Entry 2
Hi everyone!
For my second blog entry, I interviewed a family friend of mine named Joe. Joe grew up with his grandparents who were new to the U.S. from Mexico. His native language is Spanish and he spoke only Spanish until about first grade. Joe grew up in a city outside of Austin and his class had about 30-40 students. The majority of the class spoke Spanish. Throughout the interview Joe talked about how the process was for him to try to learn a language that was so different than what he was used to. Joe gave some advice to me as a future teacher to remember to be patient with ELLs. Take the time to work with them and to understand where they are coming from. Part of being patient made me think about Ortega talking about working memory in the textbook. The text talks about how working memory helps us integrate new information with known information already encoded in long-term memory (2013, p. 90). This helps explain why it is so important that we give students the time to learn what they need to learn. If we rush students into learning new vocabulary, their language will not be fully processed and it will make them fall more behind.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
Hi everyone!
For my second blog entry, I interviewed a family friend of mine named Joe. Joe grew up with his grandparents who were new to the U.S. from Mexico. His native language is Spanish and he spoke only Spanish until about first grade. Joe grew up in a city outside of Austin and his class had about 30-40 students. The majority of the class spoke Spanish. Throughout the interview Joe talked about how the process was for him to try to learn a language that was so different than what he was used to. Joe gave some advice to me as a future teacher to remember to be patient with ELLs. Take the time to work with them and to understand where they are coming from. Part of being patient made me think about Ortega talking about working memory in the textbook. The text talks about how working memory helps us integrate new information with known information already encoded in long-term memory (2013, p. 90). This helps explain why it is so important that we give students the time to learn what they need to learn. If we rush students into learning new vocabulary, their language will not be fully processed and it will make them fall more behind.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
Hello Savannah! I loved how descriptive Joe was during your interview. I felt as if he was actually talking to me. So far, Joe is the oldest in which age he acquired a second language. At age seven, I would think this age would be difficult to learn a new language for children. Usually adults have it easier than children in learning a second language according to Ortega (Ortega 2013). It states, “Children acquiring their first language complete the feat within a biological window of four to six years of age” (Ortega 2013 pp. 11). To learn a new language by the age of seven seems very difficult. Also, I also noticed he said how to put words together was the most difficult for him. I see sentence structure seemed to be a problem for English language learners. I’m glad he overcame this struggle.
ReplyDeleteOretega, Lourdes. (2013). Understanding Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge.
Hey Savannah, I enjoyed your interview and the insight it gave me for ELL education. I love the connection you made to the text when understanding ways to be patient with ELLs as their teacher. I know it can get frustrating for them and for us, so integrating new information with old information would definitely be a helpful strategy to integrate on a daily basis when teaching ELLs. When you mentioned this it reminded me of when Ortega explained how L1 has negative and positive influences on L2 learning rate and we were shown the idea that "relevant knowledge in the L1 can accelerate the rate of L2 learning" (2014, p. 42). I think this is important for teachers of ELLs to understand because we see the value of understanding and knowing who are students are and where they come from, which will reflect on our awareness of what the ELLs relevant knowledge may be and what they can pull from. When teachers recognize the value of understanding what makes our students who they are and invest time into understanding what they already know, it makes being patient and taking time more manageable, and allows the teacher to manipulate instruction to best suit their students.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
Hello Savannah! I completely agree with you and Joe on taking time when working with ESL students. Depending on how well ESL students understand English, their struggles varies. Some ESL students are proficient in English and Spanish, so they will need less assistance from peers and adults. However children who have just recently immigrated into the USA, will feel less confident and often uncomfortable in their new environment. It is important to make these students feel included within the classroom, and to have open communication with them. As Ortega states, “social supports from significant others (including parents, siblings, peers and teachers)” (Ortega, pg. 172) are “important in boosting motivation” (Ortega, pg. 172). Having support from parents, classmates, and teachers, boosts students’ motivation to learn a new language and adapt into their new environment with ease. I hope as a future teacher, that I can be a motivation to my students as well.
ReplyDeleteOretega, Lourdes. (2013). Understanding Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge.