Hello
I have attach a link to the video of my blog #2 hope you enjoy!
Blog # 2
I learned a lot from my interview with Zaid, being bilingual myself a thought we were going to have the same experience learning English, but even though there was some similarity in our experience there we also some differences. There were some things that he said that surprised me. For example, when he mentioned that in Spanish there was a more mature language on a younger age than in English, that has an adult he had to keep learning a new way of speaking in English than in Spanish. I never really thought of it that way, I thought it was the same in both languages just with different words. When did I ask him how did school and socializing with your classmates influence your second language learning? He mentions he was able to learn and practice English better during the summer while spending time with his friends than he did in school. I think this had to do with the fact that the language he was using with his friend is more command everyday language. When I asked him which language was more dominated he said that going up it would alternate between English and Spanish but now he is able to fully dominated both and translate back and forward with no problem. The ability to do that has been studied for several years. “Two key questions of interest are how the two (or more) languages are represented in the brain and how bilingual speakers switch and alternate between their two (or more) languages” (Ortega 2009).
Hello Karen! Thank you for taking the time to share this experience with us, I thoroughly enjoyed watching your ELL interview! I think you make a very important point in your reflection. You stated that being bilingual yourself, you thought you two would have similar experiences. Even though there are some similarities between ELL and Bilingual individuals and their experiences, it is important as future educators to understand that everyone is different. Just as Rowland (2014) explains, “There are also individual differences between children acquiring the same language; some children are faster and others are slower, and some children are born with cognitive impairments that prevent them from acquiring language without a lot of specialist help” (p. 4) Everyone will have a different experience and require different accommodations, modifications, and support systems. Thank you for sharing your insight with us and I look forward to your next blog entry!
ReplyDeleteRowland, Caroline. (2014). Understanding Child Language Acquisition. Routledge. London and New York.
Hello Megan, Thank you for your thoughts. I agree with what you said that as teachers we need to keep in mind all children are different and learn in different speed. In my ELL experiences it took me a longer time to learn English then normally, that shows an example that we can't use the same strategy for every students.
DeleteHi Karen! Great video I really enjoyed learning about the difference of how you and Zaid learned English even though you both learned the language in similar ways. I understand and know how he learned English better when he was learning it with his friends, According to Ortega “Much in the linguistic environment, particularly in naturalistic settings, but also
ReplyDeletein today’s communicative classrooms, comes to learners in the midst of oral interaction with one or more interlocutors, rather than as exposure to monologicspoken or written discourse” (Ortega, 2013, 60). I think it is better that people learn a second language in a more natural environment, they are constantly speaking and listening to the language and they have immersed themselves into the culture so learning it would be quicker and easier.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Laura, Thank you for your comment. I agree with your opinion that is better to learn a second language in a more natural environment. I like my interviewer mention, he was able to learn and practice English when he was with his friends than in the classroom. I think as teacher we need to create several opportunity for our students to interact with each other, especially our ELL students. This way they can learn and practice their new language with their peers while working on a class activity. That way they can have natural conversation about what they are learning in school.
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ReplyDeleteHi Karen,
I enjoyed watching your video. I am also an ELL and will have to agree with Zaid that sometimes the most challenging part of understanding English is understanding the cultural context. Monolinguals of English grow up watching different tv shows or listening to different music than we do, sometimes during social events or even in school people will refer to something, and you are lost because you do not have the same background and cannot make the same connection with them. Ortega states that "the more acculture a learner can become the more successful his or her eventual learning outcomes will be.” (pg.59) Zaid states something similar, and he said that he socialized a lot with the kids in his block and that is when he saw a massive improvement in speaking his L2. Thank you for sharing your interview with us.
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Karla, Thank you for your comment. As ELL students we may have different experiences from our Non-ELL classmates. Beside the language difference we have a culture difference. Like you mention the television show watched growing up and the music we listened might of been different from other students, that would add to the disconnection between both group. Culture background plays an important part in students learning and second language acquisition.
DeleteHello Karen, it is very nice to meet you and your friend. I find it interesting that your friend admits that both English and Spanish are balanced languages, meaning that neither language is completely dominate. I also find it very interesting that your math and science teachers weren’t as big as an influence to you learning English as your friends were. His friends were a major influence for your friend to learn English. As Ortega states, “knowledge of two (or more) languages can accelerate the learning of an additional one” (Ortega, pg. 53). The bilingual friends of your interviewee sparked enough interest in him to develop his English speaking skills. I hope he continues to progress in both languages.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Selena, Thank you for your comment. I think the reason his math and science teacher did not help him as much is because back then there were not so much information about ELL students as there is now. When it comes to my experience, I do remember by math and science teachers help me but not as much as I would hope.
ReplyDeleteHi karen,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your video. It was nice to hear about your friends story. I notice that he mention that hard part about learning english at young age but I think this is just in general is having to learn what idioms are or expression. That is hard to learn, I speak Spanish and some of them Spanish idioms I do not understand. I feel like the more you are around people who use them the better you will understand them. Ortega mentioned that some L2 learners learn “through informal opportunities in multicultural neighborhoods, schools and workplaces, without ever receiving any organized instruction on the workings of the language they are learning" (Ortega, 2013, pg. 6). You tend to hear expression and what not in environments that aren't in a school setting, but yet you are still learning your second language
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge