Language+and+Society+Reflections

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//**Context**: Twice during the semester, we were asked to write letters of reflection to Dr. Hartman explaining our findings and questions about the class up until that point while also discussing how we were meeting the objectives for the course. These reflections are not only indicative of the work I did for this class, but also how it started to shape my work for my 690 sequence. //=====

Reflection #1 - October 2, 2011
Dear Dr. H,

During my undergraduate work, I took a linguistics class with Dr. Price and it was full of valuable information that I really enjoyed learning about, but I wasn’t quite sure how to make it applicable in my curriculum and how it was really going to matter to my teaching. I had a really difficult time trying to contextualize all of that, but with this class, I’m finding that I’m asking more questions of myself as a native speaker who represents the “mainstream” English population who is teaching students who may be considered “the others.” I’ve found that while the way I’m communicating with my students has not changed, my willingness to understand where my students are coming from in their language has changed drastically. I’m also seeing that the more I’m willing to talk about the “stickiness” and complexity of our language, the more my students question their own language, and they are actually really enjoying me rehashing what I read for homework every week. I’m seeing how language is not necessarily about being “correct,” but rather about how to most effectively communicate with one another and the difficulties that may arise due to the differences that occur naturally in our language. I’ve done a lot of writing and thinking through writing in my daybook, and I’ve showcased that in my daybook section of my portfolio. I’m finding that I’m thinking about how the language I hear and see on a daily basis can apply to the ideas that Lippi-Green is explaining in the text and how those examples can help me better understand the subordination of language that is not “mainstream.”

Based on the work I’ve done for my mini-discourse analyses, I think the one objective that I’ve really focused on, perhaps subconsciously since I’m also thinking about how all of this is going to apply to my 690 work, is the fourth objective about the “issues of language, power and their relationship in educational and social settings”. For both mini-DAs, I’ve analyzed language that has touched on some of the issues of language that impact a classroom and student learning, and my third mini-DA will also focus on that element, but from an accent discrimination perspective. I think because I’m utilizing this information for my research work that I’m really starting to hone in on the impact that language has in school and how that impacts student learning.

At this point, I don’t think there isn’t an objective that I don’t have a firm grasp on, or that one I can’t point to some sort of evidence for in either my daybook, Ning responses, portfolio or mini-DA work. The one thing I know I’m going to focus more on for the second portfolio is to start looking at how I can look at language from social and cultural contexts rather than educational. Because I’m immersed in education on a daily basis, I think I lean toward that, and I think that I may be overdoing it a tad, and I don’t want that to hinder everything I can learn in this class.

I’m really glad that I decided to take this class this semester. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like talking about language over in an online environment where we couldn’t really “talk” about language, but I’ve found it’s actually helping me more than I thought it would. Being able to see how the other people in class are seeing language at work helps me contextualize the ideas in EWA so much more thoroughly than simply just having a conversation/discussion about it face-to-face. I’m really enjoying class, and I am so looking forward to using all of the new knowledge and strategies I’m learning to my 690 work in the very near future. One thing about my portfolio – I figured out a way to minimize the pages that show up on my list on the right hand side, and I think I’m going to continue doing this for my other work that I’m transferring over from my other sites. I think it will work really well for my showcase presentation. Will you let me know what you think about it? Is there anything I need to work on organizationally/logistically?

Thanks for everything!

Lorelei

=Reflection #2 - November 4, 2011 =

Dear Dr. Hartman,

Over the course of the last few weeks, especially after doing more digging with Gee, I have truly come to appreciate this class even more so than I did before. I knew, because of LG, that language is powerful and its importance cannot be ignored, especially when we talk about the subordination of accents and languages themselves. However, it wasn't until I found Gee that I see how everything around us is connected to language ("big D" Discourse), more so than I even thought imaginable. I find myself reflecting more often about the language events that are happening in my classroom, with my friends, with my colleagues. I am much more cognizant of the language that I use as a speaker of English and how all of the things that encompass Discourse are determining factors in the linguistic relationships I have with other people, especially my students. I've realized that if I am open and honest with my students about how what communication means to me that they will naturally gravitate toward what is comfortable for them making their communication with me effective. I've also discovered if I am keenly aware of what I'm saying and how I'm saying it, there is more of a chance of my students "meeting me halfway" to try to understand the messages I'm trying to communicate with them. However, I have also learned that not everyone shares the same desire to attempt to create this type of conducive communicative environment as me as many of my other classmates. This is frustrating to me simply because I am an idealist. However, I believe that this is the battle I'll continue to deal with in education, and perhaps one that I will always battle. I've always marched to a different beat than most people around me, so maybe this class, along with my action research, will be an opportunity for me to show teachers how important it is for us to study language and how it affects our classroom and our students on a daily basis.

I think the one objective that I'm showing strong evidence of is my ability to reflect. In two of my daybook entries for this portfolio, I really focus on what is going on in my classroom and/or how my philosophy of teaching fits/doesn't fit with either what "experts" say about what should be happening in my classroom or what is or isn't working in my room and with my students. I've taken a great deal of this knowledge into my classroom, and my mini-DA #3 also shows that. As soon as Mariah opened her mouth that day, I knew that I had the Golden Ticket of any mini-DA language I had captured before that. I've found that the ability to reflect on my students', as well as my own, language creates a more conducive learning environment for my students and myself.

I know exactly what's going on with objective 6 but I don't believe I'm quite there yet. I'm definitely going to push myself in this manner for my field research project since the discussion of language from social, cultural, historical and educational contexts is essentially the basis of my field research data. I've been trying to figure out how to make all of that come together, and I'm grappling with some things right now that I can't quite pinpoint, but I know I can work my way through it. I will definitely, and obviously, have evidence of this objective by the time I'm done with my project.

Bittersweet Symphony (Have I mentioned how much I love late 90s music?) by The Verve just came on my Pandora, and I believe this is such a perfect song for me right now. I feel like this part of my graduate work is bittersweet. I am so looking forward to my action research and starting the downhill slope into graduating after the crazy spring that is coming, but I'm also a little despondent about no longer being a student after August. I have wanted to go back to school for so long, and now that I'm finally here, I can't believe I'm almost done. It's entirely too short. I have learned so much over the course of my studies so far, and I can honestly say this class has had the greatest impact on me of any of my classes so far. I have this burning desire to just eat up my homework every week just so I can learn something else. I wish that I could bottle this feeling and feed it to my students for breakfast. I've loved my other classes and I've learned a great deal from all of them, but for some reason, this class is really striking a strong chord in me - I believe this is a good sign for the two semesters that are to come, but maybe perhaps later on down the road when I (??) go and get my doctorate. Thank you for encouraging me all semester and for helping me push through some of the "tough" stuff!

Peace & Grace, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Lorelei