling". I have heard many theories about English teaching from my professors and textbooks, however, I don't have any core value in my teaching. Whenever, I hear a new theory, I am swayed without any goals. In this journal, "theory culling" can be used differently, but I need to do "theory culling" for my teaching. In my opinion, it is important to select some advantages and disadvantages of theories fitting for my teaching value critically.
Secondly, I like the notion "Integrated and balance". I tend to go to the extreme. For example, if someone says, "This theory or method is wonderful!" I discard the theory or method I applied and follow new ones without considering my teaching goals and situations. Mostly the new one is the opposite of the old one. Also because of the lack of knowledge of the new theory and method, I usually misunderstood and applied them in a wrong way. All the things need to be integrated and balanced, for instance, cognitive and social dimension of Second Language Acquision. I will have more opportunities to understand students' language problems more deeply and correctly. In addition to that, students will enjoy some benefits from the integrated and balanced approach.
Thirdly, according to Varonis & Gass, native speakers and nonnative speakers are mutiply handicapped in conversation with one another. This made me a little bit of excited and encouraged. As a nonnative speaker, I have any confidence in my English. Moreover, whenever I taught my students, I told that native speakers English is superior to ours. However, we are all handicaped in conversation. Therefore I don't have make my students frustrated all the time. Our nonnative speakers' English is also systematic and valuable. I emphasized that native speakers' English is perfect in my classes and just asked students to imitate their English. How foolish I am! I didn't explain why their English is perfect. To be honest, I didn't know the reason. Without considering the contexts English can be used, I just asked my students to follow native speakers' English. I just taught English as a tool, but I didn't teach how use it appropriately.
Lastly, when I taught students, I focused on only their mistakes, I mean, only negative things. However, from this journal, I need to focus on students' communicative success as well as their problems. By examining their communicative success, I will observe students' language progress.
I don't know how well I understood this journal, but it made me think about my teaching experience and value once again.

This is my TESOL paradise!!!