Vblog entry 4

     I have learned a lot through taking this course of Second Language Acquistion. This course has definitely prepared me more for teaching English Language Learners. This course has helped me learn more about the behind the scenes of ELLs. In this course though, I have come to realize how important age plays a role when someone is learning a second language. Both from the interview and from my interview with an ELL, I have come to truly believe that learning a second language at a younger age is best. According to Ortega, "Children acquiring their first language complete the feat within a biological window of four to six years of age" (2011, pg. 12). I have not completely gathered my thoughts on which age is easiest to learn another language due to brain development due to all the different opinions from researchers. However, I feel like it is easiest when younger because they are still growing and developing their brains. Also, because they finish learning their first language around ages four to six like Ortega said, so I feel like adding another language at that age would be the similar situation. Either way, teachers still need to realize the importance of the age of their students and the rate at which they learn. That plays a huge factor of how quickly and how well the student will learn the content.  
     Another factor that I think is super important to know about as a teacher is the child's linguistic environment. I have learned and also again through the ELL student interview have realized the importance of this. According to Ortega, "Knowing about the language benefits afforded by the environment is thus important for achieving a good understanding of how people learn additional languages" (2011, pg. 55). This goes to show how much students learn or do not learn from their surroundings. I truly believe that if a student's home life is strictly their native language, then the student will take longer to learn English. Unless they spend a lot of time in the community or with their English-speaking friends, that student will learn English much faster. The dominant language of the environment will help that child learn faster if they spend more time in the community. Even if the child does spend more time in the community, I have learned that they will eventually not care to speak their first language anymore which will result in losing knowledge of that first language. Personally, as a future teacher, even though we are supposed to be teaching the student's English, I feel like it is important to encourage the student to speak their first language and continue to practice it.  
     This course has made me realize more about the importance of getting to know your students. I feel like this course has prepared me pretty well on the factors to look for and notice when having English Language Learners. I wish that we would have learned more about the motivation factor and how to motivate children and the teachers as well in teaching and learning of ELLs. Other than that, I feel confident that I am prepared to teach ELLs. I am super excited to take the knowledge I got from this course and use it in my future classroom. Thanks for reading! 

References: 
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print. 

Comments

  1. Ila HyamsJuly 3, 2018 at 7:51 PM

    Harlie, although we have not had many interactions through these blogs, your thoughts on Ortega's critical period and the topic of influences and environments shaping student success are interesting and appealing to read (2011). I also have developed a deeper appreciation for communication and properly building relationships with my students. I had forgotten how valuable a strong connection to the students and their families was in this profession, so I am glad to have experienced this course before starting my student teaching.

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    1. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 7:34 PM

      Hello Ila! I definitely have always realized the importance of talking with students and parents, but this class made me realize how important it is to have that connection with English Language Learners and their families. According to Ortega, "Policy makers and educators in different countries debate appropriate policies for minority children who speak other languages at home and need to be schooled in the societal language" (2011, pg. 8). I think that this debate could be minimized by getting to know the parents and having them practice with the student at home as well. Although in my opinion, I would still want the parents to speak their native language with them as well, so they do not lose the knowledge of that language and remain bilingual.

      Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

      Delete
  2. Nancy EscobarJuly 4, 2018 at 5:59 AM

    Hi Harlie! I was intrigued with what you had to say about the environment English language learners are surrounded by can influence their English language learning process. To correlate with your statement, I found the study of Wes, the native Japanese English language learner, to be a great example of how he was able to learn a great amount of English despite not having proper English instruction for proper grammar and syntax usage (Ortega, 2013). This study I found interesting since it proves how greatly one's environment can influence our second language learning to a point where one has to learn a new language in order survive within their new community.

    References:
    Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.

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    1. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 7:42 PM

      Hello Nancy! I also was fascinated when learning about how the environment impacts how ELLs learn their second language. I truly believe now that students can either learn a lot or learn a little depending on the people they surround themselves with. Ortega says, "Languages are almost always learned with and for others, and these others generate linguistic evidence, rich or poor, abundant or scarce, that surrounds learners" (2011, pg. 55). I feel like this statement ties along very closely with the beliefs I have. I just hope that in the future when I have ELLs, that they have a great community surrounding them that will influence and help them learn English.

      Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

      Delete
  3. mari sisJuly 4, 2018 at 8:58 AM

    Hi Harlie! I also find it important to encourage students to maintain their native language, which some might show prejudice towards. Ortega mentions, "some native speakers hold pre-existing negative attitudes against non-native-speaking groups, and that these biased attitudes can affect the processed and outcomes of concrete interactions" (2011, page 78). It is important for us to welcome students into our classrooms with open arms. By modeling this, students will also do the same. When everyone has a positive attitude towards each other then they will be willing to interact with each other. When these interactions occur then the classroom can ultimately be successful for everyone.

    Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

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    1. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 7:51 PM

      Hello Marissa! I cannot agree more with the statement about encouraging students to still practice and hold onto their native language. After all, "During my interview, I learned how important this was considering the ELL student was losing knowledge of his native language because he surrounds himself with English speaking peers. Which is not a bad thing, but I will definitely encourage my ELLs to keep and practice their first language. Even Ortega mentioned a similar statement, "Conversely, he predicted that the more acculturated a learner can become (that is, the closer to the target society and its members, socially and psychologically), the more successful his or her eventual learning outcomes will be" (2011, pg. 59).

      Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

      Delete
  4. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 2:14 PM

    Hi Harlie! I agree with you that this course did provide me good insight on how to properly work with English Language Learners. I feel that it provided good advice when it comes to teaching and working with them. I agree with you that age plays a vital role in learning a second language, and just like you I do not know the best age for students to learn a second language. I feel as though the younger a student is the easier it would for them to properly grasp the concept of learning a second language. As states, "It is commonly believed that children are better language learners than adults in the sense that young children typically can gain mastery of a second language, whereas adults cannot." (Gass & Selinker, 2008, p.405)

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    1. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 8:01 PM

      Hello Nayab! I can definitely agree with you that it provided me with great advice and prepared me more to work best with ELLs. I totally agree that younger students learn a new language best than adults do but I think that also depends on the cognitive development. Wright states differently than Gass though saying, "When in the 1970s several SLA researchers compared children and adults’ L2 learning rate in second language environments, the findings unexpectedly were suggestive of an advantage for adults over children" (2011, pg. 16).

      Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

      Delete
    2. UnknownJuly 5, 2018 at 10:08 AM

      Hi Harlie! I think this course did prepare us for our future of working with English Language Learners. I find the excerpt you provided from Wright rather interesting. I have learned throughout this course the importance of age in learning a second language. Often time children will begin learning their first language at home, as Ortega says, "the individuals learning an additional language are still young children when they start acquiring the L2, maybe as young as three or four years old (remember by this early age most of the essential pieces of their mother tongue may be all in place)." (2013, p.4)

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  5. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 7:14 PM

    Harlie, thank you for sharing your reflection. I would also agree that one of the most important things I learned from this class was how age affects how well a person learns a new language. I do agree with you that it is very challenging to pin point a specific time in one’s life when it is optimal to learn a new language, but there one thing Ortega stated that always stuck out to me. At the age of nine a person’s brain loses plasticity, therefore making it more difficult to absorb information easily (Ortega 2011, pg.12). I feel that the time between kindergarten to third grade is when we need to work the hardest with our English language learners, because after that it becomes more difficult for the student to learn a language.

    Reference:
    Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 4, 2018 at 8:07 PM

      Hello Haylee! I can also agree that age plays a big role in a student's life when learning a second language. But I also think cognitive development ties in with age and debates how well or not well a student is able to learn that second language. Although everyone learns at a different pace as well as a different learning styles. I think children learn a second language faster than adults. However, Ortega says, "adults may be able to use cognitive and metacognitive abilities and strategies to learn many aspects of the L2 initially faster" (2011, pg. 17).

      Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

      Delete

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