Blog Entry 1 (SLA)
Blog Entry 1
Thank you for coming to visit my blog! I hope to read comments and possibly learn things from you all throughout this semester. If there is any advice that can help me develop my Spanish speaking skill please leave them in the comments (:
Hello Nadia! I appreciated you sharing your experience with Spanish. You brought up a great point on why you haven’t grasped Spanish very well yet. Ortega mentions how the environment, which encompasses opportunities for exposure, and motivation are important predictors of success in a language (Ortega, 2013, p.27) The lack of previous exposure to Spanish in your environment has held you back from being able to practice it and from being forced or motivated to use it. I think if you had been able to practice it more, like you did in Columbia, you would have gotten more fluent in it. Another good point you made was how you were not embarrassed to practice your Spanish in Columbia. Stephen Krashen discusses how anxiety affects language acquisition and how “the lower the anxiety, the better the language acquisition” (Mark Rounds, 2010). I do believe if you feel more comfortable, or less anxious when practicing Spanish, then you will be more successful in it. I wish you luck in becoming fluent in Spanish and also in ASL. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Rounds, M. (2010, October 15). Retrieved February 03, 2019, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTsduRreug
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge
Thank you for commentary Daisy,
DeleteI completely agree that anxiety and consciousness has contributed to my apprehensiveness to speak Spanish and practice fluency. Occasionally, I wish that I had learned Spanish as a child because they have less inhibitions, but I think learning it in older age has helped me to learn rules faster. Ortega (2013) supports this point as he states, "older is better initially, but that younger is better in the long run (p.16). I have been able to practice my Spanish more in my student teaching courses with my students. Thank you and I hope to hear from you more this semester!
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge
DeleteHi Nadia! As a fellow ELA 4-8 student teacher, I also prefer to teach reading over writing.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in Texas, we are surrounded by a lot of Spanish-speaking people, so I know quite a bit of Spanish. I am by no means fluent, but I can understand what is being said. I just don’t know enough to be able to respond clearly.
I found your comparison of language acquisition between your aunt and cousin very interesting. It reminds me of my misconception that young children may be able to more easily acquire a second language than adult learners. According to Ortega, just because a young child learns a second language doesn’t necessarily mean that their chances of achieving fluency are better than an adult.
I’m excited to learn more about other misconceptions I may have about language acquisition!
That was a misconception that I had prior to reading the chapters in the text. One thing that I have noticed when comparing the language acquisition of my aunt and my cousin, something I have noticed is the phonology/accent.
DeleteMy younger cousin has been speaking Spanish since he was 2, so he basically has a foreign sounding accent when he speaks. On the other hand, my aunt started learning Spanish at 34 and it normally sounds like she speaks an odd sounding form of English. According to Ortega (2013), "foreign sounding accents are likely to develop when the L2 is first learned later in life" (p.22). This is something that I do not understand because it contradicts something that I have noticed first hand. Although his is not something we could solve, it is something I do not understand.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge
Hi Nadia! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and I can relate with you a lot! Firstly, I admire your ability to speak some Spanish and how you can hold a conversation with others. It’s also great that even some of your family can also speak Spanish as well. I agree that if others that speak another language surround you most of the time, it’s easier for you to catch on to the language and become more fluent. I can also speak some Spanish, but I also feel self-conscious at times when it comes to speaking to others who speak it fluently. This is a very naturalistic way of learning other languages, which I believe we have been experiencing until now. The text explains, “Naturalistic learners learn the L2 through informal opportunities in multicultural neighborhoods, schools and workplaces, without ever receiving any organized instruction on the workings of the language they are learning” (Ortega, 2013). Living in a naturalistic learning environment is something to be thankful for and it’s great that we have been making use of it. Although we are not confident in our way of speaking, it’s still something to be proud of.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Along with your view on naturalistic learners, I believe that Ortega (2013) addresses other factors that contribute to the ability to fully acquire a second language. Opposed to the environment (naturalistic is favored), socio-affective factors such as motivation and instruction affect language acquisition (p.27).
DeleteI believe in the right environment where a learner consistently receives L2 input and is motivated in a positive way, the learner can fully acquire L2. I hope to have the opportunity to study abroad or teach overseas, so that I can fully acquire a second language.
Hi Nadia,
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see you again! I like how you mentioned teaching in both L1 and L2 in order to achieve an L2. In some of the programs I have seen to teach English abroad, they would strictly prefer for the teacher to only teach in English. I always thought that was slightly odd and it would be much more beneficial to use the common L1 in the classroom environment if possible. I think in language classes it is crucial to find a common ground to create a place of comfort between students and educator, and I feel as if this common ground is using the common L1 in the classroom. From this, I feel as if students are set up for success in achieving their L2.
Hearing about your cousin and aunt's experience learning Spanish is also highly interesting. SLA as an adult is notably so much more difficult and it is amazing how a child can obtain a language so naturally. Does your aunt use Spanish often? I am curious. This portion reminded me of Ortega speaking about SLA variation between adults and children. Ortega states, By contrast, in the same chronological time window, learners in L2 environments may accrue about 7,000 hours of L2 exposure (if we calculate a conservative four hours a day). (A sobering comparison is that children
learning their L1 may receive of the order of 14,000 hours of exposure, also based on a conservative estimate of eight hours a day!)" I really enjoyed your first post and look forward to the rest of them! Take care!
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
I understand your idea of teaching in L1 to help understand material, but I think that it depends on the classroom. If it is an ESL classroom, bilingual classroom or an immersive program will effect how much L1 is used.
DeleteMy aunt does use Spanish, but only when she needs to. If she is able to speak English in a situation she will more than likely use English because she is more comfortable. Since my aunt is rarely in instances where Spanish, I think that is why she is less fluent. My younger cousin has grown up in a naturalistic environment that demands that he know Spanish. He would not be able to make friends without this skill. Ortega (2013) defines a naturalistic environment as "multicultural neighbourhoods, schools and
workplaces, without ever receiving any organized instruction on the workings of
the language they are learning" (p.6).
Hello, Nadia! Thank you for sharing your learning experience with Spanish. I believe it becomes more easier to acquire a second language when an individual is in an environment where they are consistently exposed to that language. I think you have a great advantage of being exposed to Spanish due to the demographics of the school in which you teach. There are characteristics that I noticed that indicate the subconscious process of acquiring and the conscious process of learning Spanish between your aunt and cousin (Ortega, 2013). I think age and second language acquisition are critical factors that play significant roles in learning a new language.
ReplyDeleteHey Ayodele,
DeleteThank you for commenting on my post. I do agree with the idea that being surrounded by an environment that replicates that of your L2 helps with acquiring L2. While in Colombia, I was able to practice and feel more comfortable and I find that same comfortability in my classroom with my students.
Surprisingly when my cousin began to learn Spanish he had more difficulty than my aunt, despite him being completely fluent currently. On page 28, Ortega (2013) explains how children acquiring an L2 may experience a slow start initially and that it is important to understand that to prevent sink or swim tactics. I think that children tend to struggle because they do not understand why they are learning a second language, opposed to adults who have an understanding of why they are doing what they are doing.
Hello, Nadia! I enjoyed watching your vlog and getting to know you! I am also in a Reading/ Writing classroom. I completely agree with your statement on how teaching Reading and Writing can be tricky at times. There have been times where I had to stop and think something through because its true, in college you sometimes forget. So being in the classroom, has definitely been a refresher for me. I also enjoyed learning about your learning experience with Spanish. Something that stuck out to me throughout your vlog was when you mentioned how learning the language can create more pathways. This can have multiple meaning. For example, the pay would increase so that can be a huge factor for anyone. Most importantly, knowing can lead to helping more students. In the text, it suggested that adult learners and older children learned at a faster pace than younger children(Ortega 2013, pg. 16). Meaning it's possible to learn one or two languages, just have patience and put forth the effort. I hope everything works out for you!
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
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