Throughout this course my understanding of second language
acquisition has grown immensely. It has opened my eyes to all of the different
factors that have an influence on someone acquiring a new language. I have
learned that age, environment and even motivation have great effects on how successful
someone will be at acquiring a new language. Ortega (2013) mentions “being
motivated nurtures more successful L2 learning, but, conversely, experiencing
L2 learning success also boosts motivation to even higher levels, in a
reinforcing cycle” (p. 189). Throughout the interviews I had for this course and
the ones I watched of my peers, I found it interesting that motivation was
something that was continuously being mentioned. The pattern was definitely eye
opening to see because it showed me how important this factor is when it comes
to learning a new language.
As an educator, I will use what I have learned from this
course in my daily practice of teaching. Due to how diverse Houston is, teaching
in the greater Houston area creates a high possibility of having students where
English is not their first language. I will make sure to have a respect of
their L1 and their culture so that my students feel safe and comfortable in my
classroom. I will make sure to help these students in acquiring their new
language by providing word walls and other hands-on activities that include
pictures and labels so that these students are making a connection with their
new language. Like Ortega (2013) talks about, I will be sure to make
interactional modifications to my teaching when needed so that my students are
provided with comprehensible input (p. 61). This way my students are able to
comfortably ask questions by using clarification checks if needed and I will be
sure to include comprehension checks as well if I notice my students struggling
with the input which is also mentioned by Ortega (2013, p. 61).
An area that might benefit future teachers to learn more
about when it comes to second language acquisition is the importance behind
supporting an ELL in their learning environment. I understand that this course’s
focus is to increase future educators’ knowledge on the second language acquisition
process however, I believe it would be beneficial for there to be a little more
focus on the ways teachers can successfully assist these students in their
classroom. Applying more attention to this aspect might better prepare future educators
for when they have their own classroom.
Although sometimes the video blog seemed to be difficult to
complete, I found that it was actually very helpful in my learning process. I
felt that it benefitted my learning by having to conduct these interviews and
even more so by watching and comparing my interviews with my peers’ interviews.
Through this I was able to see the similarities between the responses of the interviewees
and how it related back to what the textbooks mention regarding the same topic.
I noticed that often times the person being interviewed, while not realizing
it, would make a statement directly related to a fact that one of the textbooks
talked about. All this did was reiterate the importance of second language
acquisition, and although a difficult concept to grasp is still consistently
referenced day to day by language learners and educators.
Hi Emily! I enjoyed reading your reflection of the course and I found it interesting that you noted the importance of motivation in second language acquisition. I also pointed this factor out in my reflection. Gass and Selinker (2008, p. 428) state that “A question regarding motivation and second language learning is whether it is better to say that motivation predicts success, in that the more successful one has been in language learning, the more motivated one will be to learn more.” Motivation is intriguing because it has such a complex role in language learning. Additionally, I appreciate that you mentioned the importance of making sure that your students feel comfortable in your classroom since it is likely that if you teach in the Houston area, many of your students may not have English as their first language.
ReplyDeleteKrystal,
DeleteLike you mentioned and also reiterated by Gass and Selinker (2008), motivation is so very complex it’s hard to ultimately know which comes first (p. 428); the motivation or the success. This is because they work so well simultaneously during the language learning process. I too am very intrigued and curious of the complexity when it comes to motivation among L2 learners. I hope to continue to grow in my understanding of second language acquisition so that my future students are able to maintain and exceed this motivation and success complex.
Hi Emily, I enjoyed reading your reflection. It is comforting to hear how dedicated you are towards your future students. Ortega also mentioned how “many of them are highly motivated students who also enjoyed high-quality instructional experiences is certainly good ammunition for lobbying in favour of increasing investment of material and human resources for the improvement of second and foreign language education” (2013, pg. 28). I admire your dedication to keep them motivated and based on this quote it is important to keep them motivated in order to promote effective and consistent growth. I’m glad you were able to see how motivation is crucial in student learning.
ReplyDeleteCesia,
DeleteI greatly appreciate your encouragement. I found it so interesting that motivation was spread out throughout all three of our textbooks. Although we did not read all of the chapters in each textbook, any time I have researched ‘motivation’ among them, each have a large amount of references to the importance of it. Like Ortega (2013) mentions, instructional experiences are vital for success among a student’s L2 (p. 28), this is why I find it most important to continue in my research in second language acquisition even once this course is complete.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI am also glad that we were about to learn about ways we can modify our instruction to meet the needs of second language learners in our content area classrooms. "Comprehensible input [is one of the five core] environmental ingredients that contribute to optimal L2 learning (Ortega, 2013, p. 79). Paired with "negotiated interaction, pushed output, and a capacity, natural or cultivated, to attend to the language code, not just the message" you will be able to provide great support to your students L2 learning (Ortega, 2013, p. 79). I too plan to implement these practices in my classroom in order to best support my ELLs needs.
Hi Angel,
DeleteI believe that being able to modify our instruction is something so important that we are taught early on in the College of Education. We have experienced many courses that help us identify the new need we might have in our classroom; students with disabilities, gifted and talented and now English language learners. I have enjoyed seeing the ways we can alter our instruction to make sure that all of our students are able to understand and be receptive. Ortega (2013) says it best, “high-quality instructional experiences is certainly good ammunition for lobbying in favour of increasing investment of material and human resources for the improvement of second and foreign language education” (p. 28). This right here explains how important a students’ instructional experience is and why this should be a main focus of all educators.
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DeleteHi Emely,
DeleteI totally agree, our experience at UH was truly great and covered many aspects of teaching that could other wise go over looked. Learning about these topics while experiencing them first hand in the classroom helped me recognize and develop strategies I can definitely implement to support students in my own classroom. Ortega (2013) mentions research on exceptional learners in SLA. "Exceptional (language) learners shared two features. They had all received considerable amounts of high-quality L2 instruction and they all self- reported high levels of motivation and concern to sound native-like (Ortega, 2013, p. 23)." High quality instruction is necessary to best support ELLs in the classroom, and I feel that after learning more about SLA in this course, I am better prepared for my future classroom.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up an excellent point by mentioning that you Houston has a large amount of diversity, which is important for many of us to keep in mind as we will be possibly be teaching in Houston or in the surrounding areas. By being aware of our student populations, we will better be able to understand where our students are coming from and be able to form connections with them. After forming connections with them, teachers should focus on supporting these students in the classroom. As you mentioned, I also believe that this course focused more on theory and not enough on practice. The learning strategies we use can engage our students “with the aim to gain control over their learning process” (Ortega, 2013, p. 214). A future focus on more strategies to implement in the future would be beneficial to our students.
Hi Chelsea,
DeletePractice is something that is so helpful to us as teachers. Finding ways to implement the knowledge we have learned in a practical way as we gain more and more insight from our classroom. Being taught specific strategies could greatly benefit our teaching practice by using what Ortega (2013) talks about regarding the importance of having control over our student’s learning (p. 214). That is why I mentioned it might have been helpful for us to learn how to integrate strategies into our classrooms. It will be my focus next semester, as I finish up student teaching to try and utilize the knowledge I have gained through this course by continuing my research on strategies I can implement in the classroom. This way I can make sure I am able to assist my ELL students in the best way possible