As you can see from my video, I grew up in a small town that did not consist of much diversity. The only other language I had ever heard spoken before was Spanish. When I was in high school, I was given 4 options of what I could take as a foreign language class. Considering the people surrounding me in my town, I figured Spanish would be the most beneficial language to learn. Ortega wrote "all languages, no matter how different from each other they may seem, share fundamental commonalities, a universal core of very abstract properties" (2013, pg. 2) . I would have never of came to that realization if it weren't for taking a foreign language. Bilingual people have always amazed me, and I have wished for the longest that I could be fluent in another language. According to Ortega, "in many parts of the globe, most children grow up speaking two or more languages simultaneously. These cases are in fact the majority of our species" (2013, pg. 4). I can only begin to imagine how to learn different languages as a child. In fact, when I was younger, I struggled reading and writing in the only language that I knew. I could speak English just fine, but when it came to parts of speech and grammar, it was an obvious struggle. Growing up I realized the beauty and importance of learning and recognizing other languages were. I want to be able to learn the basics of each language to be able to be the best teacher possible. I believe that a simple thing like that could create a stronger relationship with a classroom of diverse children. Thanks for reading!
References: Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
References: Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Harlie! Your personal second language experience is so interesting and I loved watching your intro! I would also like to be able to help ELL students in my classroom succeed and feel confident. With that said, this course is already teaching me so much, specifically that it is important as an educator to understand the second language learning process (Gass and Selinker 2008, p. 1-5). This knowledge can allow educators and researchers to collaborate and formulate the most efficient teaching methodologies for all students. Not only have I learned from the reading that this understanding is important, but I have also learned that Second Language Acquisition is a multi-faceted concept. For instance, Gass and Selinker (2008, p.4) point out the cross-cultural communication of the learning process. Specifically, educators should also be aware of cultural stereotypes and understand that these stereotypes form nonnative speech patterns. These miscommunications between languages can cause barriers in learning, and now I want to ensure that I can prevent these situations in my future classrooms.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more Morgan. I feel like we as teachers should get to know our students and relate and make connections with them. Overall, language is an important way of communication. Ortega states, "Language is one of the most uniquely human capacities that our species possesses, and one that is involved in all others, including consciousness, sociality and culture" (2013. pg. 1). I feel like we could possibly eliminate stereotypes by teaching the rest of the class about their classmate's culture.
DeleteHarlie, the field of second language acquisition is most definitely a unique science with multiple complex components for educators to understand. I believe it is also important to keep in mind the age of our future ELL students and their unique language experiences. It is noted in Ortega's writing (2013, p.28) that acquisition rate varies by age. Specifically, Ortega states that, "young children may have a slow start when acquiring an L2," and therefore the same level of competence and success of varying age groups should not be expected. In other words, I will want to keep this and mind and have patience with my younger ELL students and understand that their progression may take more time compared to older students.
DeleteWow, that is very interesting, and I will definitely keep that in mind for the future. I saw where Ortega also mentioned that "understanding the relationship between age and L2 acquisition has been a central goal since the inception of the field of SLA" (2013, pg. 12). I believe that this goes hand in hand with the age difference of learning another language that you just mentioned. It is important for people to understand how much an ELL can handle when trying to learn another language.
DeleteHarlie, you are right about the importance of understanding the connection between age and L2 acquisition. I found Ortega’s chapter on age was very interesting, with many discussion points throughout. Overall, it appears that age and L2 acquisition has a complex relationship. Specifically, Ortega notes the differences in one’s learning syntax, or sentence formation, and semantics, or word meaning. According to Ortega, a biological schedule or critical period is believed to impact the learning of syntax, whereas semantics learning does not have a critical period (Ortega, 2013, p.21).
DeleteHi Harlie! I also choose to take Spanish in high school because of the people in my life and my surroundings. The Spanish speakers in my family are bilingual and went through "the process of learning two or more languages relatively simultaneously during early childhood- that is, before the age of four" (Ortega, page 4) while my friends are SLA, which is when "the individuals learning an additional are still young children when they start acquiring the L2, maybe as young as three or four years old" (Ortega, page 4). Our future bilingual and SLA students need to be as comfortable in the classroom as anyone else. With that being said, it is important for us to understand the difference of these terms so we can be knowledgable in our classrooms, which is what this course will prepare us for!
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
I believe that this course has already prepared me a great amount and it is only the beginning. I also came to a realization of when Ortega mentions, "age emerges as a remarkable site of difference between L2 and L1 acquisition" (2013, pg. 12). I think that it is important for us as teachers to also keep in mind the history that the child has with learning a new language. Every child learns at their own pace and this concept does not change when trying to learn another language.
DeleteI agree! I have truly noticed the "number of universal influences that help shape the nature, pace, route and finish in the path towards learning a second language" just by reading this book (Ortega, 2013, page 9). Each of our students will have a different pace and route in our future classroom, which is completely okay because at the end of the day they will be learning and acquiring the skills they need to help them with their English so they will be confident for the years to come! We need to be aware of all of the factors that can influence our students progress so we can help keep them on the right track to success.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Harlie! I think it is so important to learn more about the different languages, because you never know what language your students will be fluent in. If we are not aware of the differences and challenges that may be faced, we will be doing our students an injustice. Gass and Selinker have said that some people judge based on a person’s native language and “…many of the speech patterns that nonnative speakers use reflect their nonnativeness rather than characteristics of their personality” (2013, p. 4). We must be careful not to judge a student because they were not raised in a similar cultural background as others. It is important to take a step back and realize that everyone is different, and language is a perfect example of this.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Susan G. (2013). Second language acquisition: an introductory cours. New York: Routledge.
Tobi, even though we all come from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicity, etc. I find it incredible to learn how our languages all have something in common. According to Ortega, "Despite this daunting linguistic variety, however, all languages, no matter how different from each other they may seem (Arabic from American Sign Language from Chinese from English from Spanish from Swahili), share fundamental commonalities, a universal core of very abstract properties (2013, pg. 2). Ortega has made me believe that maybe it won't be so hard to make that connection with a diverse class by possibly learning some of their language. After all, the languages aren't so different.
DeleteHi Harlie! Coming from similar backgrounds, I am eager to hear your views on diversifying teaching. I know how you feel about Ortega's point on the rarity of monolingual cultures, however, not on how you would tackle this issue?
DeleteDo you see an issue? If so, what kind of issue is there when it comes to monolingual cultures?
I personally think that there are far more disadvantages concerning monolingual culture versus multilingual. Specifically, the lack of opportunities it presents to our students. I would love to integrate a variety of languages into my teaching, despite my chosen content being math. I think this content area might actually help me since it is one of the more universal contents taught globally.
What about you? How do you feel about integration?
I definitely agree Harlie. As educators we will just have to make sure to connect with our students and understand where they come from. Ortega is right, all languages are very similar, we just have to realize that and utilize it to our advantage and help one another especially in the classroom.
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