On May 25, 2004, at 8:02 AM, paul humphries wrote:
> if habitus is at the center of the understanding of the
> relationship between the teacher and the students, then what does
> that all mean if
> we consider an American teacher teaching English to a class of
> Japanese students
> in Tokyo. What role does habitus play in the second language
> classroom?
>
>
I think the whole question of identity and agency, which comes out
clearly in C. Panofsky's paper, is important here. Learning another
language essentially entails the development of a new identity. The
agentive role of the learner, as I read what Carolyn is saying, can be
understood by looking at the main components of culture, and the social
spaces of the learners and the teacher. In the case of a "foreign"
teacher in a classroom of Japanese students, perhaps a reverse
situation may occur - the students as "cultural insiders" locating the
teacher in a space that affords and constrains her/his social
interaction with the students? I wonder how we might look at the way
that the students locate each other, assuming there are opportunities
for students to develop intersubjectivities amongst themselves?
Phil
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