One of the main thoughts that went through my mind while I was Reading these week’s articles was the fact that the authors commented on how learning to write (in academic settings) has been equated, in a way, to learning a foreign or second language. I must say I was a bit shocked by the idea at first, but then I thought this was a way to problematize the issue of academic writing and to bring its complexities to the surface.
However, I must say this comparison seems to be more harmful than beneficial. Of course, I have not visited the scholarly works where this notion is put forward and elaborated on, but still, by no means do I feel that the two settings have more commonalities than differences. I must agree with Matsuda and Jablonski when they cite McCarhy on how the sharing of ethnic and cultural background between teachers and students, in the case of academic writing learning as opposed to LS learners, puts learners in privileged position second language learners practically never find themselves in. Nonetheless, it is my impression that the that the huge gap between the cognitive, social, psychological, political, cultural and economic forces pushing LS learners and those of L1 learners of academic writing requires little argumentation. The fact that L1 writing learners are acquainted with the demands of the educational system they make part of, the cultural and social values of their teachers and their expectations, and the simple fact that they are ‘insiders’ of the social groups they interact with everyday provides them with a great advantage. Difficult as the task can be, the possibilities are very different.
However, I must agree with Hall and Matsuda and Jablosnki when they call for a collaborative approach on the part of ESL and WAC/WID specialists. As NNES’s populations increase in the US, it is becoming clear that sooner and later the higher education system will have to acknowledge this reality and transform itself to provide minded institutional responses. Clearly, interaction between ESL and WAC scholars should be at the centre of these initiatives.
Well... I work since 2008 as teacher in a school, where I had a lot to do with the teaching of "academic writing"... The mere idea of "sharing" any kind of background with my kids sounds pretty unrealistic, then they have not a clue of what the cultural ideals -developed in mellenia of philosophy and science- are like. I could recomend you to read F. Vallejo´s LOGOI, where he sets a clear defference between spoken and written language.
ReplyDeleteNice to read from you!
Hey Nico, thanks for your comment. Clearly, students and teachers are very different, and many times, it seems that they have nothing in common. This text, however, is about equating L1 writing learners to L2 learners. So, if there are such differences, such as the ones between you and your students, imagine how it is with students from totally different cultures. Think of Asian or even Latin American students in the US. Their mindsets sometimes are absolutately different from the ones permeating instituional policies and teacher practises, and in those cases we may say there is nothing in common between them. On the other hand, even if it doesn't seem so, L1 learners can more easily access such mindsets in their own culture.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, it's good to hear from you again.