Identity

The discussion of second language learners and identity has always intrigued me.  I've always wanted to learn more about it and how I can help guide my students in figuring out who they are.  So many ESL learners get confused on who they are when they grew up around one culture and then suddenly get immersed into another.  As a bicultural student, I didn't have anyone to help guide me.  It wasn't until I got to college that I was able to talk about it with people who had similar experiences.  I want to make sure that my students don't have to go through the same thing as me.

In particular, I found Norton’s discussion on motivation and investment very interesting.  I had never really thought about the difference between the two and how they can impact someone’s second language acquisition.  This made me think about my future classroom and how it is important to create a safe and warm environment.  Students will come into my classrooms with different reasons for their motivation and with a different amount of investment.  Some students may have families which highly encourage their children to learn English while some families might not want them to.  As a bilingual educator I will have to take these things into consideration and try to build on what my students have come to my classroom with.  By making my instruction authentic and by building authentic relationships with my students, I can help motivate them.

Norton also discusses identity and resistance and how language learners can maintain membership of their vernacular communities and cultures while learning a second language.  I have often thought about this topic in some of my bilingual education classes.  I would often question how I would feel as a second language learner in a foreign country, forced to learn the language and culture to fit in and be successful.  I can’t say that I wouldn’t be resistant at all.  I need to take this into consideration with my students and use their resistance as teaching moments as Norton points out.  This is another reason why I want my classroom to be warm and inviting and why I want to have authentic relationships with my students.  I want them to be able to be themselves and feel that they can express themselves.