Taking and Making it Personal: Life Writing in Adult ESL Instruction more

Sun, May 1, 09:30-10:00 Asia/Seoul

Deficiency-oriented attitudes are still common occurrences despite emphasis on linguistic and cultural diversity. Promoting inclusivity in learning, Herrera (2016) proposes “biography-driven instruction” emphasizing the power of students’ assets. Though her work is intended for young learners’ biliteracy, I argue the tenets can be used as framework for more equitable adult ESL instruction to build off of learners’ “funds of knowledge” (Moll et al, 1992). In this theoretical paper, I detail an approach I call “autobiography driven instruction” where L2 writing instruction can foster inclusivity through life writing by acknowledging diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as assets, drawing from rich lived experiences and tapping into multi-competencies. In doing so, I draw from life writing scholarship, give practical examples in using a wide range of life writing genres, and emphasize how it can help often-underrepresented students like L2 learners “position themselves at the center of scholarly discourse rather than at the edges” (Viray, 2018).