Identity construction in complex second language classrooms

On the basis of personal experiences with immigration and current conceptualizations of culture in anthropological and culture teaching literature, this article outlines an approach to cultural instruction in adult second-language education, named "culture exploration," which calls for the recognition of ambiguity embedded in cross-cultural encounters. Culture exploration consists of employing techniques of ethnographic participant observation in and outside the classroom and holding reflective, interpretive, and critical classroom discussions on students' ethnographies. It is argued that through culture exploration students can develop an understanding of humans as cultural beings, of the relationship between language and culture, and of the necessity of living with the uncertainty inherent in cross-cultural interactions. Through this process of naming their experience of the target community culture and reflecting on it, it is hoped that students will be in a position to develop their own voice and will be empowered to act to fulfill their own goals in their new environment.

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Learnables in Action : The Embodied Achievement of Opportunities for Teaching and Learning in Swedish as a Second Language Classrooms

10.3384/diss.diva-104920 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ali Reza Majlesi ◽

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Classrooms

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Theory-Guided Reading Instruction in Second-Language Classrooms

Research-Driven Pedagogy ◽

10.4324/9781351043281-3 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 35-54

Author(s):

Keiko Koda

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Reading Instruction ◽

Guided Reading ◽

Language Classrooms

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Sociolinguistic and Educational Perspectives on Code Switching in Classrooms

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies - Handbook of Research on Cross-Cultural Approaches to Language and Literacy Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8668-7.ch014 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 345-366

Author(s):

James R. King

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Second Language ◽

Contact Zone ◽

Community Building ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Code Switching ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

The Cross ◽

Split Personality ◽

Cultural Components

In educational contexts, codeswitching (CS) is deployed in a binary fashion. Either CS is a productive strategy (a translanguaging, revisionists' claim), or CS is a “bad habit” signaling linguistic deficits. Some of the variance in understanding CS results from specific contexts. When a second language is used in a content classroom, the productive use of CS as a viable strategy for explication, management, and community building may also suffer from confusion. Yet, CS in language classrooms is a concern for teachers. Confusion emanates from two theoretical accounts for CS (structural and functional). For educational uses, CS suffers from this “split personality,” with resolution found in a “contact zone” account. I draw from the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic contexts of South Africa to explain notions of CS, and specifically as CS relates to literacy in some cases. The cross-cultural components play a role in explaining CS as it relates to literacy.

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A Photo-Narrative of the Sociolinguistic and Sociocultural Identities of a Refugee Adolescent

Opening Up Education for Inclusivity Across Digital Economies and Societies - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7473-6.ch012 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 233-250

Author(s):

Alex P. Davies

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Second Language ◽

Identity Construction ◽

Summer School ◽

First Language ◽

The United States ◽

Refugee Camp ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Refugee Status ◽

School Year

One's linguistic discourse is directly linked to his or her identity construction. The author conducted a qualitative study that investigated the sociolinguistic and sociocultural identities, both current and imagined, of a newly arrived adolescent of refugee status, named Yerodin, through a photo-narrative approach. Yerodin was unique in that he was 11 years old when he arrived to the United States but did not have any prior formalized schooling. Therefore, he was illiterate in both his first language of Swahili and second language of English. This study took place during a summer school program that sought to develop Yerodin and his siblings' literacy skills before the upcoming school year. Findings illustrated Yerodin's current identity as one who appreciated his experiences in the refugee camp prior to resettlement and as an English learner. Furthermore, Yerodin realized that English, his second language, and academics were key to accessing his desired communities of identity, including aspects of American culture and friendships with “American peers.”

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