Abstract
This paper presents an ethnographic study of two studentteachers in a Mexican public primary school in a fifth-grade English-asa-Foreign-Language classroom. Typical of classroom ethnography, this study incorporates systematic observation, description, micro-analysis of events, and discourse analysis. Utilizing a sociocultural perspective as a theoretical framework, the activities created by the two student-teachers are contrasted to the exercises and tasks prescribed in the official textbook. The analysis reveals that although the official textbook reflected a traditional, transmission-oriented pedagogy, the two student-teachers were able to adopt a socio constructivist and transformative teaching approach. They created activities that enabled their learners to work together through a variety of modes and to participate in a wide range of tasks that were relevant to their worlds beyond the classroom. Key words: sociocultural theory, ethnography, identity, second language education.
Highlights
In the last two decades the fields of applied linguistics and language education have undergone a major shift of perspective “from viewing language learning as an isolated individual phenomenon to viewing it as inherently embedded in and shaped by situated social interactions” (Hawkins, 2004, p. 3)
Instead of looking at language acquisition as mostly a psychological process which starts in the minds of individuals and moves toward socialization into the community, sociocultural theorists argue that the process begins in our social practices before it is internalized by our individual minds
This paper presents a study of two student-teachers in a Mexican public primary school who, while teaching English to a group of fifth graders, were able to create a classroom environment where learners worked together through a variety of modes and participated in a wide range of activities that were relevant to their worlds beyond the classroom
Summary
In the last two decades the fields of applied linguistics and language education have undergone a major shift of perspective “from viewing language learning as an isolated individual phenomenon to viewing it as inherently embedded in and shaped by situated social interactions” (Hawkins, 2004, p. 3). 182); indigenous forms of communication from the local culture must be present at school Just like language, these modes of representation (e.g., drawing, dramatic performances, songs) act as mediational tools to help learners to build new knowledge. They make it possible for students to use these experiences as mediational tools to acquire new forms of school knowledge Another important construct that has been the focus of recent research on second language acquisition is the concept of sociocultural identity (Norton, 2006), which has its origins in poststructural theories. Building on her work on sociocultural identity, Norton (2010) developed key theoretical concepts that have important implications for second language education One of these concepts is the notion of investment, which relates to learners’ sometimes conflicting desires to learn and practice the target language. As Sayer (2010, p. 166) points out, these student-teachers are “part of a new generation of English teachers [in Mexico] who have a good command of the [English] language and pedagogic training in TESOL theories and methods”
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