Hello, this is Haley and welcome to my blog! I am a senior at the University of Houston and I am a teaching and learning major, specifically 4 through 8th grade mathematics. I can't wait to finish out my last semester as an undergraduate and get to work! I hope my first video can help you to learn more about me. (:
Hi Haley! I am so happy that you are in the class! I loved learning about your family! I am really interested in your grandmother’s learning of the english language. How would you describe her proficiency now that she has spent more time in America? I am intrigued because I believe this correlates with this week’s reading. Do you find any connections between the findings or statements that Oretega makes in Chapter 2? For example, Ortega (2009) states that in terms of ultimate second language attainment, students who learn at an age before puberty tend to develop levels in phonological and morphosyntactic competence close to that of a native speaker, whereas those who are learning at a post-puberty age may not speak with such levels of competence (pg.28). Thanks for sharing with us! I’d love to hear your opinion.
Hey AJ! I'm glad you enjoyed my family's story. I would say her proficiency in English was overall spotty, but she did learn more and more slowly over the years. And yes I definitely agree that there are many connections in Chapter 2 of Ortega (2009) to my grandmother's story. Since my grandma started learning English when she was in her late teens, post-puberty, it was more difficult for her to learn. Her levels of competence rose slowly over the years, and they were high enough to help her get by in America.
Thank you so much for sharing about your family! Your grandparents story is so amazing and sweet! I found it interesting that your grandmother tried to teach you some Japanese but you only retained numbers 1-5. It must be really insightful having so many people around you who are speaking other languages! In your video, you talk about learning Spanish in high school but have long sense forgot what you learned. Do you think you forgot what you learned because it was so formal? Ortega talks about instructed learners as a learning style when it comes to learning a second language. Instructed learners are those who learn a L2 in a structured setting such as a classroom. (Ortega, 2009, pg. 6)
Ortega, L. (2009). Second language acquisition (1st ed.). London: Hodder education.
Hey Natalie! I am so glad that you enjoyed my family's story! I wish I had learned more Japanese before she passed. I also wish that I was more motivated in high school to learn Spanish. As becoming a teacher becomes more of a reality, I regret not knowing at least one more language, especially Spanish because of how many Spanish-speakers there are in the Houston area and Texas in general. If my mom was fluent in Spanish like her dad, my grandpa, was, then maybe I would have learned and retained more Spanish. But, as Ortega (2009) mentions, I was indeed an instructed learner who was only "learning" Spanish to pass a class.
I felt like I wasn't as motivated in high school as well when learning a foreign language. I feel like the district pushes the foreign language requirement on us and while it does give us choice in what to take, many classes are difficult. I decided on taking Latin since I was a pre-med major and knew it would help me in the future. The main reason I shed away from Spanish as an elective was because everyone I knew was failing the class. In second language methodology, we learned that some classes were taught using the grammar translation method which is proven to be the least effective way to learn a language. Now that I am an educator, placed in a school with a large Spanish population, I really wish I would have taken 3 years of Spanish because it would really benefit me now. Even if I would not have retained all that I learned, at least I would know common words and phrases.
Hello Haley! I loved hearing how your math teacher had such an impact on you and that made you want to become a math teacher. That is really awesome! I can also relate to you about taking and learning Spanish in high school. I remembered that I tried to learn some but honestly, I just wanted to get a good grade so I did not retain much Spanish. According to Ortega, there are researchers that emphasize that there are socio-educational and motivational factors that influences language attainment, so the fact that you did not retain much Spanish could have been due to your motivation level at the time (Ortega, 2009, p. 24). I also really enjoyed hearing about your grandmother. She reminded me of my grandmother. My grandmother, like yours, only really knew Khmer, which is my home language. My grandmother struggled learning English and was only really able to learn a few words, the ABCs, and numbers. Generally, English was hard for her to learn. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Chenda! Thank you so much for watching my video! I definitely regret not truly being motivated to learn Spanish in high school when I had the chance. I remember only "learning" Spanish just enough to where I would pass my quizzes and tests. I also think that because I was learning in a classroom, it was more difficult for me to reach a level of competence. Ortega (2009) mentions that instructed learners might have a more difficult time whereas Naturalistic learners learn a new language without ever receiving formal instruction (p. 6).
Hi Haley, Thanks for sharing your story. I have listened to several blog videos and have noticed that many of the students that took Spanish in high school have retained little to none of the language afterwards. I did not take any foreign language in high school so I am not sure how well I would have done. But, do you think that most of the students just really were interested in passing the class and not in learning the language? Motivation could be a big reason, it is probably the biggest reason I have not made more of an effort in the past. That being said, you mentioned that you have family members that speak several different languages. Your younger sister has retained much more Japanese than you. Do you feel that maybe because she was exposed more to the language when she was younger she was able to retain more of the language? Also, you said she nearly speaks French fluently. I would guess that she has good instruction and is highly motivated. Ortega mentions that many of the best case scenario L2 learners enjoyed excellent educational instruction and were highly motivated students (Ortega, 2009, p. 28). Have a great semester and good luck in your future teaching! Tracy Galle
Hi Haley! I am so happy that you are in the class! I loved learning about your family! I am really interested in your grandmother’s learning of the english language. How would you describe her proficiency now that she has spent more time in America? I am intrigued because I believe this correlates with this week’s reading. Do you find any connections between the findings or statements that Oretega makes in Chapter 2? For example, Ortega (2009) states that in terms of ultimate second language attainment, students who learn at an age before puberty tend to develop levels in phonological and morphosyntactic competence close to that of a native speaker, whereas those who are learning at a post-puberty age may not speak with such levels of competence (pg.28). Thanks for sharing with us! I’d love to hear your opinion.
ReplyDeleteHey AJ! I'm glad you enjoyed my family's story. I would say her proficiency in English was overall spotty, but she did learn more and more slowly over the years. And yes I definitely agree that there are many connections in Chapter 2 of Ortega (2009) to my grandmother's story. Since my grandma started learning English when she was in her late teens, post-puberty, it was more difficult for her to learn. Her levels of competence rose slowly over the years, and they were high enough to help her get by in America.
DeleteHello Haley,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing about your family! Your grandparents story is so amazing and sweet! I found it interesting that your grandmother tried to teach you some Japanese but you only retained numbers 1-5. It must be really insightful having so many people around you who are speaking other languages! In your video, you talk about learning Spanish in high school but have long sense forgot what you learned. Do you think you forgot what you learned because it was so formal? Ortega talks about instructed learners as a learning style when it comes to learning a second language. Instructed learners are those who learn a L2 in a structured setting such as a classroom. (Ortega, 2009, pg. 6)
Ortega, L. (2009). Second language acquisition (1st ed.). London: Hodder education.
Hey Natalie! I am so glad that you enjoyed my family's story! I wish I had learned more Japanese before she passed. I also wish that I was more motivated in high school to learn Spanish. As becoming a teacher becomes more of a reality, I regret not knowing at least one more language, especially Spanish because of how many Spanish-speakers there are in the Houston area and Texas in general. If my mom was fluent in Spanish like her dad, my grandpa, was, then maybe I would have learned and retained more Spanish. But, as Ortega (2009) mentions, I was indeed an instructed learner who was only "learning" Spanish to pass a class.
DeleteHaley,
DeleteI felt like I wasn't as motivated in high school as well when learning a foreign language. I feel like the district pushes the foreign language requirement on us and while it does give us choice in what to take, many classes are difficult. I decided on taking Latin since I was a pre-med major and knew it would help me in the future. The main reason I shed away from Spanish as an elective was because everyone I knew was failing the class. In second language methodology, we learned that some classes were taught using the grammar translation method which is proven to be the least effective way to learn a language. Now that I am an educator, placed in a school with a large Spanish population, I really wish I would have taken 3 years of Spanish because it would really benefit me now. Even if I would not have retained all that I learned, at least I would know common words and phrases.
Hello Haley! I loved hearing how your math teacher had such an impact on you and that made you want to become a math teacher. That is really awesome! I can also relate to you about taking and learning Spanish in high school. I remembered that I tried to learn some but honestly, I just wanted to get a good grade so I did not retain much Spanish. According to Ortega, there are researchers that emphasize that there are socio-educational and motivational factors that influences language attainment, so the fact that you did not retain much Spanish could have been due to your motivation level at the time (Ortega, 2009, p. 24). I also really enjoyed hearing about your grandmother. She reminded me of my grandmother. My grandmother, like yours, only really knew Khmer, which is my home language. My grandmother struggled learning English and was only really able to learn a few words, the ABCs, and numbers. Generally, English was hard for her to learn. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Chenda! Thank you so much for watching my video! I definitely regret not truly being motivated to learn Spanish in high school when I had the chance. I remember only "learning" Spanish just enough to where I would pass my quizzes and tests. I also think that because I was learning in a classroom, it was more difficult for me to reach a level of competence. Ortega (2009) mentions that instructed learners might have a more difficult time whereas Naturalistic learners learn a new language without ever receiving formal instruction (p. 6).
DeleteHi Haley,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story. I have listened to several blog videos and have noticed that many of the students that took Spanish in high school have retained little to none of the language afterwards. I did not take any foreign language in high school so I am not sure how well I would have done. But, do you think that most of the students just really were interested in passing the class and not in learning the language? Motivation could be a big reason, it is probably the biggest reason I have not made more of an effort in the past. That being said, you mentioned that you have family members that speak several different languages. Your younger sister has retained much more Japanese than you. Do you feel that maybe because she was exposed more to the language when she was younger she was able to retain more of the language? Also, you said she nearly speaks French fluently. I would guess that she has good instruction and is highly motivated. Ortega mentions that many of the best case scenario L2 learners enjoyed excellent educational instruction and were highly motivated students (Ortega, 2009, p. 28).
Have a great semester and good luck in your future teaching!
Tracy Galle