Instructions: answer question based on the following text

(Avaliable in: https://people.com/parents/vacations-better-than-toys-holiday-gifts-kids/ – text specially adapted for this test.)

TEXT II 

(Source:https://www.comicskingdom.com/hagar-the-horrible/. Access: 08/01/2020)

An interview with Paolo Kwan, 20, from Hong Kong, who is improving his English while studying Business Administration at Sierra College in northern California.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO STUDY IN THE USA?

It provides a nice education in a beautiful country. When I was younger I used to watch American movies and I wanted to visit the United States. They always talked about the American dream, and I wanted to come and see it.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM?

Sierra College is one of the biggest community colleges in northern California. It is in a quiet location but has a beautiful campus.

The college has a good business program. I can study for two years at Sierra College and then two years at my transfer school to earn my degree.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST?

I also enjoy the quality of the teaching at the college. There is a writing center where I can go at any time. The teachers can make suggestions to improve my essay, regarding grammar and my vocabulary. At the Math Center, they can explain in detail the problems.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST?

I miss the food and also my family.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE?

I was surprised by the cultural difference. The taste and style of food is very different. The amount of food is a lot larger. A small portion in the USA is a large portion in Hong Kong. When people from America find out that I am from another country they ask a lot of questions. They are very interested in you and finding out about Hong Kong. 

... YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?

I have not had any since I came here. 

HOW HAVE YOU HANDLED:

... LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES?

It is important not to be shy, as that does not help you when you are trying to improve your language. I make sure that I study, practice and speak as often as I can—that is the only way to improve. ...

FINANCES?

I am being supported by my family.

... ADJUSTING TO A DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM?

The American system is much more open. In Hong Kong you just learn what the teacher writes on the board. In America, you discuss the issues and focus more on ideas

WHAT ARE YOUR ACTIVITIES?

I am interested in traveling around the USA. I have been to San Francisco, which you can reach by train from Sierra College. In my free time I go out with friends. 

HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT IS MAKING FRIENDS?

It has not been that hard to make friends in the USA. Other people at the college are friendly and want to make friends as well.

HOW IS YOUR U.S. EDUCATION RELEVANT TO YOUR PERSONAL GOALS AND TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR COUNTRY?

I think that the U.S. education system will provide me with good resources and skills to be able to support myself in order to get hired in my own country

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO OTHER STUDENTS?

An awesome life experience is waiting for you in the future. You will learn so much more than you think. Nothing is impossible, so go ahead and give it a try.

Adapted from: https://www.studyusa.com

An interview with Paolo Kwan, 20, from Hong Kong, who is improving his English while studying Business Administration at Sierra College in northern California.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO STUDY IN THE USA?

It provides a nice education in a beautiful country. When I was younger I used to watch American movies and I wanted to visit the United States. They always talked about the American dream, and I wanted to come and see it.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM?

Sierra College is one of the biggest community colleges in northern California. It is in a quiet location but has a beautiful campus.

The college has a good business program. I can study for two years at Sierra College and then two years at my transfer school to earn my degree.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST?

I also enjoy the quality of the teaching at the college. There is a writing center where I can go at any time. The teachers can make suggestions to improve my essay, regarding grammar and my vocabulary. At the Math Center, they can explain in detail the problems.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST?

I miss the food and also my family.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE?

I was surprised by the cultural difference. The taste and style of food is very different. The amount of food is a lot larger. A small portion in the USA is a large portion in Hong Kong. When people from America find out that I am from another country they ask a lot of questions. They are very interested in you and finding out about Hong Kong. 

... YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?

I have not had any since I came here. 

HOW HAVE YOU HANDLED:

... LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES?

It is important not to be shy, as that does not help you when you are trying to improve your language. I make sure that I study, practice and speak as often as I can—that is the only way to improve. ...

FINANCES?

I am being supported by my family.

... ADJUSTING TO A DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM?

The American system is much more open. In Hong Kong you just learn what the teacher writes on the board. In America, you discuss the issues and focus more on ideas

WHAT ARE YOUR ACTIVITIES?

I am interested in traveling around the USA. I have been to San Francisco, which you can reach by train from Sierra College. In my free time I go out with friends. 

HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT IS MAKING FRIENDS?

It has not been that hard to make friends in the USA. Other people at the college are friendly and want to make friends as well.

HOW IS YOUR U.S. EDUCATION RELEVANT TO YOUR PERSONAL GOALS AND TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR COUNTRY?

I think that the U.S. education system will provide me with good resources and skills to be able to support myself in order to get hired in my own country

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO OTHER STUDENTS?

An awesome life experience is waiting for you in the future. You will learn so much more than you think. Nothing is impossible, so go ahead and give it a try.

Adapted from: https://www.studyusa.com

Text 4

Exploring Identity-based Challenges to

English Teachers’ Professional Growth

Heather Camp

Minnesota State University-Mankato

      Research on pre-service teacher education indicates that identity construction is an important facet of becoming a teacher. To establish oneself as a teaching professional, a person must craft a teacher identity out of the personal and professional discourses that surround him/her. This idea is consistent with contemporary theories of identity construction, which posit that the self is discursively constructed, made and remade by the various discourses that encompass the person. Such discourses -- “pattern[s] of thinking, speaking, behaving, and interacting that [are] socially, culturally, and historically constructed and sanctioned by a specific group or groups of people” (Miller Marsh 456) -- are constantly intermingling, wrangling for ideological power and dynamically shaping one another. To construct an identity, an individual must integrate these diverse discourses, weaving them together to form a dynamic but cohesive sense of self. On one hand, this twining process has the potential to promote psychological development, leading to the attainment of “an expanded, integrated self, more diverse and richer in the possibilities for action that these multiple identities afford” (Brown 676). Yet, it also may produce identity destabilization and fragmentation, leading to uncertainty, distress and stymied psychological growth.

      New teachers are confronted with the task of adopting new discourses, and of forging relationships between old and new strands of their identities. Succeeding at this process facilitates the development of a secure and satisfying professional sense-of-self: research indicates that the attainment of an integrated identity helps teachers transition into and find satisfaction within the teaching profession, teach effectively, and nurture students’ self-development. Further, it suggests that attaining a cohesive identity better prepares teachers to champion educational reform.

      Yet, research also suggests that accessing this array of rewards can be difficult. As teachers seek to integrate their teacherly roles with other discourses that contribute to their sense of self, they may encounter identity conflicts that work against a sense of identity cohesiveness. Encountering such conflicts can lead to emotional turmoil and stunted professional growth, even leading some student teachers (and practicing teachers) to leave the teaching profession altogether.

      Growing awareness of the importance of professional identity construction and the psychological labor it demands has led to an upsurge in scholarship on pre-service teacher identity formation. […] This scholarship has drawn attention to the complexity of identity construction for pre-service teachers and offered educators insights into how they might support these students through this important work.

Adapted from http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/ viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=wte

Text 2

Here are four passages from an article on awareness of English as a lingua franca (ELF):

1) “Few will deny that research in the area of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has significantly contributed to our understanding of many different facets of communication involving non-native speakers of English. Such studies have added valuable insights to the growing research in the domain of critical applied linguistics and critical pedagogy and have prompted many scholars to problematize all aspects of English language teaching, learning, testing, curriculum designing, etc.”

2) “It is important at this stage to distinguish between the critical and the transformative perspective in ESOL teacher education. While they both share the element of reflection, they are different in a crucial way, although the former has often been seen as an umbrella term that subsumes the latter.”

3) “Critical pedagogy is invaluable in our attempt to understand the complex processes of the global spread of English and the intricate ways in which it continues to be localized and relocalized (Pennycook, 2010). It has the tools to help teachers appreciate the complications of context and the various underlying and often hidden discourses, from learner identity construction in the ESOL classroom (Norton and Toohey, 2011) to language testing (Shohamy, 2004) to the politics of pedagogy in the ‘classroom as a microcosm of the larger social and cultural world’” (Pennycook, 2001: 138).

4) “The value of an ELF-aware transformative perspective to ESOL teacher education lies in its power to help teachers define ELF for themselves and for their teaching contexts. In this way, teachers are involved in the co-construction of ELF and, in particular, in the development of one or more pedagogical frameworks for ELF. To achieve this, teachers have to have an informed awareness of the ELF construct, a critical awareness of their own deeper convictions about essential aspects of language, communication, and language teaching/learning, and the capability to bring about sustainable change in their teaching.”

From Sifakis, N. C. (2014). "ELF awareness as an opportunity for change: a transformative perspective for ESOL teacher education". Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 3/2: 317-335.

Text 2

Here are four passages from an article on awareness of English as a lingua franca (ELF):

1) “Few will deny that research in the area of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has significantly contributed to our understanding of many different facets of communication involving non-native speakers of English. Such studies have added valuable insights to the growing research in the domain of critical applied linguistics and critical pedagogy and have prompted many scholars to problematize all aspects of English language teaching, learning, testing, curriculum designing, etc.”

2) “It is important at this stage to distinguish between the critical and the transformative perspective in ESOL teacher education. While they both share the element of reflection, they are different in a crucial way, although the former has often been seen as an umbrella term that subsumes the latter.”

3) “Critical pedagogy is invaluable in our attempt to understand the complex processes of the global spread of English and the intricate ways in which it continues to be localized and relocalized (Pennycook, 2010). It has the tools to help teachers appreciate the complications of context and the various underlying and often hidden discourses, from learner identity construction in the ESOL classroom (Norton and Toohey, 2011) to language testing (Shohamy, 2004) to the politics of pedagogy in the ‘classroom as a microcosm of the larger social and cultural world’” (Pennycook, 2001: 138).

4) “The value of an ELF-aware transformative perspective to ESOL teacher education lies in its power to help teachers define ELF for themselves and for their teaching contexts. In this way, teachers are involved in the co-construction of ELF and, in particular, in the development of one or more pedagogical frameworks for ELF. To achieve this, teachers have to have an informed awareness of the ELF construct, a critical awareness of their own deeper convictions about essential aspects of language, communication, and language teaching/learning, and the capability to bring about sustainable change in their teaching.”

From Sifakis, N. C. (2014). "ELF awareness as an opportunity for change: a transformative perspective for ESOL teacher education". Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 3/2: 317-335.

Text 2

Here are four passages from an article on awareness of English as a lingua franca (ELF):

1) “Few will deny that research in the area of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has significantly contributed to our understanding of many different facets of communication involving non-native speakers of English. Such studies have added valuable insights to the growing research in the domain of critical applied linguistics and critical pedagogy and have prompted many scholars to problematize all aspects of English language teaching, learning, testing, curriculum designing, etc.”

2) “It is important at this stage to distinguish between the critical and the transformative perspective in ESOL teacher education. While they both share the element of reflection, they are different in a crucial way, although the former has often been seen as an umbrella term that subsumes the latter.”

3) “Critical pedagogy is invaluable in our attempt to understand the complex processes of the global spread of English and the intricate ways in which it continues to be localized and relocalized (Pennycook, 2010). It has the tools to help teachers appreciate the complications of context and the various underlying and often hidden discourses, from learner identity construction in the ESOL classroom (Norton and Toohey, 2011) to language testing (Shohamy, 2004) to the politics of pedagogy in the ‘classroom as a microcosm of the larger social and cultural world’” (Pennycook, 2001: 138).

4) “The value of an ELF-aware transformative perspective to ESOL teacher education lies in its power to help teachers define ELF for themselves and for their teaching contexts. In this way, teachers are involved in the co-construction of ELF and, in particular, in the development of one or more pedagogical frameworks for ELF. To achieve this, teachers have to have an informed awareness of the ELF construct, a critical awareness of their own deeper convictions about essential aspects of language, communication, and language teaching/learning, and the capability to bring about sustainable change in their teaching.”

From Sifakis, N. C. (2014). "ELF awareness as an opportunity for change: a transformative perspective for ESOL teacher education". Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 3/2: 317-335.

Text 2

Here are four passages from an article on awareness of English as a lingua franca (ELF):

1) “Few will deny that research in the area of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has significantly contributed to our understanding of many different facets of communication involving non-native speakers of English. Such studies have added valuable insights to the growing research in the domain of critical applied linguistics and critical pedagogy and have prompted many scholars to problematize all aspects of English language teaching, learning, testing, curriculum designing, etc.”

2) “It is important at this stage to distinguish between the critical and the transformative perspective in ESOL teacher education. While they both share the element of reflection, they are different in a crucial way, although the former has often been seen as an umbrella term that subsumes the latter.”

3) “Critical pedagogy is invaluable in our attempt to understand the complex processes of the global spread of English and the intricate ways in which it continues to be localized and relocalized (Pennycook, 2010). It has the tools to help teachers appreciate the complications of context and the various underlying and often hidden discourses, from learner identity construction in the ESOL classroom (Norton and Toohey, 2011) to language testing (Shohamy, 2004) to the politics of pedagogy in the ‘classroom as a microcosm of the larger social and cultural world’” (Pennycook, 2001: 138).

4) “The value of an ELF-aware transformative perspective to ESOL teacher education lies in its power to help teachers define ELF for themselves and for their teaching contexts. In this way, teachers are involved in the co-construction of ELF and, in particular, in the development of one or more pedagogical frameworks for ELF. To achieve this, teachers have to have an informed awareness of the ELF construct, a critical awareness of their own deeper convictions about essential aspects of language, communication, and language teaching/learning, and the capability to bring about sustainable change in their teaching.”

From Sifakis, N. C. (2014). "ELF awareness as an opportunity for change: a transformative perspective for ESOL teacher education". Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 3/2: 317-335.

Text 1

Multiliteracies

Text 1

Multiliteracies