Empowering Students to Develop L2 Identity - Supplemental Online Lessons

As an immigrant, learning English is part of acculturating to the new culture. From this process, a new identity emerges in the context of the new language and culture. Currently, identity issues and intercultural competence are explicit objectives in language learning. The implications of neglecting identity formation in second language acquisition include vulnerability to culture shock, mental health issues, and the inability to thrive. The unique set of needs, motivations, and strengths of immigrant English language learners should inform language instruction design in order to achieve sustainable and equitable successful language learning and acculturation. Explicitly designing instruction that incorporates issues of identity into the curriculum effectively considers the students’ communicative goals and intercultural competence, and better prepares students to face the challenges of acculturative stress. The purpose of the field project is to provide instructors with supplemental online lessons that address issues of identity, to complement and enrich the classroom content and expand practices towards more learner-centered practices to provide more engaging and meaningful learning. The field project is composed of a series of supplemental lessons for an intermediate reading and writing level credit course at the community college level. Each lesson includes self- directed activities for the students to complete independently online. Also, each lesson is accompanied by a teacher guide to frame and integrate the lesson with the classroom practice, methods of assessment, and a reflection prompt to encourage the teacher’s reflective practice. As the needs of students change over time and in response to immigration and economic trends, the field of TESOL is evolving towards a more inclusive environment of the diverse background and experiences of the student and teacher population. Language learning has evolved from being a skill to be mastered to a tool for empowerment, and it is imperative to continue developing our teaching practices to best serve our students