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Heaven Snyder
C&T 598
Dr. Cho
31 May 2017
Canagarajah (2016)
Quote:
The upbeat claims of these scholars on the way this scientific discipline would put
language teaching on a firmer footing inspired our research and teaching. The teaching methods
and objective research. Moving to the audiolingual method from grammar translation, and then
progressively moving to other methods like task-based teaching, scholars always backed up their
proposals with empirical research on the manner in which grammatical properties should be
introduced to students for successful acquisition (see Sheen, 1994, for a critique). Modernity also
set us off on a quest for the best method (cf. Prabhu, 1990) that would guarantee successful
language teaching. We assumed that empirical research in controlled environments would reveal
to us the universal learning stages and processes that would help us devise pedagogies that can
be effective in all contexts. We were on a mission to discover the acquisition process typical of
all learners, regardless of their location and diversity. It is not surprising that the early articles in
TQ were marked by this self-assuredness, optimism, and progressivism typical of modernity (see
Allen, 1967a). We knew what we wanted to know, and we were going to find it systematically.
Pg. 6
Snyder 2
Reflection:
and how it interacts with TESOL. The blind optimism Canagarajah is describing is something I
myself feel. Even though Im set to graduate this December Ive only studied linguistics for the
last year and a half because I transferred into KU then. So while Im enthusiastic about TESOL
and linguistics relationship, I dont want to fall into the mindset/bear trap that the author is
describing. It makes sense that the field was in the place that it was; linguists- being good
scientists put faith in their experiments, using the best methods and controls they can. But one
method working or one question addressed in a well-designed experiment isnt the end of the
conversation, as Canagarajah goes on to talk about the issue is that there is no one size fits all in
language teaching. And this is a huge focus in our practicum, a lot of our reading has centered
around introducing the idea of teaching in culturally aware way. The circumstance that language
teaching happens in and who it involves is diverse to the point that we cant expect
straightforward answers in the form of there being one right way to be a language teacher. As
mentioned in our fist weeks readings, TESOL suffers from a lack of historiography. A lot of
teachers arent aware of the history of their field or of the other disciplines that theyre
interacting with (for instance, teaching involves both sociology and linguistics regardless of
whether that fact is recognized by the individual). This deficit means that the progression the
author described from moving from the audiolingual method to new ideas like task-based
teaching is sure to continue. The wheel will continue to be reinvented, I believe, in TESOL as we
come understand more and more about who students are, what they are seeking to accomplish
Snyder 3
and what background (cultural, linguistic) theyre operating from. Of course, the same questions
Question:
What is the next big change for the TESOL field going to be? What will be the reaction