I choose this research because it tackle a very important piece in teaching foreign language which is culture. In this research, the author (researcher) gave his students in Spain an opportunity to exchange emails with other students from England. The purpose of this long term activity is to understand the other through various emails. For example, the students who tend to explain why they speak loud in Spain. It is a cultural practice that has a different perspective. For Spanish people it is the willingness to express feelings and ideas. The other example of the student who explained the difference between the Spanish culture and the Llión one 9Llion is situated within an area of the North-West of Spain). Through her email, you can sense the depth of her ideas. Furthermore, the student who replied to the english student's the reluctance to toros. The more I read emails,the more I get impressed on how the students were involved in clarifying misunderstandings and presenting authentic facts about their homecountry and culture.
As a language teacher, I would love to use the same tool to expose my student to authentic situation. Being able to exchange emails with native speakers will not only widen their view about the Arab speaking countries but also improve their linguistic skills. Learning the language through the teacher is not enough. Students need to hear other native speakers to construct a better sense of how the language is sopken by different people.
The only thing I am not sure about in this research is how to monitor the emails? How can the teacher be sure that some of the students won't cross the line and talk about forbidden subjects?
What is interesting is that the native informants actually can serve the purpose of reinforcing the teacher's position in the course. They can indeed verify some of the cultural statements and insights that the teacher presents. Often students don't want to accept what the teacher claims, and this can become a springboard for conversation with the native informant to gain deeper understanding of the phenomenon. In addition, when we think about the constructivist approach to learning, each student in the class corresponds with a different student in the other country. When they come together to discuss their experiences, they represent a wide variety of perspectives on the cultural topic. This helps cut through stereotyping ("everyone in the culture thinks and acts the same") and helps contribute to a differentiated understanding of the speakers of the target language.
ReplyDeleteIt is also interesting how even in asynchronous communication there is a possibility for clarifying meaning and working through misunderstandings.
There are ways to monitor the emails -- have the students CC you on all their correspondence, for example. But one way of directing the conversations is to provide detailed, specific tasks on the topics you want them to write about. Will they stray from the topic if something comes up? Probably, just as they would in face to face conversation. But I'm not sure restriction is the best way to educate. You may tell them that certain topics are tabu and may explain the consequences of straying into areas that could get them into serious trouble. But we also have to hope for good will and positive attitudes on both sides of the conversations...
I had an experience this summer when I was teaching at a Swedish School program in Cambridge, Mn. I was the Swedish teacher, and we had a visiting guest presenting songs, folk dance and games. A couple of the older boys had been registered by their grandmother and were not especially excited on the first day. When we were reviewing what we had learned on day one in our reading class, they asked if the Swedish girl would say the same phrases as regular speed. Once they heard her speak, the language suddenly became more authentic and therefore worthy of their time and attention.
ReplyDeleteSo I agree that student communications with peers in another culture can help to verify what the teacher says.