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ROMEL IBAN TORRES JIMENEZDAS 135 CULTURE & LANGUAGE

Monday & Wednesday

Dr. Ashley Ryan05/01/2014


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AUTOBIOGRAPICAL PRISM!BASED NARRATI"E

In#$od%#'on(

The purpose of this work is to share my autobiographial narrati!e base" on the four

"imensions of the #rism $o"el. % will first a""ress my Aa"emi "imensions. &ere' % will take

into onsi"eration my e(periene as a pupil. This first Dimension is !ital beause it remember

me where % ome from' where % want to go' an" what % want to "o in my professional an"

personal life. )ubse*uently' % will also a""ress my soioultural' linguisti' an" ogniti!e

"imensions. These three issues are also important beause they allow me take into onsi"eration

my prior bakgroun" knowle"ge. +!entually' through this proess' % ha!e reflete" "eeply about

myself as a human being an" as an +nglish ,anguage teaher. % hope you fin" it interesting an"

possibly signifiant.

ACADEMIC DIMENSIONS

-ell' % woul" like to start by saying that % ne!er imagine" atten"ing to a ni!ersity in the

nite" )tates. Although % always wante" to stu"y abroa"' my parents "i" not ha!e enough

resoures for suh in!estment. % starte" my primary e"uation at the age of fi!e. %t was a publi

shool. % still remember the first name that my shool use" to ha!e it was ,a Rama"a' years

later the name was hange". % ha" ust one teaher for all my subets an" his name is ,uis

3or"ero. &e is one of the best teahers % ha!e "a". ow he is retire". % will not forget his

kin"ness an" patient a"!ies. %n a""ition' % woul" like to say that % ne!er lost an aa"emi year.

$y fa!orite ati!ities at my primary shool were painting an" playing football.

The shool brought me goo" an" ba" e(perienes. ow' % ha!e learnt that if % aept the

goo" thinks of this life' % ha!e to aept the ba" things too' beause both of them taught me

important lessons. At my seon"ary shool' % ha" to onfront many "iffiulties at my home an"


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aa"emi. &owe!er % was luky' my teahers an" also my parents ga!e me their support an" with

some effort % o!erame my troubles. % always ha" problems at hemistry an" physis howe!er' %

enoye" speaking +nglish wor"s an" numbers. ow % remember that my +nglish teaher "i" not

know almost anything about this language' beause he gra"uate" as a )oial )tu"ies professor. %n

a""ition' that happene" beause the go!ernment "i" not bu"get enough resoures for publi

e"uation. )o that' % use" to learn by myself by rea"ing an" ol" +nglish)panish "itionary.

As % state" before' % ha" great professors' they "eal with my problems patiently' e!en

making an enormous effort to stan" in front of 46 teenagers to teah something they were not

well prepare" for. $y teaher7s e(amples prompte" me to hoose this areer. % "i" not want that

things like that our again' espeially now that % ha!e two "aughters' so % want they reei!e the

best e"uation that % oul" not ha!e in the past. % aknowle"ge the enormous responsibility a

teaher has espeially at publi shools' beause most +ua"orian stu"ents "o not ha!e enough

money to atten" to pri!ate institutions.

$y future seems to be lear now % will get my T+)8, ertifiate" here at ew $e(io

)tate ni!ersity. After that' % will go bak to +ua"or where % will work two years at a publi

high shool' although my goal is to work more than two years. % will also want to work for an

%nternational 9aalaureate &igh shool in my ity. The +ua"orian go!ernment wants to

establish at least three %9 &igh )hools in eah pro!ine for those stu"ents who annot pay the

fees' whih are e(pensi!e. That is the reason % am here' to be rea"y to work in a ompetiti!e an"

"eman"ing institution. e!ertheless' % also want to get a higher "egree' a master' or a #&D

"egree. Therefore' % will be bak to the nite" )tates sooner than later.

% always ha!e worke" for publi institutions. $y last teahing e(periene was at :ulio

%saa &igh )hool where % worke" sine 2011. %t is a publi high shool loate" in an urban area.


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%t has a great staff of e"uators. There' % was in harge of almost two hun"re" sholars. % worke"

with all le!els' from basi to baalaureate stu"ents. % met many frien"s at my last ob an" %

woul" like to go bak there beause that institution has re*ueste" the %9 program.

SOCIOCULTURAL DIMENSIONS

As a high shool pupil' % use" to ha!e my "iffiulties at math an" physis. $ost of my

troubles were beause of my "aily routine. % use" to li!e far away of my high shool' so that %

ha" to walk more than one hour. -hen my shool hours finishe"' % ha" to ame bak home

arrying a hea!y bakpak un"er the burning sun. ;or that reason' % always was tire" an" without

intention to "o my homework an" as a result my gra"es at shool lowere". %n a""itions' % "i" not

ha!e a stu"y routine at home' beause % ha" to help my father at the farm' an" sometimes % went

to shool without my homework. At weeken"s' % use" to waste !aluable stu"y time wathing T. % think %nformal language an be use" to talk with frien"s or at home' but not in the

lassroom at all. Although informal ommuniation is more fle(ible an" fast an" an impro!e

human relations' it also an be "angerous beause the teaher oul" lose the ontrol of his/her

lass. To summari?e' the way % ommuniate with my stu"ents is "ifferent that the way %

ommuniate with my frien"s. &owe!er' % always try to keep a balane" interation in my

lassroom' nor too formal an" lineal nor to informal an" "isor"ere".

%t is well known that +nglish is the offiial international language all o!er the worl". The

benefits for bilingual people are enormous. %f somebo"y wants to mo!e to an +nglish speaking

ountry' he or she nee"s to learn the language to get in!ol!e" in the ommunity easily. % oul"

e(periment the benefits to learn +nglish by myself' beause % use" my knowle"ge "uring my

tra!el from +ua"or to the nite" )tates. $y +nglish knowle"ge le!el is impro!ing "ay by "ay'

now % feel onfi"ent' an" % am sure that % oul" tra!el to an +nglish speaking ountry an" the

language will not be an issue for me anymore. The +nglish language opens the "oors of the

worl"' an" gi!es people a wi"e !ariety of new opportunities to grow as a professional an" as

human being' like better ob prospets' better salary an" positions' et. The "iret benefit for me

is a bunh of new perspeti!es of self"e!elopment as an +nglish teaher an" as human being'

beause now % un"erstan" that ultures an" ountries are "ifferent' howe!er they share many


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ommon things an" those things in ommon make us e*uals' with the same rights an"

obligations. ;inally' % an state that knowing +nglish is a synonym of suess in business'

professions' an" obs in general.

%n the other han"' % think there is a meaningful "rawbak in learning +nglish as a seon"

language. The possible "isa"!antage for 3,D stu"ents oul" be the ,oss of 3ultural %"entity.

-hen we a*uire a foreign language' we not only learn grammar an" !oabulary but also

tra"itions' ustoms an" e!en ways of thinking. The ,oss of 3ultural %"entity in my ommunity

an be seen in se!eral aspets' for e(ample' hanges in ustoms' foo"' lothing' an" language. %n

a""ition' many +ua"orians espeially the youngest elebrate parties like &alloween' 3arni!al'

the "ay of the Death' et. A"olesents are more !ulnerable beause sometimes they ust absorb

what they reei!e without *uestion.

COGNITI"E DIMENSION

@nowle"ge is the apaity of any human being to un"erstan" the worl" that surroun" us.

@nowle"ge is also the awareness or the onsious of how things work an" why. -e get that

knowle"ge through e(perienes or by means of formal e"uation at shool. @nowle"ge in!ol!es

memori?ing information obtaine" from "i!erse soures like books' on!ersations' an"

e(perienes. -hen we are able to apply our knowle"ge' we are talking about meaningful

learnings.

$y knowle"ge of +nglish in my professional life is measure" in "ifferent ways. ;irst' % as

an +nglish teaher ha!e to atten" an" appro!e many ourses an" workshops that the $inistry of

+"uation of +ua"or offers. Then' % ha!e to rea" an" un"erstan" books' pamphlets' or any

written material that The $inistry of +"uation gi!es me. %n a""ition' % use my knowle"ge with

my stu"ents' % ha!e to speak an" write aurately' % also ha!e to arry out an annual lass plan


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an" a "aily plan. 9esi"es' my knowle"ge of +nglish is measure" through T8+;, or Top oth

tests. %n my professional life' % "o not nee" to put into pratie all my potential beause my

stu"ent7s le!el is law.

%n ontrast' my knowle"ge of +nglish here in ew $e(io )tate ni!ersity is measure"

through plaement tests. %n a""ition' % asses my knowle"ge by myself in a real irumstane

where % ha!e to interat in a genuine on!ersation. At $)' % ha!e to listen an" un"erstan"

aurately' an" to speak fluently aor"ing with the topi in "isussion. $y teahers here at

$) ha!e reently measure" my progress' an" now % am satisfie" with the results. % ha!e

impro!e" a lot in skills like writing paragraphs an" essays an" summari?ing books an" artiles.

$y speaking skill was still measure" an" the results are satisfatory.

% want to start by mention some areas of "i!ersity an" the most important are rae'

gen"er' soial status' language' ulture' se(uality' age' ability' an" religion. % ha!e inrease" my

apaity as a ritial refleti!e to un"erstan" all these areas' but now' % am going to fous my

attention on three of them rae' ulture' an" ability.

Regar"ing to rae' now % un"erstan" that we as a global soiety ha!e reate" bo(es to

limit or separate people aor"ing with their olor skin. Those bo(es lassify people as blak'

white' latin' et. an" therefore' we automatially assoiate assumptions or wrong belie!es

aor"ing to those bo(es. %n other wor"s' if % am a ,atino' % am from $e(io' or % ame to the

nite" )tate" illegally. ow % an see things learly' an" % see myself "oing e(atly those things'

lassifying my stu"ents as goo" or ba"' shy or outgoing' base" on their olor skin' single stories

an" wrong assumptions. -e as human beings are not raist by nature we learn to reate mental

bo(es to lassify people' at home' at shool' an" through me"ia.


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Talking about the ulture' now' % am able to un"erstan" that "i!ersity is not a problem' is

an asset. 9eause of ultural "i!ersity' we an get "ifferent points of !iew an" it is not a trouble.

-hen we see things from a "ifferent perspeti!e' we will see all the impliations' an" that is

e(atly what ultural "i!ersity "oes. +ua"or is a multiultural ountry an" it is reflete" in our

lassrooms. -e annot hange this reality' we ust ha!e to aept it' an" take a"!antage to make

it worth. That is the way we will ha!e the full story at last.

-ith regar" to my stu"ent7s ability' now % see things learly. The ability of my stu"ents is

relate" with their apaity to retain' an" use the information they reei!e. %n a""ition' it is relate"

with the manner of learning. &ere at my 3ulture an" ,anguage lasses % an see my peers

showing their abilities an" apaities. ow % an state" that not all my peers nor my stu"ents in

+ua"or learn in the same way an" at the same spee". -ith that in min"' it is ob!iously that the

teahing must be mo"ifie" for stu"ents who alrea"y know the material or are apable of learning

the material *uikly. There are great !arieties of strategies' whih an be use" to satisfy stu"ent

nee"s. rouping stu"ents within the lassroom is one metho". $y hallenge now is to apply

those tehni*ues an" strategies = to e(ploit my

stu"ents7 abilities as assets.

As % ha!e state" before' my whole perspeti!e about my stu"ents ha!e hange"

"ramatially. ow % an reflet ritially about their soioultural "imension' an" % will onsi"er

their aa"emi' ogniti!e' an" linguisti impliations. n"oubte"ly' % will apply my new

learnings to know my stu"ents an" their families in a better manner. %n a""ition' % will not u"ge

anybo"y base" on assumptions' preu"ges' an" stereotypes. % "efinitely will take a"!antage of the

ultural "i!ersity of my stu"ents in lass. -ith my new learnings' an" with patiene an" lo!e' %

will make the "ifferene in e"uation. -ithout a "oubt' % will fin" troubles in the way' but % will


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o!erome them beause the rewar" will be enormous' not only to my ountry' my people' an"

myself' but to the worl" too.

Con/%s'on.

To onlu"e' % want to state how rele!ant the #rism $o"el was for me. During the

learning proess' % starte" to "iso!er an" un"erstan" more about myself. 9y means of ritial

refletion' my whole perspeti!e about meaningful issues like stereotypes an" preu"ges hange"

sine then. % ha!e to reogni?e that % was ating an" "oing things wrong' beause % was u"ging

the worl" base" on single stories. %n a""ition' realling my e(perienes as a primary stu"ent' %

reali?e about how important the family support was for me. $y family' teahers' an" ommunity

influene" an" mol"e" me as a person. ow % ha!e a huge responsibility on me' to in!ol!e my

stu"ent7s ommunity an" family into the +nglish ,anguage Teahing proess.

I sincerely thank my

professor Dr. Ashley Ryan for

everything she did to facilitate thedevelopment of this work, with her

guidance, advices, and suggestions I

could accomplish this worksuccessfully.

&errera' ). B $urry' @. =2011> $astering +), an" 9ilingual $etho"s )eon" +"ition#erson +"uation' %n. C 9oston C $assahusetts Allyn B 9aon Resoures for Teahing

+nglish ,earners.