Students “out-word each other.”

“Language is a vehicle to name and make real what we imagine.” April 30, 2010, Dr. Tricia Kress (U Mass, Boston) speaking at Language Learning and the Imagination Symposium, New Jersey City University

Young Researchers Club, Urban HS, Boston
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Lyn Thompson Lemaire (EFL)

Not “Where did you spend your vacation?” but “What kind of world would you create” and shite like that. Give student a new identity is one idea. Role play from that.

Use of target language to discover new abilities — imagination — rather than past experiences, in order to “level the playing field.”

24 hours on planet earth. You’re an alien (who speaks English). Yesterday you landed here. You’re going to report about your experience. Your friends want to know all about your experience. Did you meet people? Who resents you? Are you afraid? What have you seen? What have you done? Why are you returning to your life? You can even do MM presentation (but has to be in class, so some Ss aren’t left out)

In older learners, translation is often used as a crutch. (Titone and Danesi). “We cannot really stop second-language learners from translating.”

Language & identity

“Language learning is dominated by a person’s ego which brings together perceptual and cognitive structures. It is responsible for synthesizing them during the learning process. To learn a second language involves the restructuring of one’s personality in line with the new patterns of verbal behavior.” (Titone and Danesi).

If it were possible to change your destiny…

[From hearsay yesterday: Chomsky falls down at discourse level since he still thinks at deep structure syntactical level.
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Dr. Hasan Bedir, Cukurova U, Turkey

Hardiman (2003) says teaching/learning process requires connection between T & learner. “This connective process is not only intrapersonal but also neurolobiological.”

What is your biggest dream? Graphic organizers to represent it. L brain starts to overwhelm R brain in logical and analysis. He seeks to restore relationship between 2 hemispheres.
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Using Metaphors to Uncover Learner Beliefs

Dr. Julide Inozu, Dr. Seden Tuyan, Dr. Hulya Yumru: Cukrova University and Cag University, Turkey

“… [M]etaphors could function as awareness raising tools in the process of language learning… [They] function as windows to view belief systems (Tannaka and Ellis 2003)

Metaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson

Unncovering Ls’ beliefs is vital preliminary step for language teacher.

Stevick (1980) argument that success depends less on the materials and teaching techniques in the classroom and more on what goes on inside the learner.

1. Activating S awareness of metaphors
2. Using M to reveal S language learning beliefs
3. Elicit metaphors from S
4. Stimulation expression of implicit beliefs
5. Clarifying beliefs about language learning

• Learning as a journey
• Learning as a puzzle
• Learning as Suffering
• Learning as a Struggle
• Learning as Work

Learning English is: picking up flowers (the more you pick, the bigger the bunch), dark side of the mountain (difficult), writing on the surface of the water (from S diaries) (Taken from Ellis 2008)

We asked Ss to describe their language learning experience sin terms of color, a piece of music, object, etc (from Deacon 2000). Or bring pix that show their attitude twd learning English, and to interview each other about how they feel about pix = technique called “photo language.” What is the color of learning English? What kind of music is English: rock, classical etc and why? An object? Plane (not everyone can drive it), remote control machine (directs my life), earrings (with us all the time), tree (gives fruits), car (when you upgrade it you feel proud), stairs (you need to work to climb them)…

Stimulating the expression of implicit beliefs. Activity: guided imagery (speaking and writing activity). (Atkin 1996) Music in bg. Ask Ss to remember or re-imagine a learning experience from own lives in which they experienced high degree of satisfaction or failure. After several meanings, Ss capture feelings in short phrases and words or metaphor and then share. And then ask them to make statements. “My first English lesson was like a door to a new life.” “I feel like someone else when I speak in English.”

Clarification Walk: Listening and Speaking. Ts read aloud a statement. Ss line up on continuum from agree to disagree.

Is it true that all of us, not just poets, speak in metaphors, whether we realize it or not? Is it perhaps even true that we live by metaphors? In Metaphors We Live By George Lakoff, a linguist, and Mark Johnson, a philosopher, suggest that metaphors not only make our thoughts more vivid and interesting but that they actually structure our perceptions and understanding. Thinking of marriage as a “contract agreement,” for example, leads to one set of expectations, while thinking of it as “team play,” “a negotiated settlement,” “Russian roulette,” “an indissoluble merger,” or “a religious sacrament” will carry different sets of expectations. When a government thinks of its enemies as “turkeys or “clowns” it does not take them as serious threats, but if the are “pawns” in the hands of the communists, they are taken seriously indeed. Metaphors We Live By has led many readers to a new recognition of how profoundly metaphors not only shape our view of life in the present but set up the expectations that determine what life well be for us in the future. (from introduction in The Conscious Reader) — http://theliterarylink.com/metaphors.html

PINK MARTINI.com: a band that has clearly articulated English
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Exercise from Lenaire talk, above

Step into Social Class 2.0
A Social Class Awareness Experience
Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka
Indiana State University
© 2008
Introduction: An activity designed to help the participants gain awareness of the vast range of social class that exists within themselves and others. This has been updated based on the wide range of feedback we received as this was becoming a popular experience.

Explanations and Notes:

All of the ‘step taking’ is about things not requiring effort on the students’ part, that were things done by others. While some of these are important to some people, others will be important to others. The list includes experiences, objects, and other things which reflect social class.

Equipment:

A big room with space to move for all participants
Chairs to sit for discussion

Rules:

Pay attention to how you feel. Angry, sad, happy, winner, loser . . .
No talking – we will talk about this a lot when it is over
Line up here and take a step forward of about 1 (one) foot or one foot length

Take a step:

• If your father went to college before you started
• If your father finished college before you started
• If your mother went to college before you started
• If your mother finished college before you started
• If you have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
• If your family was the same or higher class than your high school teachers
• If you had a computer at home when you were growing up
• If you had your own computer at home when you were growing up
• If you had more than 50 books at home when you were growing up
• If you had more than 500 books at home when you were growing up
• If were read children’s books by a parent when you were growing up
• If you ever had lessons of any kind as a child or a teen
• If you had more than two kinds of lessons as a child or a teen
• If the people in the media who dress and talk like you were portrayed positively
• If you had a credit card with your name on it before college
• If you had or will have less than $5000 in student loans when you graduate
• If you had or will have no student loans when you graduate
• If you went to a private high school
• If you went to summer camp
• If you had a private tutor
• (US students only) If you have been to Europe more than once as a child or teen
• (International question) If you have been to the US more than once as a child or teen
• If your family vacations involved staying at hotels rather than KOA or at relatives homes
• If all of your clothing has been new
• If your parents gave you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
• If there was original art in your house as a child or teen
• If you had a phone in your room
• If your parent owned their own house or apartment when you were a child or teen
• If you had your own room as a child or teen
• If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
• If you had your own cell phone in High School
• If you had your own TV as a child or teen
• If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
• If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline
• If you ever went on a cruise with your family
• If your parents took you to museums and art galleries as a child or teen
• If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

• Now everyone recognize that you are at the same place academically.
• Everyone turn around.
• Everyone has permission to talk.
• No one has permission to accuse any one or any group of anything.
• Everyone must use “I” statements.
• Note that the people on one end of the room had to work harder to be here today than the people at the other end of the room. Some of you had lives of more privilege than others. There is no one to blame, it is just the way it is. Some have privilege and some don’t.

(this can be said now or later, I don’t know where it will be appropriate)

Discussion:

What were the feelings that you had during this experience? Who was angry?
(Anger will be a primary emotion at this point.)
What, specifically, makes you angry?
Who are you angry at?
Who was happy?
Which item do you want to argue about most? Why? Do you want more or fewer steps?

Summary Statement

This experience was about creating awareness of privilege. What it is, what it does, and what it means. Having privilege does not mean that you worked less hard. All it means is that you had a head start, so maybe it does mean you didn’t have to work as hard . . . .

Homework

During the next week notice how your high school years helped or didn’t help your experience in school/at work . . . .