ABSTRACT
In this talk, Bonny Norton addresses the role of identity and language learning. In the field of English-language teaching, there has been increasing interest in how literacy development is influenced by institutional and community practice, and how power is implicated in language learners’ engagement with text. Dr. Norton traces the trajectory of her research on identity, literacy, and English-language teaching informed by theories of investment and imagined communities. Dr. Norton argues that if learners have a sense of ownership over meaning making, they will have enhanced identities as learners and participate more actively in literacy practices. The research challenges English teachers to consider which pedagogical practices are both appropriate and desirable in the teaching of literacy and which will help students develop the capacity for imagining a wider range of identities across time and space. Such practices, the research suggests, will necessitate changes in both teachers’ and students’ identity.
