Affect, Empowerment and the Complexities of Belonging: Cultivating a Humanistic Atmosphere in the ESL Classroom

Momoye Sugiman

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14652465

Abstract

In this paper, I focus on the affective atmosphere of the Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. I argue that a humanistic learning approach can be a form of strategic resistance against the bureaucratization and standardization of publicly funded ESL programs for adult newcomers in Canada. Given the growing, top-down trend in our economically driven and technologically dependent society, there is a need to humanize the Canadian ESL classroom as a space for empathy and critical thinking. Through a literature review and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with former ESL learners and former ESL teachers, this paper reveals the psychological and political complexities of second language learning and cultural identity, as well as the pivotal role that an ESL teacher can play during the first few years of settlement. In this context, I also critique the racialized linguistic hierarchy embedded in Canada’s multiculturalism policy and exclusionary immigration and language policies.

Highlights

Benchmarks, competencies, rubrics, eligibility criteria, checklists, national standards, formative/summative assessments, human capital, stakeholders, workplace-ready —these are among the buzzwords that have become all too familiar to seasoned English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in publicly funded language programs for adult newcomers in Canada
The changes imposed over the past two decades include the introduction of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLBs), the Language Integration for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program, and the Enhanced Language Training (ELT) initiative, all of which are part of an overall strategy tied to changes in our immigration policy (Fleming,1998, 2010)
As I will discuss in greater detail in the literature review section of this paper, Fleming (2009, 2010, 2015) asserts that the CLBs and related ESL citizenship documents are problematic because they reinforce a racialized linguistic hierarchy and conformity to a singular Canadian identity

Summary

Introduction

Benchmarks, competencies, rubrics, eligibility criteria, checklists, national standards, formative/summative assessments, human capital, stakeholders, workplace-ready —these are among the buzzwords that have become all too familiar to seasoned English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in publicly funded language programs for adult newcomers in Canada. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS My main objective was to glean candid, in-depth reflections on the ESL experiences of newcomers, as well as their views on cultural identity, multiculturalism and language policies.

Results

Conclusion