Why is grammar so hard to learn? Because sometimes we focus too much on form and neglect the its usage in real-life communications.

One of the reasons why it is difficult to give learners hard-and-fast grammatical rules is that once grammar is pressed into communicative service, decisions about which forms to use will be determined by the users.
One should not only teach the forms of grammar but also how grammar is used in meaningful conversations.

 -Nunan, D. (2001). Teaching grammar in context. (p.191-199)

True colors of "Grammar"

In chapter 27 (Burns & Richards, 2012.), it is said that grammar should be seen as a communicative resource, where users "choose" what grammar to use in order to create meaning in real world communication. Three steps are provided to teach grammar. First is to "notice": help students notice grammar in its real world usages. Second is to "guess and structure": use inductive or deductive ways to guide students into forming the way grammar works, this should modify over time as the students get more familiar with the grammar. Third is to "automatize": ask students to practice choosing grammar patterns to make meaning and communication. Furthermore, the assessment of grammar should not be completely isolated and separated from communicative purpose, it should not be a matter of correct or incorrect but of how learners are able to make "choices" upon what grammar to use. It should also be put in a real world communicative context when being assessed.  

Teaching Belief

I believe in creating a classroom environment that is

enjoyable, comfortable, free-from-mocking, 

full of natural interactions,

but also

with sound principles and healthy boundaries

which can protect and benefit all.

Beautiful Ladies Beautiful Songs

Beautiful songs sung by beautiful ladies:
1. "Celtic Woman - Amazing Grace"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsCp5LG_zNE
2. "Celtic Woman - You Raise Me Up" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfwlj0gba_k&feature=share
3."Celtic Woman - The Call"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD6RdI1QqCg

The 7th cohort 9 lady to come to Church

Good to have Rachel at church... she said it was amazing and would come every week~~

Rachel is an amazing chief, everyone in our class knows... 

LOOK at the adorable curry beef "puppy"!!

Looks good and tastes real good too~~

Lovely Sunday

What JOY!

More Lovely Ladies from cohort 9 attending The Point church!

Got to hold the couple-days-old baby girl of the Pastor!

It's really something to hold on to such a young life... 

to witness a new life about to unravel~

Were very fervent in writing down prayer requests too ^^ 

First day of MED course

Classroom view:

What a beautiful view to study in!

Enjoying Burnaby Mountain Park View with Teaching Identity in Mind

Enjoying the 

Splendid Sunset View 

with Teaching Identity in Mind

Beautiful Vancouver

Beautiful Vancouver~

It's a bliss to be enriching ourselves 

in such a beautiful environment!
May God bless Vancouver abundantly~

Taiwan Festival + Cultural Capital

Goes to Taiwan Festival in Vancouver~

It makes me feel so at home eating these Taiwan Food!!

Went with cohort 9 ladies, Charles our instructor, guys from chemistry MA...
SFU people are everywhere!

we met a girl from cohort 6!

And then a guy who works at SFU Asian-Representative~

Was really interesting to explain my culture, 

Taiwan culture to others!

Helps me understand literally what it means 

to embody cultural capital~

Cohort 9 ladies come to The Point

Such joy to have ladies from our 

TESOL MED Cohort 9 come to 

SFU The Point church~~

The Point motto:

Love God/ Love People/ Serve All

Words of Wisdom

"If you know what you are talking about,
you have something more valuable than gold or jewels."
Proverbs 20:15

Spiritual food

God, my Father in Heaven, answers in 5 ways (reference):
1. Yes, I was waiting for you to ask me!
2. No, I love you too much to give you that.
3. Yes, and I'll give you more!
4. Yes, but not yet.
5. Yes, but in a different way.
"Ask and it will be given to you."-Bible
"Nothing can separate us from God's love."-Bible
"Remember God in everything you do, and He will show you the right way."-Bible

Reading Response on Pavlenko

Title: Reading Response on a TESOL article

Article: Pavlenko, A. (2003). “I never knew I was a bilingual”: Re-imagining teacher identities in TESOL. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 2 (4), 251-268.

Summary:

        The article seeks to contribute to the critical praxis in TESOL by discussing the effects of reimagining teacher identities. Its theoretical framework is based upon four theories related to imagination. The theory of Vygotsky (1978) suggests that imagination helps learners learn better. Anderson (1991) expanded the function of imagination and brought up the concept of imagined communities, proposed imagination as a way to create new identities and make people think they belong to a certain community. Wenger (1998) introduces situated learning theory, it suggests that imagined communities are formed when individuals come together and practice. Lastly, Norton (2000, 2001) brings Wenger’s theory into the community practice of L2 language learning, suggesting that learners will be influenced by their imagined communities, and that teachers should be aware of this to help students learn better. The author further uses the ideological, identitary, and educational functions of imagination to discuss teacher identities.

        A discursive research analysis was performed to discuss the effects of reimagining teacher identities. The author analyzed linguistic autobiographies from 44 multicultural pre-service and in-service ESL/EFL teachers. Two linguistic means were used for this discourse analysis. By examining the lexical choices of the autobiographies, one sees the reflexive positioning of participants, and in turn understand the participants’ imagined identity. By analyzing the changes in tense and change-of-state verbs, one sees how participants reposition themselves and this shows how participants change their imagined identity.

The data analysis suggests that, traditionally, language educators and learners will identify themselves as either a Native-Speaker (NS) or a Non-Native Speaker (NNS). This NS or NNS dichotomy results in inequitable hierarchies where people who are identified as NNS fell inferior in language competence and thus hinder their confidence and performance in learning. Based mainly upon Cook’s (1992, 1999) theory of multi-competence, Pavlenko introduces alternative imagined communities such as multi-competent, bilingual, multilingual speakers. Such alternative enables language learners to break free from the overly condescending self-image of NS and the overly negative self-image of NNS and thus reach a more equal and healthy view of self-identity and language competence.

Response:

        There are two nouns I would like to respond to. One is the theory of situated learning and the other is multi-competence. Situated learning theory is a new noun for me. So I read some facts about it, if one were to put it simply, it means that learning should be situated in authentic context. In Herrington’s (1995) article, it said that after Lave and Wenger (1991) introduced this theory, researchers such as Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989), used this theory and created a model to examine classroom practice. McLellan (1991) later analyzed these models and concluded that successful ones consisted of six elements: apprenticeship, collaboration, reflection, coaching, multiple practice and articulation. I find these six key words to be very interesting, embodying something rich and yet to discover, I will keep them in mind and understand it more in the future.

On the other hand, the noun of multi-competence is not foreign to me, for I heard of this when I was taking English teaching courses in the English department in Taiwan. Even though the English departments know this way of naming, we do not use it often, and the Taiwan society as a whole still differentiates English speakers into the dichotomy of NS or NNS. I did not really think there would be a good reason to promote a change for the popularity of NS/NNS, because often times in the Chinese academic field, even if a new and better noun is introduced, the scholars will still use the old jargon for the sake of its history and of the people who are used to the old saying.

        However, after reading this article, I found good educational reasons to change the naming. It surprised me to know how people’s self-images can really contribute to the limitation or empowerment of their learning. Participants imagining themselves as NNS have a low-esteem state of mind and approach towards learning. Yet, once they are offered a more positive identity of multi-competence, they become more at peace in their thinking and thus learn better. The key to this significant change lies in the offer of an alternative possibility.

        In a way, Pavlenko’s article demonstrates the critical thinking brought up by Bomer (1999). Bomer (1999) suggests that to think critically is to change the society into a better place, and that teachers should enable students to speak for social change in their writing. That social change includes calling for “public attention to problems and possibilities” (Bomer, 1999, p.2). Bomer (1999) says that by rereading writing and being aware of issues such as identity and affiliation, one can find better themes and possibilities for social action. Moreover, it is proposed that a crucial way to achieve social betterment is to first notice issues like “evidence of the low esteem” Bomer (1999, p.4). Similarly, Pavlenko’s discursive research is based upon rereading participants’ writing, writing which reveals their imagined identity and their imagined affiliation with the community of practice. Pavlenko mainly focuses on the low esteem of participants, and eventually draws out an alternative possibility to solve this problem. Although it is different in that Bomer (1999) was referring to the writer rereading one’s own work and Pavlenko was a second person rereading other’s works, an alternative possibility for the better is still drawn out in the end.

References:

Bomer, R. (1999). Writing to think critically: The seeds of social action. Voices from the Middle 6 (4), 2-8.

Herrington, J. and Oliver, R. (1995) Critical characteristics of situated learning: Implications for the instructional design of multimedia. In: ASCILITE 1995 Conference, 3-7 December 1995, University of Melbourne, Melbourne.

Cohort 9 friends accompany me to Church

So happy Emma and Xing came to 

SFU The Point church (in Saywell Hall classroom) with me!

It's more fun to have new friends at church! 

Welcome all to come if you're interested 

in beautiful music that touch the heart,

in good philosophical points, or

in serving people and finding a loving family.

Reading Response on Freire

Title: Reading Response on Freire

Name & Date: Tina Huang; August 11^th, 2013
Article: Freire, P. (1970/2000). Chapter 2. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed (pp.43-70). New York: Continuum

Summary:

        In the article, Freire(1970/2000) compares the features and effects of two teaching approaches; namely, banking education and problem-posing education. Banking education is when the teacher deposits knowledge into the learner’s mind; it is a one way process and there is no communication. The teacher takes control of what should be taught and such knowledge are foreign to the students. Students are not conscious of their thinking process, and they mechanically memorize everything. Liberation of the mind is not a concern in this approach.

        Problem-posing education is a pursuit of liberation. In this approach, the teacher and student roles are interchangeable; all participants are involved in educating and learning via authentic communication. All are conscious of their thinking and every individual is in full control of their own learning. It defines knowledge as an inquiry, a praxis; knowledge is born from humans interacting with the world, in the world and with one another. In this approach, every participant has an unfinished and a yet-to-transcend character; through constant reflection, all will learn to cope with the ever-changing reality in their own styles. This approach emphasizes harmony and the betterment of humanization.

Freire thinks that it is unhealthy to use a banking education approach; instead, he sees problem-posing as the better option for it enables learners to learn by themselves and liberates the mind by constantly challenging participants to be conscious of their thinking.

Response:

        By the detailed comparison between banking and problem-posing education, one can see more clearly of what education should not be and could be. Communication, authenticity, inquiry, praxis, constant transformation are some of the key elements in creating a more harmonious and effective education. I always knew that communication and authenticity were important, but the latter three were new to me and really adds color to the full picture. Learning is a communication, and it is in motion when one questions and searches for possible answers. Learning should be authentic, not only should the knowledge cohere with reality but also be practiced in one’s everyday life. Learning is a journey, participants come with their own uniquely unfinished character and then explores and flows with the ever-changing reality; both the individual and the world are an ongoing process.

        Another element which really caught my eye was the fact that learners take full control of their thinking as well as the meaning of the knowledge they receive. This concept echoes with one of hooks’ description of critical thinking: critical thinking is to first discover the answers of questions and then to use that knowledge to determine what the important things in life are (hooks, 2010, p.9). Thus, all participants are engaged and takes initiative to connect knowledge with their own ways of life.

        In order to communicate, inquire, transcend or take control and engage with reality, one needs to do a lot of reflecting. Freire mentioned the words of “reflect” and “reflecting”, but did not further discuss this. In Bomer’s(1999) article Writing to Think Critically: The Seeds of Social Action, writers are encouraged to have a “reflective conversation” with themselves, when they reflect upon their writing they will ask themselves questions which will in turn assess their thinking. I think this can also be applied to learning in general, learners will be empowered to be in full control of their thinking and learning when they continuously and actively reflect during the process. This can be applied to teaching. For instance, action research is a popular trend of teaching strategy, it is done by reflecting.

However, action research may be too much of an effort for me to do regularly in my teaching. I think, for me, a more practical application would be to regularly write down reflective notes when teaching and better my teaching according to the various needs of different learners. When I familiar myself to a reflective thinking mode, I would then know how to design activities and lessons to help learners exercise reflective conversations. Such reflection upon learning and thinking will support communication, authenticity, constant betterment and many other key elements that build up a healthy and good education.

References:

hooks, b. (2010). Teaching critical thinking: Practical Wisdom. New York: Routledge.

Bomer, R. (1999). Writing to think critically: The seeds of social action. Voices from the Middle 6 (4), 2-8.

Love the kids! A delight on campus~

There's a daycare on campus.
And now and then, one will see the 
adorable colorful toddlers 
walking around~~
A refreshing delight for the eyes!!

Favourite Note

 The Note I Learned Most 

In The Orientation:
Text becomes live and active knowledge when it is connected to the reader's experience and daily life.
This is a new and very important concept to me. 
It will be emphasized in my future teaching in Taiwan in hopes to empower learners to obtain authentic, live, and flexibly useful knowledge to live out fulfilling lives.

What's the point?

I try to make everything I do, think and say to have a point.
To have meaning and joy.
Love my rose china cup~~ ^0^

Taiwanese church in Vancouver Improves Taiwanese of Teens!

Wow! 

Taiwanese Presbyterian Church Preserves and Improves Taiwanese (local dialect) among Youngsters!

Random notes and thoughts

   Critical thinking means not just stopping when a fact or knowledge is gained, but to reflect upon it and make sense out of it. Look at the knowledge and find what is most important to you, use it as a telescope to explore more of yourself, others and the world. Apply the knowledge! It can be done by writing and reflecting upon oneself while at the same time addressing to the public to make it better. It can also be done by teaching and learning, which is a process of interaction between all participants… all participants offer their own unique ideas based upon their one-of-a-kind social-cultural-historical background… and when these elements are all out in the open… they  clash, mix, glide, and twist with each other … like a good and hyper chemistry reaction… something new is created from that lively dialogue.  
   Keep a healthy mind set in all of this, because an optimistic view for others and self will be contagious and empower an atmosphere of betterment. 

What I learned so far from the articles...

Freier: Teaching is more effective and powerful when done with interaction and reflection.

Bomer: Writing can be a tool to reflect upon oneself and connect to the world.

Pavlenko: Positive self-identity is good for learning.

hooks:  Critical thinking is about finding which knowledge means most to you and to use it to live a fulfilling life.

Why am I in the 17-month MED?

Below is the reason why I am in the 17-month MED. It is also my expectation for my 17-months stay in Canada.

To observe and collect good, effective ideas for teaching as well as living, and then use it for my future teaching life.

Witness Beautiful Wedding at Burnaby Mountain Park

We witnessed a beautiful wedding in the rose garden of Burnaby Mountain Park!

The pastor asked the bride and groom to write and read their own vows... the words of love and promise of commitment were so touching and words so powerful... that it moved a few of us almost to tears and me literally into tears~

 Such beautiful wedding! There was a live singing too for the ceremony, lovely voice! 

Just lovely! The pastor asked twice for God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit to be witness and bless this sacred wedding.

Amen.

So lovely.

Facilitation got stuck and didn't go deep?

   Today we had our first formal facilitation on Pavlenko.
It's interesting how all four groups made really creative strategies... but were not able to go really deep in the content of facilitation. Big thanks to Zoe, our TA, for pointing this out... our content seemed to not go so deep.
   We did models or posters... but the content seemed to stay upon circling a certain quote in the text or on our own abstract definition of a concept... and was not able to connect with our lives, or experiences nor of how this can help us in the future.
My group for example... we thought about linking the article with daily life... so in our model activity, we specifically asked each team to base their model upon a quote or theory in the article, and we designed three different questions for them to model upon. They were:
"How will the NNS label affect teachers in the classroom?"
"How will the NNS label affect teachers in job interviews?"
"How will the NNS label affect teachers in professional settings (ex: research field/ international conferences/ academic journals or press/ colloquia...)?"
   It was intended for them to think of a scenario of themselves in the future.
   But somehow... each group ended up just explaining how NNS is viewed by others... very third person like illustration and focused too much upon what the details of the models represent.
I also felt the result was not what we expected...so TA suggested what we can do next time is to rephrase the question so it will cohere more with the article.
   For example, Pavlenko emphasized upon imagined identity and pre-service or in-service teachers,
so we can rephrase the question into: "If a pre-service identified herself as an NNS, what will she face when teaching/ in job interviews/ in professional settings?"

   Also suggested that this is what facilitators are supposed to do when sitting down with the groups and facilitating... facilitators should be able to guide them into the right track.
   We did try to push the teams into that deeper discussion when they were presenting by asking questions... but it was a little too late because they already finished discussion time and were on the last few minutes of presenting. 
   Anyway... we were a little confused about how facilitation can be done better today... realizing that we didn't go deep.
   But I think we're good... because we discussed it in the end... and now we know where we are heading next time.
   Good facilitation doesn't come overnight... we will get there soon... by trying, making errors, reflecting, learning, and doing better.
   With practice and professional suggestions from our instructors as well as TAs and CAs... I think everyone who is willing in our class will understand what effective facilitation would be soon and thus gain a lot of useful deep thoughts and ideas in the process... such process and the precious ideas along the way will in turn enable us to become good teachers for others.
  We will swing high... with the help of others... and with smiles on our faces.

Beluga & Positive Reinforcement & Good Relationship

   Went to the Vancouver Aquarium and watched the beluga show.

They leap.

 Leap real high.

 Or just lie sideways sometimes.

They make real big splashes for the excited kids and adults sitting at the splash zone.

And smile real big too.

   In the show, the trainers asked the belugas to do many things as they explain to the audience how they create trust with the animals. Trainer: "We train them everyday. We do a lot of positive reinforcement. One of the ideal treats would be fish, but we would like to make a bond with them... so that they will not only come to us for food just like we don't want our children to only come to use for food. We play with them, massage them... and one of the most important part of the training is helping them with health care. Help them do gestures that will make them healthy. Other than the health care, we also ask them to do somethings for the show. 

  The success we have with these sea animals is mainly based upon this good relationship we have with them. We always want a positive cycle... if they do not want to do something we ask, that's ok, we ask them some other time or for something else we saw success in the past... so in the end they will all end up with a positive feedback or fish treat. Then when they are ready, we will help them move on to the next level of move or other things. "

  This reminds me of the "i+1" theory (similar to Vygotsky's ZPD theory) in English teaching. When teaching English, or any other knowledge, the teacher is suggested to design lessons that are not too easy nor too hard for the learners. The "i" is the current level of understanding and prior knowledge of the learner, and the "1" means to go one level above so the learner will learn something that is reachable. This theory is important because sometimes, learners are given tasks that are "i+3", "i+7"...etc... too many levels ahead of them that they cannot reach and thus loses confidence and motivation. In the beluga case, the trainers constantly find the "i" of the animals and help them reach the next 1 level. Positive feedback is an important element in the "i+1" equation, because it empowers students to believe in themselves; this mental state will facilitate the speed and quality of the movement.