Portfolio by Anna Krinitsyna - Dynamic Systems Reflection

It is often thought that a language is a collection of words and grammatical rules that are described in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or a textbook. Thus, anyone who does not speak or write according to these sources is not using language correctly and must be corrected in order to be successful. However, language is much more than that. Although we acknowledge that generalizations can be made about the tendencies of a language, and thus be called “rules”, language is not above people. Language is a tool that is used for communication, according to the context, circumstances, cultures, and needs of the people. Thus, language can change over time and space. Humans are not perfect or computer-like, so communication can become “messy” as well. There are a great deal of nuances in communication that affect the way language is expressed. These nuances make up the dynamic system that is called “language”.

Sometimes, these nuances are not addressed in language teaching, and that is less than ideal. Not every program will meet the needs of every student. Even high-quality curricula that are intended for a specific audience should be adjusted to the learners based on factors such as age, motivation, target language proficiency, and the socio-political or cultural context. In other words, conducting a needs analysis should be one of the first steps in any teaching context.

The collection of artifacts I have created and chosen to share revolve around nuances in how language is actually used “in practice,” how it is taught in different contexts, how languages interact in one space, and theories and policies that affect the way other languages are perceived and taught.

Throughout my studies, and especially in the Pragmatics course (LT 538), I learned that many textbooks do not do enough to describe and aid students in learning how language is actually used “in the real world.” Often topics such as giving advice, apologizing, or congratulating are taught as simple lists of phrases. In reality, communicating on these topics can create interpersonal problems between speakers because the way it is done is not the same in every culture. For example, only a couple words or phrases would be listed for greetings, and not enough instruction would go into when each word or phrase would be appropriate to use. Even less time would be planned for students to practice choosing the correct word or phrase.

To solve this problem, researchers developed various models to aid teachers and learners in navigating nuances in communicative topics and learner subjectivity. The Intercultural Pragmatic and Interactional Competence (IPIC) framework (Sykes et al., 2020) was built on such research. My artifact titled “Applying the IPIC Framework” demonstrates the use of the IPIC model in teaching leave-taking in Russian. As it turns out, teaching to say “poka” or da svidanya” is not enough for learners to be able to appropriately navigate saying “goodbye”. There are ways of being more formal or informal, there are ways of being more friendly or more serious, and there are phrases for specific occasions. In order for learners to be able to use these phrases, it is important to create classroom activities where they have the opportunity to choose and explain their choices and the effects their choice can have on them and their listeners. As I demonstrate in the activity, the four quadrants (Knowledge, Analysis, Subjectivity, and Awareness) of IPIC serve a specific purpose in building intercultural awareness and learner agency.

Leave-Taking in Russian.png

Applying the IPIC Framework

Requests in Spanish - Teaching Pragmatic Competence

Curated Collection Project

Similarly, my “Curated Collection Project” from LT 538 gathers resources for teaching how to make requests in Spanish. Researchers found that making requests in Spanish is one of the most frequently used speech acts and can even be threatening for one’s image (Bachelor, 2018). Social factors (such as severity, social distance, and power) and pragmatics strategies (such as speaker vs. hearer orientation, directness, and downgraders) affect the way requests are made. These factors and strategies do not match across languages, so it is important for learners to study them. The collection includes videos, activities, lesson plans, and academic resources. Some of the resources are specifically designed for language learners, but not all. One strategy for finding materials that reflect actual language use is to use authentic materials, that is, materials not designed for language learners, but rather for L1 speakers. I also included a subcategory of research and activities based on learning contexts. As my other two artifacts in this section demonstrate, contexts of learning affect the way language is used and perceived.

Both my “Comparative Context Analysis” report and the “Seal of Biliteracy Campaign Brochure” illustrate that multilingualism is a reality for most people in the world, but it is not as valued in the United States as it could be. Due to my interest in heritage language instruction, I took a look at the Seal of Biliteracy Campaign in our Second Language Acquisition course (LING 544). It aims to acknowledge, celebrate, and encourage multilingual students in the U.S. to continue using the languages they know. The Seal brings attention to the fact that 20% of people in the United States speak more than one language (Commission, 2017), but this fact is not recognized in the public school system. At the time of the course, Wyoming was one of the few states that had not yet implemented the seal, so I created a campaign brochure with specific information about the heritage and indigenous languages in the state. I also included the benefits of bilingualism and how the seal can help prepare students for the future.

SealofBiliteracy_CampaignBrochure.pdf

As part of the Language in Context course (LT 534), I wrote up the “Comparative Context Analysis” report. I studied two language learning contexts that help to maintain and cultivate multilingualism: young heritage language instruction and Spanish study abroad. In the report, I compared the affordances, constraints, learner motivation, teaching approaches, and socio-political factors of each context. I discovered that heritage language and study abroad contexts are not homogenous within themselves - there is variety in learner characteristics, proficiency and socio-political factors in each one. Students do not necessarily come out of these contexts with advanced proficiency in all of their languages, but that is not the goal, nor even a reality. The value of multilingualism is in functional and communicative competence (Ortega, 2013). As I mentioned in the introduction, language is a tool, and these contexts show that multilingualism can be a way to self and cultural expression.

Working on these artifacts helped me take a look at my own teaching and apply the values and concepts that are described in language being a dynamic system. For example, I had been using elements of a student-centered approach, but now I perform a better needs analysis. Additionally, I now use more authentic materials, but scaffold them to make sure students are not overwhelmed with materials that might be above their proficiency level, and I add in more communicative practice. Lastly, I make a point to acknowledge the various dialects of English, Spanish, and Russian when I teach either of these languages.

REFERENCES

Bachelor, J. W. (2018). Developing pragmatic competence in first-year Spanish students: a study on requests. MLS Educational Research, 2(2), 119–140. https://doi.org/10.29314/mlser.v2i2.73

Commission on Language Learning. (2017). America's languages: Investing in language education for the 21st century. American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Ortega, L. (2014). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.

Sykes, J., Malone, M., Forrest, L., Sağdıç, A., & Kang, O. (2020). Affordances of digital simulations to measure communicative success. Transdisciplinary innovations for communicative success. In M. Peters M., & R. Heraud (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Educational Innovation. Springer. doi, 10, 978-981.

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