This week’s reading was very interesting to me in that it focuses on the political and social complexities for ESL and EFL learners. I really like that Wong started the chapter off with the realities and comparisons of schools and classrooms from one socio-economic status to another. This is a topic that we have not yet discussed nor really read about in our TESOL class, however, it is a very prominent and existent aspect for many English learners. By this I mean that many English learners who have immigrated to the US cannot afford to move into middle to upper-middle class neighborhoods, and are often stuck living in urban areas. Urban education is far behind suburban education, and urban education is often where ELL students find themselves. These schools lack proper resources, qualified teachers and involved communities. On page 2, Wong states some unfortunate and shocking statistics for every 100 Chicana/Latina students-- only less than half will graduate form high school, and only 6 will graduate from a four-year university. Numbers like these are a scream for help. These communities and students need help form their educators, and that help can come in forms of different methodologies.
Further on in the chapter, Wong describes Clifford Prator’s approach to teaching in the form of three questions: What is known about the nature of the language? What is known about the nature of the learner? And, what are the aims of instruction? As a future educator, I believe that one of the most important traits a teacher must carry is flexibility and the ability to teach in a variety of different strategies. Furthermore, it is important that the student feels appreciated for his identity and culture. Prator’s last question, “What are the aims of instruction?” brings up valid points. “What is the fine line between helping our students become intelligible to other speakers of English and psychologically colonizing our students by insisting that their rendition of English match as much as possible British or “standard” American speech? At some level, accent is of a part of identity” (9). This is true, we need to focus on inclusion rather than adjustment.
Finally after a brief history of the various approaches to teaching English, Wong points out Dialogic Pedogogy, which is according to the author is the newest methodology and reflects Prator’s question of, “ What is the nature of the learner/student?” There are four features to dialogic pedagogy:
1. Learning in community: This refers to being immersed in the target language community, surrounded by multiple perspectives and opportunities for interaction.
2. Problem posing: This focuses on exploration and the social nature of learning. “Students reflect on their learning strategies and draw from their own linguistic and cultural awareness as resources” (37).
3. Learning by doing: Students learn the language through practice and communication.
4. Knowledge for whom: Who is the student that is learning English? This questions the nature of the student and how can educational practices change inequalities within schools?
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