Using Language and Literacy Autobiography Task in a Foreign Language Classroom

Hugo Yu-Hsiu Lee, Taiwan and Thailand

Dr. Hugo Yu-Hsiu Lee is originally from Taiwan. He obtained his Ph.D. and M.S. from Literacy, Culture and Language Education department at Indiana University Bloomington, USA. He is currently teaching communicative Chinese courses at National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Bangkok, Thailand. His research interests include bi/multilingual and bi/multiliteracy practices among immigrant women, refugees, displaced children, orphans adopted by foreign parents and interracial couples.
E-mail: YL15@umail.iu.edu

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Background
Introduction
Procedure of Teaching
Supplementary Materials for Each Student
Reference

Background

This classroom activity is useful for foreign and second language learners to reflect how they become bi/multilingual and bi/mutiliterate learners. This lesson is helpful for group discussion and individual presentation usually during the first week of a semester/term in a foreign or second language course. The initial version of this teaching task is adapted from Dr. Prof. Peter Cowan’s (Ph.D. UC Berkeley) course in Literacy Studies in the department of Literacy, Culture and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington, USA. The current version is adapted from Dr. Hugo Yu-Hsiu Lee’s (2010) textbook, Culturally Responsive Chinese Literacy Pedagogy: Student Workbook. Seattle, WA: CreateSpace, An Amazon.com company.

Introduction

Procedure of Teaching

1. The teacher breaks the class into small groups of two or three students.
2. The teacher distributes a Literacy Learning History Worksheet as listed below to each student.
3. Using the worksheet as a guide, the teacher asks each student to investigate his/her growth as a learner and user of language and literacy.
4. In each group, the teacher asks students to share their literacy and language experiences.
5. In each group, the teacher asks students to question each other regarding their language and literacy learning histories.
6. The teacher asks each group to select a representative to share a summary of the group’s language and literacy learning experiences with the whole class.
7. The teacher asks students to question members of other groups regarding language and literacy learning experiences.

Supplementary Materials for Each Student

1. Language and Literacy Learning History Worksheet (Taken and Adapted from Cowan, Peter’s 2006 Course in Literacy Studies)

Reference

Lee, Hugo, Y.H. (2010). Culturally Responsive Chinese Literacy Pedagogy: Student Workbook. Seattle, WA: CreateSpace, An Amazon.com company.

Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.