https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VHrgCEkeAFTOl1tlmAyNqPFhJE_P_Pw5/view?usp=sharing
Mrs. Chapman uses her experience in
many different grades and recent ESL certification to connect the following concepts.
My interviewee stated that her bilingual
and monolingual students are cognitively different by the way they actively use
both languages. She mentions that you can watch the students transition from
one language to another in academic performance and see it happening. Students who
are successful with this transfer between languages in academics may be exhibiting
signs of automaticity, however, as mentioned
in Ortega (2013), automaticity is not to be mistaken with accelerated or speedy
behavior (p.85).
My interviewee
also mentioned that her students struggle academically when there is a lack of
motivation and participation with parents at home due to a language barrier. I
can infer that this struggle at school may be due to lack of practice at home,
and when most practice is in a school setting with limited time per day. In the
fifth chapter of Ortega (2013), it is stated that “prolonged and
repeated practice changes the knowledge representation itself by making the
stored knowledge become more elaborated and well specified” (p.85). For example, when
homework is given, it is with the intention that we are moving academic
concepts into our students’ long-term memory by giving opportunity for
independent practice. I infer that students who are not able to build their
long-term memory and explicit-declarative components of their L2 may experience
difficulty in academics.
From this insight into Mrs. Chapman’s
personal experiences, I have determined that is important to allow students
many opportunities to practice second language acquisition in class due to the
possibility of there being a lack of practice at home.
References:
Ortega, L.
(2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Brianna,
ReplyDeleteI think an ELL student will always transition from one language to another. This can also happen as an internal struggle for some. "For transfer to occur learners
have to make an interlingual identification..." ( Ortega, 2013, pg.33). ELLs may need to make meaning of some words and for them to do that they have to relate or give meaning of the L2 back from L1. I do believe Elementary students will have a harder time making connections of some words from their native tongue to L2. Therefore, for ELL to revert to their L1 to complete their thought process is just one way for ELL students to communicate their needs to us.Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Thom –
DeleteThe concept that students may struggle with transitioning from one language to another is explored in the topic of codeswitching. Ortega (2013) discussed codeswitching and mentions that “researchers discovered that switches to the L1 were intentional and had a metalinguistic self-regulatory function (asking for help, clarifying the intended meaning); they gradually declined after the first eight months of study. By contrast, switches to the L2, the most active language in the beginning of the study, were unconscious and involved mostly function words that aided in language production; these switches also showed a decline after the first four months” (p.49). Codeswitching can become easier over time as discovered in these studies, and as Mrs. Chapman said, some of her students do exemplify this.
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Brianna,
ReplyDeleteMrs. Chapman stated, those students whose social circles are not supportive, or lack interest in the students learning, tended to have more difficulty learning a new language as well as other subjects. The supportive attitude that a student receives from their families or close social groups can promote the student’s own motivation to continue to learn their added language. “Social support from significant others (including parents siblings, peers and teachers), since believing that they want one to learn the language creates rewards and reinforcements that may be important in boosting motivation” (Ortega, 2013, p. 172).
Something as simple as being able to take part in more games with their classmates through the use of their L2, can promote the student’s attitude towards learning the L2. Ortega states that “attitudes towards learning the L2, which we can see as probing how much enjoyment people report feeling when they learn the language” (Ortega, 2013, p. 170), can be a factor in the individuals motivation to continue to improve themselves in the learning of their L2.
Overall, I find that having a supportive social circle or community, aids in the student’s learning of not only their L2 but also in other academic areas. Students that have socially linked motivation to learn, will receive a rewarding experience from their interactions as well as experience using their L2.
C. Menjivar
Crystal –
DeleteI was saddened to hear Mrs. Chapman say that some of her students are unmotivated due to lack of participation at home. We are responsible for motivating our students, but due to boundaries, it can be very difficult to motivate parents that unfortunately are not able to be immersed in English like their child is at school. Gass (2008) says, “Most adults do end up short of native-like levels of proficiency, but there is often a lack of motivation, a lack of commitment of time or energy, and a lack of environmental support” (p. 416)
References: Gass, S. M. (2008). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New York: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.
Hello Brianna,
ReplyDeleteMotivation plays a big part in learning not only in second language acquisition, but learning as a whole. If a student doesn't feel motivated to learn, then that student won't feel the urge to put the work in and will have trouble engaging in the lesson plan. Ortega states that "integrativeness is the one that played the most central role in the development of a theory of foreign language motivation." (Ortega, pg. 170) Integrativeness can be defined as just the genuine wanting to learn the second language so that the student can become closer to the second language speaking community. Because of the lack of practice at home, this can be harder to be achieved because of how the student only speaks the L2 at his or her home. There isn't a chance for the student to become closer to the L2 speaking community at home which decreases integrativeness.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Hi Joseph,
DeleteI would also like to add on to your comment. I completely agree that motivation plays a huge role in a student's L2 language learning development. You not only want to help them built that intrinsic motivation, but eventually push them to that level of having that willingness to progress in their L2 language. Ortega best describes intrinsic motivation as being how one controls how they take on certain tasks in a positive manner without the influence of an outside resource (Ortega, 2013, p. 177). Having that sense of intrinsic motivation and willingness to learn allows the student to take responsibility for their own learning and allows them to have a genuine interest in advancing in their L2 learning. It will reshape the way they take on certain tasks. As a teacher, you have to be very knowledgeable about not only creating a welcoming learning environment, but allowing for plenty of opportunities for students to take responsibility for their own work and allow them to notice for themselves that they are making progress in the language.
Thank you,
Priscilla Sambrano
References:
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Joseph –
DeleteI found it interesting when my interviewee responded using the terms intrinsic and extrinsic motivation while I was expecting terms used in the course, like integrativeness. My interviewee mentions success using extrinsic motivation such as candy and high-fives for her students that need motivation. Ortega (2013) states that “of all antecedents, integrativeness is the one that has played the most central role in the development of a theory of foreign language motivation” (p.170). Intrinsic motivation is the most impacting to a child’s L2 acquisition, but it is great that extrinsic motivation has been reported as a success in her class.
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Brianna,
ReplyDeleteI can totally agree with Mrs. Chapman. The level of motivation that a student has plays a large part in his second language acquisition. However, the type of motivation is what will play the main role in acquiring the language or not. If students are intrinsically motivated, then they have a desire to learn the language. They will actually put forth effort in grasping new words and using them. This type of motivation is internal and can be found within the student or can be developed by positive affirmations. Then their is motivation that comes from outside sources. This type of motivation is called extrinsic motivation. This is a factor that comes from outside sources such as grades the teacher and people in your community. Those with intrinsic motivation will be more likely to do better because they find joy in language learning. They will find purpose and meaning in what they learn, while extrinsically motivated students will do so just to get by.
Hi Lawrence,
DeleteI agree with you that intrinsic motivation is a better way to be motivated rather than to be extrinsically motivated when learning a new language. These students typically put forth more effort into learning the target language because they want to. Ortega states, “when individuals engage in behavior that they understand as self-initiated by choice and largely sustained by inherent enjoyment in the activity, they are said to be intrinsically motivated” (Ortega, 2013, p. 176). These students have a higher drive and desire to learn the language, rather than just get by, like you said.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Mackenzie –
DeleteAs you mention “to just get by”, I think about the means of learning a language for survival. When I envision a student learning for their survival, I envision this being the only extrinsic motivator. I think this is how many of us reported learning an L2 in high school, survival being passing the course. Ortega (2013) states, “Many people will learn at least a few words and phrases in a foreign language. Many others will be forced by life circumstances to learn enough of the additional language to fend for themselves in selected matters of daily survival, compulsory education or job-related communication” (p.18). We can use the idea of motivation in teaching by ensuring that our students are both extrinsically and intrinsically driven.
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Brianna,
ReplyDeleteMrs. Chapman mentioned that sometimes her students struggle academically as there is a lack of motivation and participation due to a language barrier. Ortega mentions that motivation plays an important role in how much and how willing as student is to learn their second language. Ortega defines motivation as, “Motivation is usually understood to refer to the desire to initiate L2 learning and the effort employed to sustain it, and in lay terms we all understand it to be a matter of quantity, as in the everyday observation that some learners are highly motivated and others have little or no motivation” (Ortega, 2013, pg. 168). As an ESL teacher it is essential to ensure your students are motivated to acquire their L2 and break the language barrier that is causing the lack of participation.
Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed watching your video!
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Hi Melissa,
DeleteI can completely understand why some students struggle because of the lack of motivation when it comes to learning a new language, that must be a lot to do, on top of having to complete school work and be successful. Through these hard times, these students should have a positive attitude and environment, it would help them learn at a much faster rate. Ortega talks about integrative motivation. This can be attained once “attitudes towards the learning situation (teachers, curriculum) are positive” (Ortega, 2013, p. 171). Once these students have a more positive outlook, their learning and motivation will change as well.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Melissa –
DeleteI agree that the language barrier between a student and teacher must be broken for quality learning and motivation to take place. I think this can be directly connected to self-perceived competence. It is a good idea to welcome potential mistakes from the L2 learner. As Ortega (2013) states, “any salient negative experience is more intensely lived and remembered” (p.203). This can bring down a child’s self-perceived competence. As ESL teacher, we must remove this opportunity from the classroom and even if there is a language barrier, the student will perform best if there is a cohesive connection of positivity, genuine instruction, and patience with the language barrier.
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.