TESL 0150: Unit 2 - Being Authentic
I would like to think I am an authentic person. I suppose I am that way partly because I have little choice. I have been accused of "wearing my heart on my sleeve" from time to time which means that my thoughts and emotions are often readily seen in my facial expression.
If you have seen the movie Inside Out, you know that there are very few basic emotions (the movie depicts five, but there are seven in most research), and that every memory has an emotion attached to it. As we get older, our memories become more complex and they are not characterized by just one emotion, but often by more than one emotion impact the same memory. And, our deepest memories can change over time - they might have been happy when we experienced them, then something in life changes and they are tinged with sadness.
As I remember my previous courses, I remember the feeling of being overwhelmed with the sheer volumes of information to process in such a short time. I thought it would get easier. Not the case. This week has been an overwhelming week as I try to process the information, keep on top of the course, and live the rest of life. I checked into the process of doing a voluntary withdrawal from the course and though I have not done that yet, I really feel like it is still an option. I can hardly stand the thought of all the effort put in thus far gone with no "reward" at the end, so I have not yet made that decision.
Back to authentic - this week part of the focus was on authentic resources. When I watch new staff arrive and am involved in their transition to a new company, town, province, country, climate, language, etc, I see the things they care about. Approximately two years ago, I had the opportunity to pick up a group of new staff in Winnipeg. They had arrived the night before from a home that is overseas and a very different climate. As we were driving, I was trying to provide information that they could share with their families (who would likely not arrive for 1.5-2.5 years). What do you want to know when you go to a new place? Really want to know? What are the most important things? It is the "real (authentic) stuff"! We talked about all kinds of things - shopping, is Manitoba always this brown? (it was Spring), Manitoba Health Cards, documents, playgrounds and schools, neighborhoods and crime, visiting the doctor, going to classes, starting work, finding groceries. It is these things that support my belief that using authentic resources are so very important. People connect to things that they can touch, see, smell, hear, and that make sense to them.
I am not opposed to course text books, but "book learning" can only get you so far. Tomlinson shares in his book that "Making mental connections is a crucial aspect of the learning process. In order for learning to be successful, connections need to be made between the new and the familiar, between what is begin learned and the learner's life and between the learning experience and its potential value in the future." (pp. 26) That is authenticity in learning. And, if this is true, then the journey I am on is authentic. Somewhere in there is a level of success. It is again a good reminder of all that changes (and is not always glorious) when a newcomer (or someone like me) is learning.
My feelings and my learning are authentic.
If you would like to watch a great movie, I very much recommend Inside Out.
References
Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (2014). Developing Materials for Language Teaching. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.
If you have seen the movie Inside Out, you know that there are very few basic emotions (the movie depicts five, but there are seven in most research), and that every memory has an emotion attached to it. As we get older, our memories become more complex and they are not characterized by just one emotion, but often by more than one emotion impact the same memory. And, our deepest memories can change over time - they might have been happy when we experienced them, then something in life changes and they are tinged with sadness.
As I remember my previous courses, I remember the feeling of being overwhelmed with the sheer volumes of information to process in such a short time. I thought it would get easier. Not the case. This week has been an overwhelming week as I try to process the information, keep on top of the course, and live the rest of life. I checked into the process of doing a voluntary withdrawal from the course and though I have not done that yet, I really feel like it is still an option. I can hardly stand the thought of all the effort put in thus far gone with no "reward" at the end, so I have not yet made that decision.
Back to authentic - this week part of the focus was on authentic resources. When I watch new staff arrive and am involved in their transition to a new company, town, province, country, climate, language, etc, I see the things they care about. Approximately two years ago, I had the opportunity to pick up a group of new staff in Winnipeg. They had arrived the night before from a home that is overseas and a very different climate. As we were driving, I was trying to provide information that they could share with their families (who would likely not arrive for 1.5-2.5 years). What do you want to know when you go to a new place? Really want to know? What are the most important things? It is the "real (authentic) stuff"! We talked about all kinds of things - shopping, is Manitoba always this brown? (it was Spring), Manitoba Health Cards, documents, playgrounds and schools, neighborhoods and crime, visiting the doctor, going to classes, starting work, finding groceries. It is these things that support my belief that using authentic resources are so very important. People connect to things that they can touch, see, smell, hear, and that make sense to them.
I am not opposed to course text books, but "book learning" can only get you so far. Tomlinson shares in his book that "Making mental connections is a crucial aspect of the learning process. In order for learning to be successful, connections need to be made between the new and the familiar, between what is begin learned and the learner's life and between the learning experience and its potential value in the future." (pp. 26) That is authenticity in learning. And, if this is true, then the journey I am on is authentic. Somewhere in there is a level of success. It is again a good reminder of all that changes (and is not always glorious) when a newcomer (or someone like me) is learning.
My feelings and my learning are authentic.
If you would like to watch a great movie, I very much recommend Inside Out.
References
Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (2014). Developing Materials for Language Teaching. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.
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