1 Alan Norris Assignment 1 Assignment 1 In this paper I will present to you my opinions about some basic questions that

have confused and dazzled the minds of every language teacher since the beginning of time. The summary of ideas will be in the following order: My core belief about the nature of language My core belief about the nature of learning My core belief about the nature of teaching

I propose to answer these beliefs with a series of logical arguments that will make use of ones reasoning and historical knowledge. I will draw upon the evidence of history to backup my opinions, as I am a strong believer that we should learn from our mistakes. I believe that the my views are best summarized within this quote from a historical reading which says, "History is for human self-knowledge...the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is. (R.G. Collingwood, 2006). I use this quote because it best describes why I believe history is the best reference tool for describing the mysteries of mankind. Now let us proceed into the abyss of the mind and shed light upon the mysteries of exactly what language is. Firstly we will discuss the nature of language, and to do so I believe it is best to define what exactly language is. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. (T. Gustafson, 1993). However in my opinion I believe that language is a necessary utility for survival and adaptability. It can be used for positive, negative, or neutral means and can implement all forms of communication. Language has been defined an uncountable

2 Alan Norris Assignment 1 number of times by a large number men who are much wiser than me. So I believe it just goes to show that the very definition of language is complex in and of itself. My personal definition of language of is based on the historical tale of the tower of babel, which is originally documented in the historical literature of the bible. This particular story comes from genesis and attempts to explain why there are so many different languages in the world today. To paraphrase the text from genesis 11:1-10 all of the people at the time spoke one language and traveled east to the land of Shinar. The people created a great city there and decided to build a tower from brick and mortar so they could reach the heavens. When god came down and saw the city and the tower he said behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6) so in order to prevent them from building the tower god confounded their language so they couldnt understand each other and then scattered all of the people around the world. Given the historical context of language and its beginnings we can assume that mankind had to find a way to adapt to their environment(s). In doing so they have initially addressed the subject of learning. In my opinion learning is the practice of obtaining new information and processes. These likewise can be used to raise ones selfawareness and extend ones consciousness, which may bring about latent abilities or create anew set of skills for an individual. Learning can be done be done through several obvious ways Osmosis, observation, and inference Consciousness-raising and becoming aware of ones situations and needs

3 Alan Norris Assignment 1 The art of adaptation, which commonly is the last step and most often, is used to interact with physical stimuli around the individual. I base several of my beliefs of learning from the scientific work developed by the biologist, Charles Darwin. One of his theories which states the young with a certain favorable adaptation will pass it on to the next generation and survive or adapt even more using the first adaptation (Encarta, 1998). That being said I believe my studies in science have heavily shaped my opinions about learning. As society has developed a more complex infrastructure, the need for teachers has likewise increased. The reasons behind this will become clear once we understand where we originated. Every generation since the beginning of human existence has passed on its language, social values, unique traditions, survival methods, and necessary job skills. This type of enculturation eventually developed into a type of socialization. Before writing existed the enculturation of the next generation was done via person to person or else visually. It wasnt until around 3500 B.C. that the first examples of organized writing were seen (Fischer, 2004), and it wasnt until 2000 B.C. that the first alphabet was developed in Egypt. (Fischer, 2004) After studying the history of education and some of the cultures behind it I would have to say that I believe teaching is the ability to pass down learned information to a target subject or group. I believe

4 Alan Norris Assignment 1 that once can teach through multiple pedagogies and methods, and that the art of teaching has been developing ever since humans existed. The primary differences of the civilizations back then and now is that we, in the computer age, seek to organize, collect, study, and maintain the skills that have proven effective for academia. As a living organism, we as humans have found it necessary to develop a language that would ensure clean and concise communication among our own species and social groups. This development has lead to the necessity to find ways to describe and say things, which eventually evolved into language. Likewise the evolution of language continued and birthed the ideas of not just learning, but teaching it as well. This development has lead to the necessity to find ways to teach and learn daily tasks that have since become more and more common. That's where our role as teachers come in, and where often time it gets complicated or confusing. Teaching another student our ways of understanding the world often goes against their own, but at the same time can hopefully provide our students with just a little bit of enlightenment to the world around them.

5 Alan Norris Assignment 1 Reference List Collingwood, R. (2006). The Idea of History. Hesperides Press. Fischer, S. R. A History of Writing, 2004, Reaktion Books Gustafson, T. (1993). Representative Words: Politics, Literature, and the American Holy Bible: King James Version. Genesis 11:1-10. Language, 1776-1865 (ed., Vol., pp. 197). Cambridge University Press. "Theory of Natural Selection." Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1998.