Searching for an English self through writing

• Main Author: Leena Karlsson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Department of English Studies Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts Adam Mickiewicz University 2015-01-01
• Series: Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
• Subjects: language self; storied self; language anxiety; narratives; learner identity
• Online Access: http://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/ssllt/article/view/3871

<p>Most Finnish university students, just like the other new global elites (Kramsch,<br />2013), use English without problems. Some students, however, struggle with<br />English to the extent that their studies suffer. One could say that they have a<br />deeply “wounded” English self (Karlsson, 2013). My context of research and<br />practice is the Autonomous Learning Modules (ALMS) at Helsinki University<br />Language Centre. In my work as a language counsellor and practitioner-researcher,<br />pedagogical concerns are always primary, and there is a need to appreciate<br />diversity yet notice every student’s unique experiences. The broad<br />background of my recent work is English as part of the identity of young academic<br />Finns. In particular, I have been interested in how students with a<br />“wounded” English self can develop new identity positions, and in how a language<br />counsellor can help them in this process. In this paper, my focus is on the<br />subtle practical interconnections between learner autonomy, learner diversity,<br />and learner identity as they emerge in a diary written by a student of English<br />with dyslexia and language (classroom) anxiety. A narrative case study of Mariia<br />illustrates how the counsellor’s appreciation and her own recognition of the<br />complex ecological realities (Casanave, 2012) surrounding and interacting with<br />her learning encourage and empower her. Mariia uses her freedom to control<br />her own learning (Huang &amp; Benson, 2013) and makes choices from the many<br />lifewide experiential learning opportunities in her life (Karlsson &amp; Kjisik, 2011).<br />Reflective writing in the learning diary helps her to construct a realistic vision of<br />herself as a learner and user of English, and she leaves the identity position of<br />a failure in the classroom and claims a new, more successful one (Norton, 2014).</p>