May 1

May 1

                I found that the article made an interesting point when the writers discussed the othering effect the acronym TESOL implies.  Lin, Wang, Akamatsu, and Riazi state, “Both the name and discourses of TESOL assume that it is the ‘Other- language’ speakers who need to be subjected to ‘pedagogical treatment’ to enable them to make themselves intelligible to ‘native English speakers’”  I guess that I have never thought about how the acronym points to the fact that the learner is a speaker of a language OTHER than English.  It sends a blaring message now that it is brought to my attention. 

                They also mention that even the teacher and student in a TESOL classroom are put in a “self-other” situation.  The teacher is the self and the English Language learner is the other.  It is like the teacher is the keeper of the knowledge, imparting the key of English onto all his/her students. 

                The writers promote a paradigm shift from TESOL to TEGCOM.  This shift would create a classroom where English learners feel an ownership of the language they are learning.  They would be treated as legitimate readers, writers, speakers and listeners of English. The rethinking of TESOL would initiate sociocultural learning and open the doors to localized globalization of English.