Hello all! I had so much fun interviewing my mom's
cousin, Denise Rodriguez, who has been an ESL teacher for several years now.
She has taught all elementary grades from first grade to fifth grade in a few
districts in San Antonio, Texas. Sadly, since she lives a few hours away, and
we are both very busy women, we could not meet up in person. So, I hope
everyone can hear our conversation loud and clear. However, I still had lots of
fun talking to her and connecting what we talk about in this class with her experiences.
First of all, her experiences actually don’t quite mirror the research that we
have discussed about in this class so far. For example, when talking to Denise
about her English Language Learners’ motivation to learn English, she says that
their motivation has never been an issue for her and her students. She claims
that all of her students have been highly motivated and that they are willing
to put in the time and effort to learn English. As mentioned by Ortega (2013), this
might be because her students’ are most likely interested in learning a second
language in order to become closer to their L2 community (p. 170). For first
through fifth graders, they might have multiple reasons, or orientations, for
learning English. These might consist of integrating themselves to become more
like the members of their L2 community and/or to strengthen their friendships
with their peers who speak their L2 (Ortega, 2013, p. 173). Denise also talks
about how age does not really play a role in Second Language Acquisition, except
for the fact that younger learners are indeed sponges to new languages. This is
because in her experience, as long as English Language Learners are exposed to
meaningful and supportive instruction, they will be motivated and encouraged to
be successful. According to Ortega (2013), a second language learner may be an
exception to the pattern of young learners experiencing easier acquisition
because they, “appear to be related to unusually high motivation and high
quality of instruction,” (p. 29). I hope you enjoy my video as much as I did
making it! (:
Hi Haley!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this interview. It’s so interesting for me to hearing about the benefits of taking Second Language Acquisition class from an experience teacher; it’s make this class being more meaningful to myself. I am totally agreeing with you that motivation affect the learning process of learning a second language. According to Ortega, these are conative influences that at the broadest level include volition and motivation, and they can make language learners succeed or fail (Ortega, 2013, p. 168). In my opinion, motivation is developing from their family, peers and from their teacher. Therefore, it is important to building a friendly learning ELLs environment. What do you think about this?
Hey Quynh, thank you for your comment! I too find it interesting that throughout this class, the content becomes more real and meaningful every day. I also agree with you that motivation can either help second language learners succeed or fail when acquiring a foreign language. According to Ortega (2009), the three dimensions of motivation consist of how much effort the learner puts in, how much they enjoy learning the new language, and how invested they are in learning their L2 (p. 169). All three of these aspects play an important part in how much an individual second language learner is truly motivated. I believe that as teachers, we can help to motivate our students by providing them a positive and encouraging learning environment in my classroom.
DeleteHello Haley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Denise it is very important that we are exposed to and understand students who English is not their first language. Coming to a new country and learning a new language can be scary and so it is up to us to help the students feel as comfortable as possible. It is very interesting that her students are very motivated to learn, the area that she is teaching might be a factor to this. Denise talked about learning disabilities and the negative affect it can have on a child language acquisition. Ortega (152) brings up the issue that if a child struggles in their first language learning a new one can be very difficult. It is crucial that if an ESL student has a learning disabilities that they receive the proper help they need. I like that she uses audio books to help students learn. It is understandable that writing the hardest aspect of the English language to learn because of the number of irregularities in English. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Elizabeth, thank you for your comment! I definitely agree that moving to a new country is scary and that as teachers, we can help ease our students' transition into learning English and being a successful student. I also liked that Denise mentioned how learning disabilities can negatively affect a student's second language acquisition. If a child is still have trouble picking up their first language, it may be very difficult and detrimental for them to learn a second language. Ortega (2013) mentions that when one tries to learn a second language without a full grasp of the English literacy, they will face many challenges and difficulties (p.152). Lastly, I also like the idea of letting my students listen to audio books or music, or watching TV to help with their transition into English. I wonder how much of a difference that could make on their acquisition.
DeleteGreat Video Haley! I really enjoyed learning more about Mrs. Rodriguez and her opinion on ESL. I completely agree with Denise because the class we are in is allowing us to gain the knowledge and background on ESL which is preparing us when we do have ESL students in our future classrooms. Just as Denise mentioned, my interviewee mentioned that typically students who are learning a second language are more motivated within the classroom. Ortega mentions, “Another important fact to remember about how L1 knowledge influences L2 learning is that the effects can be not only negative but also positive” ( Ortega, 2009, Pg.42). I really liked your question to Denise asking if motivation differs between age groups when learning a second language. I thought her opinion was very interesting and true. All students no matter what grade are wanting to learn the second language.
ReplyDeleteHey Sara Nicole, thank you so much for your comment! I also thought that her response about this class was also interesting. She states that there will definitely be plenty of instances where you will have to work with a student who is learning English as a second language. As future teachers, we must prepare ourselves for that with this class! I also found it interesting that our interviewees both believe that second language learners are more motivated in the classroom to learn their L2. This is because knowing and understanding their first language will give them the confidence they need in order to begin learning their second language (Ortega, 2013, p. 42). Lastly, I was also interested when she said all age groups she has ever taught has always been motivated to learn. This may be because she set up a perfect environment each year in order to create a safe space for her students.
DeleteHello Haley. I enjoyed watching you interview of Ms. Denise. She shared a lot of information that I found to be very perceptive and interesting. What I found most interesting was her response to your question “what aspect of SLA is most difficult?’ She mentioned the opportunity to use the language. I found this interesting because immediately I thought of the phrase “practice makes perfect.” For the younger learners who perhaps do not have the opportunity to use the L2 learning can be difficult. According to Ortega, willingness to communicates in the L2 is thought to systematically predict how inclined people are to initiate communication, when they have a free choice to do so (Ortega, 2011, pg. 220).
ReplyDeleteHey Isabel, thank you for your comment! I also found it quite interesting that having an opportunity to actually use and practice your second language can the most difficult part of learning it. Practice is definitely everything and can make perfect second language skills in the long run. Ortega (2013) also mentions that when a second language learner has reached their ultimate achievement, that is when they can either perform private or inner speech in their second language (p. 221). This takes a lot of practice and can be difficult to perfect, but it is possible!
DeleteHello Haley,
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from your interview with Denise. One thing that I liked that she said was that older and younger students can learn at the same rate but only if you have a good teacher. I believe this is true in any matter, if you have a good teacher you can learn anything. In the book Ortega says that knowledge of the L1 can often have a positive impact on the rate of L2 learning (Ortega, 2009, p. 42). This ties back to what Denise was talking about when students hang out with peers that speak the same language. This also helps them get comfortable so that they try to learn the new language.
Hey Edgar, thank you for your comment! I agree with you, I found it interesting when Denise said that even though she has taught English Language Learners from first to fifth grade, she has never really seen a difference in motivation. It only depends on their teacher and if their teacher is willing to help. I also liked that she mentions that when students who are learning a second language hang out with peers that speak their L2, it can help them to learn better in the long run. She has also seen it help when learners watch TV or listen to music in their L2. It will also help if their friends speak the learner's L1 as well and if the TV shows have their L1 in subtitles, just so they can be assisted while learning. This ties back to what Ortega (2013) mentions about how a learner's L1 can positively impact the learning of a second language (p. 42).
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