Blog Post # 7- Translanguaging and Fan-Fiction

A common theme that I found in both of these articles was the experiences of a student learning English who has very developed literacy in their first language (L1).  Knobel and Lankshear speak of students able to "co-design a social and learning-based space where native and non-native English speakers alike are able to display expertise and build on their different forms of personal, cultural, and linguistic capital," (9).  In differentiating between translanguaging and code-switching, Cruz and Seltzer assert that a bilingual person has "complex language and cultural practices that are fluid and changing depending on the particular situation and the local practice," (9).  While Cruz and Seltzer see people as not being "two monolinguals in one,"  (9), they see the student as having a depth of skills that can be transferred, depending on the home or school situation, and on the appropriate way in which the student must express himself.

The practices mentioned in the Fan-fiction article seemed good, in theory, but not appropriate for my students.  The Mandarin and English - speaking student mentioned is clearly educated, and able to utilize multiple genre knowledge to create his writing piece, and to read and respond to feedback from readers.  It is clear that this student has been inspired, and it excited about the writing process.
This has not been my experience in any of the populations I have taught as an ESL (ENL) teacher.  I sometimes say it would be "easy if he/ she just had to learn English."  Often times, my ESL students arrive with interrupted education, being several levels below grade-level in their L1 reading, traumatized, separated and/ or reunited from family, and with an uncertain immigration status.  All of these factors, combined with socio-economic status, make the "learning English" almost seem secondary at times. 

The idea of translanguaging is empowering to students who have weak literacy in the "native language".  In fact, it "disrupts" the notion of "native language" and sees language acquisition as not having a "hierarchy" (10).  I often tell my emerging and transitional students that they speak two languages, even if they don't think they speak English.  They do.  There isn't a "percentage" of English that they need to know in order to be considered a "speaker" of English (though New York State may disagree...)  .  The idea that translanguaging "facilitates comprehension and allows emergent bilinguals to tackle academically challenging tasks" (11) is quite empowering and gives the students credit for being successful academically, regardless of their state-determined English language level. 

Blog Post #6 "Shifting Perspectives about Grammar: Changing What and How We Teach"

Ms. Dean, on page 20, says that grammar instruction "neglects meaning and meaning relationships."  This is true, as students often have trouble transferring rules for decontextualized words and phrases into what they read in literature and non-fiction works.  Students love to sit and do worksheets, both in class and for homework, but the love of grammar often ends there - in a blank space on a cloze exercise.

Many of my students are SIFE (students with interrupted formal education) and have had limited exposure to different genres of text. I appreciate the idea of educating students as to which types of grammar are appropriate for a certain genre and then having them transfer this knowledge out of class. The problem I run into is that my SIFE students struggle with even the most basic academic language - period.  They have a limited view of what is academically appropriate, especially for something done on a computer or online (like Google or a blog).  How can I provide them the structures they need, while still making the writing experience difference than it is with pen and paper? 

I will try to teach the "common terms- subject, verb, clause, phrase, modifier, and completer."  (24)  Many times, the old-school way of teaching noun, verb, adjective, and adverb can be limiting.  If I teach that "ing" indicates an action "happening now," then how do I explain "This show is exciting" when 'exciting' describes the show?  I will try to teach these terms as parts of a sentence, to have the students view their language in a more holistic manner.

The theme of this article reminded me of Kylene Beers' talk about redefining our definition of non-fiction.  It is no longer "something that is true," but rather, "something that enters our world and purports to tell a truth." (Beers, 2016). We must redefine how we teach grammar, or we will have a generation of worksheet doers, rather than students with a full appreciation of the English language.

"The Skin We Speak" by Joanne Kilgour Dowdy

At the Teacher-to-Teacher NYC Writing project conference, Kylene Beers spoke about literacy being more about power and privilege rather than reading and writing.  Joanne Kilgour Dowdy shares this sentiment, as she writes about her learning Standard English being a form of oppression for her and her family from Trinidad.  This feeling runs deep, and goes back to her Trinidadian people being enslaved by their British colonizers.  Despite this, her mother was insistent that she learn Standard English.  Her reaction was raw, "If it means forgetting that the language of everyone else around you bears witness to two hundred years of cross-pollination, so be it." As Ms. Dowdy grew up, she found her own voice, and stopped hiding behind a language she felt didn't represent her, "The chains fell from around my tongue, and my brain began to feel as if it were oiled and moving along without hiccups."  By growing up, becoming her own person, being in the public eye, and being able to express herself in a way that felt natural, Ms. Dowdy was able to feel empowered by the language.  The chains of oppression, from her language, her family, and her history, have loosened slightly, and she has come into her own.