Janet and all,
Lenore Balliro from World Education in Boston here. I'm wondering, too,
about helping students investigate their own purposes and audiences for
using English, then investigating how "correct" one has to be in each of
those arenas as they are learning the language. This type of critical
thinking/metacognition  might free students from the paralysis that
results of attending to each word and striving for perfection with each
utterance. Where is it OK to stumble, overreach, make lots of mistakes
without huge consequences and possible delightful results? When is it
more risky to do this? 
a>>> Janet Isserlis <Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu> 7/14/2008 2:45 PM >>>
Steve

I wonder if we're overlooking some of the considerations around
purposes of
learning language.

I listened to your blog post about critical thinking and one thing
that
occurred to me then, and occurs to me here is the fact that adults have
all
sorts of reasons for wanting - and needing - to learn language, which
is
where some of the parallels between learning to sing and learning to
communicate might not be as helpful.

If I'm wanting to learn, say, Chinese, so I might try to follow the
Olympics
on a web cast, or if I want to learn Italian, to understand an opera,
it's
very different than trying to learn either of those two languages in
order
to communicate effectively in areas where those languages are spoken.

I wonder if this might tie (tangentially) into Jackie's last question
about
learner involvement, and how learners' determined needs and goals might
have
some bearing on this whole consideration of critical thinking?

Janet



From: Steve Kaufmann <steve at thelinguist.com>
Reply-To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
<professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:10:17 -0700
To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
<professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2287] Re: Whatdo
wemeanbystudentinvolvement and critical thinking?

Janet,

I think that the activities of a language learner, and the attitude of
a
language learner, are quite similar to those of someone learning to
sing.
First one has to listen and get used to the sounds and rhythm. And one
has
to find a way to enjoy the learning process. For a more complete
description
of my view of language learning you can look at my article
<http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/the-three-stages-of-language-fluency/>
which appeared on Pickthebrain.com today.

Steve
On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 6:05 AM, Janet Isserlis
<Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu>
wrote:

> Steve and all

> 

> I don't think you're saying that English learning should be like

music

> appreciation - that one can enjoy either (language or music) with no

basis of

> prior expectation, concepts or assumptions?  That the language or the

music

> will just be heard and appreciated?

> 

> Surely, part of the language learning process involves

> receiving/hearing/taking in.  But for learning to occur, active

processes of

> meaning-making have to happen.

> 

> In order to learn, to make meaning, there needs to be some basis of

prior

> understanding, of a world view, yes, of assumptions.  The critical

thinking

> part (in the target language, in this case English) may, for some, be

merely a

> matter of learning the words to translate thoughts from a first

language into

> English).  For others, it's a process of asking questions, weighing

options,

> learning more about possibilities and consequences.

> 

> Janet

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

> From: Steve Kaufmann <steve at thelinguist.com>

> Reply-To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion

List

> <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>

> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:43:00 -0700

> 

> 

> 

>> > I am of the opinion that beginner ESL learners should be allowed

to listen

>> to the language and try to enjoy it, with little requirement to

state what

>> their assumptions are on anything.

> 

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list

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> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

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>

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-- 
Steve Kaufmann
www.lingq.com <http://www.lingq.com>
1-604-922-8514

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