InTASC STANDARD Five: Application of Content: The teacher understands how to connect

concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and

collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Name of Artifact: FL 664 Videos and Websites Reactions

Course: FL 664 Second Language Acquisition Theory and Practice

Date: 23 June 2016

ACTFL Standards Addressed: Lifelong Learning: Learners set goals and reflect on their

progress in using languages for enjoyment, enrichment, and advancement.

Rationale:

Each learner is a unique individual, and as such he or she has his or her own perspective.

This can be shaped by many factors. One of these factors is language. Sometimes learners are

not as competent in one language as they are another language. They may use each language for

different purposes or in different speech communities to which they belong (Chaika, 2008).

These differing perspectives will view issues differently. It is important to share different

perspectives with my students in order to allow them the opportunity to consider a perspective

that is different from their own. This may allow students to consider global issues.

In the videos, I observed different speech communities. Each speech community

interacted differently. My students are part of different speech communities in addition to the

common speech community in my classroom. These different speech communities may assist

my students as we endeavor to think critically and collaborate about global issues in the target

language. As I assist my students in identifying their different speech communities as they relate

to their different perspectives, I may illustrate the different speech communities amongst native

speakers. Identifying the different speech communities to which my students belong may allow
my students to see the different speech communities present in the target culture as equally valid

(Chaika, 2008). Sometimes only one viewpoint is presented for a target culture. It is important

for my students to recognize that native speakers are diverse and so are there viewpoints. As

some students assimilate the different perspectives into their own notions of how the language

works, others will benefit from the competing viewpoints to expand on their previous notions

(Shrum & Glisan, 2015).

One of the questions that is often asked in my classroom is why is a feature of the target

language different from a feature of our native language. Early on students express frustration.

They wonder why can the target language not do something the way that our shared language

does. When this occurs, I will ask why does our shared language function that way, and why is

that the correct way. After a few occurrences of this instance, a student will say because that is

to what they are accustomed. Eventually, we are making comparisons without the added value

of one culture being correct. Sometimes we can even compare multiple languages since I have a

few students who speak languages other than English. As this becomes part of our shared

repertoire we can use the differing perspectives as we explore the target language and culture

(Brown, 2014).

References

Brown, H. D. (2014). Principles of language learning and teaching A course in second language

acquisition (6th ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson.

Chaika, E. (2008). Language the social mirror (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.

Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2015). Teachers handbook (5th ed.). United States of America:

Cengage Learning.