Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching.

The article argues for the need to shift the attention from native speaker to L2 user for a number of reasons. The notion of native speaker is the only perfect model teacher for students has remained unshakable for several decades. Defined the native speaker and L2 user, the writer starts to explain the problems of the native speakers and then explores the status of the native speaker who has constantly been referred as the implicit teacher in the ESL teaching materials. The writer continues to discover the question of L2 Difference or Deficit. I read with great pleasure that the write refutes the idea of comparing native speaker to L2 user, which is the same as comparing apple to pear. (PP.195) “ l2 users should be treated as people in their own right, not as defecient native speakers.” To gain a native speaker linguistic competence is not a feasible goal for many L2 users. The writer did not bother to compare who is more suitable for ESL students,which I believe does not make any sense. However, she suggests how we can change people’s attitudes of their stereotypes of their model teachers, such as including L2 user situations and roles, basing teaching on Descriptions of L2 Users.

We have a saying in China, it takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep. This is an idiom we use to describe the seriousness of an issue does not develop to the current state overnight. To change people’s attitudes about L2 user, I think besides the suggestions that writer has given to us, we, as L2 user future teacher, also need to be proud of our identities in ESL. If we don’t have faith in ourselves, we won’t succeed in our careers. Although differences do exist between native speakers and L2 users, we need to realize that it is unfair to measure ours on the native speaker norm.

I also checked out the website that Dr. Seloni e-mailed us, Dave’s ESL Café. I found that a lot of jobs posted on his website requires native speaker teachers, some of the advertisements even indicate clearly ONLY NATIVE SPEAKERS are eligible to apply for this job. These jobs that require or give preference over native speaker are mostly from the outer circle countries.