Presented By: Joy Iris-Wilbanks TSOL 536 / Winter Q.14

Idealization of English

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It is critical to understand that imagination is not about wild fantasies. Instead what is imagined happens within a set framework of ideals. A student might imagine that membership to an IC will bring

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them access to a higher social status. Or they believe that

the Native English Speaker is best. Or instructor’s race is important and that White Prestige Ideology is present.

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For Gloria she took the TOEFL writing class and experienced a disconnection between what she believes is the best way to write and what she was instructed. She feels that when it is time for peer feedback that her peers aren’t as good as a NES and disregards this feedback. All of which causes to not invest in the

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learning and she also became bored with the class.

For Monica she also too the photography class and too found it didn’t meet her criteria and also felt her NNET didn’t meet her standards. She checked out as well from engaging in the class.

Gloria and Monica’s Disconnect with the Learning

Objectives

Impact

Pedagogical Implications

How do students’ imagined communities of English impact their language learning?

How can we instruct with this concept in mind?

THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

Impact on Language Learning The Study:

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“Resistance by L2 writers: The role of racial and language ideology in imagined communities of English. (Liu & Tannacito, 2013)

1. Language learners seek a “desired discourse “(355).

2. Participants: two

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Taiwanese students studying abroad in an American University

3. 2 kinds of writing classes: 1 a TOEFL writing class and 2 a writing with photography class

Instructor: Joy Iris-Wilbanks TSOL 536 / Winter Q.14

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Pedagogical Implications

REASSESS

Ask yourself: Do I perpetuation student’s

idealizations?

Assess whether your textbooks create or

perpetuate imagined communities of English

Images:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m91i08aco31qcglluo1_1280.jpg

http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.40670810.jpg

http://www.webdesigncore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/silhouette_11.jpg

http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1589/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1589R-35558.jpg

http://www.debito.org/?p=1994

References

REXAMINE

Use assessment and feedback tools to gauge from our learners what

their imagined communities are and

what their idealizations might be.

RECREATE

Give learners the opportunity to be come self-aware and the ability to see why they are investing or not in the language

with critical analysis tools.

Sources:

Hornberger, N. H., & McKay, S. L. (Eds). (2010) Sociolinguistics and language education. Bristol: Multilingual Matters

Liu, Pei-Hsun Emma, and Tannacito, Dan J (2013). Resistance by L2 writers: The role of racial and language ideology in imagined community and identity investment. Journal of Second Language Writing, 22, 355 – 373. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2013.05.001

Contact:

iriswilb@seattleu.edu

Presentation available at:

https://flowboard.com/s/1gqp/Power-of Imagination