Canagarajah's article and Ch. 7 from Lightbrown and Spada did a great job of summing up what we learned throughout the course of this semester. Canagarajah's article touched on Brown's four major themes. The part of the article that sparked my interest was the brief section that discussed motivation. What are our motivations for learning an L2? Are they intrinsic or extrinsic? I'm sure they vary from culture to culture and even from person to person. I plan on writing my paper about this, that's why it caught my attention. After reading both, I really got thinking about how languages are learned. I obviously don't remember my own L1 acquisition, but was able to relate this information to my own L2 acquisition experience.
Lightbrown and Spada review that languages are not learned mainly through imitation. I agree and disagree. Personally, the imitation factor came into play later when I was trying to sound less "American" and more like a native Spanish speaker. I would imitate how natives pronounced words in Spain. I found myself walking down the street repeating words that I heard. I probably looked and sounded silly, but it really helped.
Another interesting point of review was point #8. "It is essential for learns to be able to pronounce all the individual sounds in the second language." The book talks about the 'melody' of the language rather than the ability to articulate each individual sound. It's not about being perfect, it's about being able to communicate and convey meaning in a properly and be understood.
I would also like to emphasize how important error making is! We are human beings and are going to learn from our mistakes. It is impossible to be perfect. We learn from our mistakes! Errors help teachers too. It allows us to see our students' strengths and weaknesses and gain more insight to what they are thinking and understanding.
How would our learning experience be different if we never made mistakes? However, what if we were never corrected? How would that affect us? Would we be forced to learn through imitation and observation?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Chapter 6
Lightbrown and Spada hit 6 key points for effective teaching in the second and foreign language classrooms.
1. Get it right from the beginning -
"Supporters of communicative language teaching have argued that language is not learned by the gradual accumulation of one item after another. They suggest that errors are a natural part of the language learning process." (Lightbrown and Spada, 140). Fluency before accuracy. From my previous experience, I have learned that I only learn from my past mistakes. If a teacher were to continually correct every single mistake I had made in the classroom, I would have become frustrated with the language and not wanted to put forth effort into learning it. It wasn't until I made public errors in Spain that I learned the correct way to say certain things. I was then able to convey my message and be grammatically correct at the same time.
2. Just listen... and read
I understand the challenges the book proposes, but I think that listening to a foreign language, hearing how the words are pronounced, and seeing them on the page are crucial. There is not enough emphasis on listening or speaking practice in foreign language classrooms. The main focus is usually on reading and writing skills. They all are equally important.
3. Let's talk
When given the opportunity to talk, students generally have problem coming to a mutual consensus because they are so wrapped up in trying to convey their meaning. Research also has proposed that learners talk more with other learners rather than natives, which I think, from my personal experience, is a confidence factor. Finally, a researcher by the name of Storch found that "learns who participated in the collaborative and expert-novice pairs maintained more of their second language knowledge over time." (153). It's almost like a miniature challenge. When I was in Spain, I felt comfortable talking to the other foreign exchange students, but I knew my Spanish was never going to improve if I didn't step outside of my bubble and talk to native speakers with more expansive vocabularies, more grammar knowledge, and that could have a cultural influence on me.
4. Two for One
This concept can be related to the two for one day. Learners acquire an L2 while studying a different subject in that L2. I think this would be a good exposure to an L2 in a different type of context than a foreign language class, but wouldn't the students struggle with formulating answers since they lack the knowledge of the L2?
5. Teach what is teachable
Simply stated, make the material understandable. Don't try to think you are helping your students out by throwing in grammatically copmlex sentences or big vocabulary words. Build up to those things. As a teacher, it is important to always be assessing where the learner is at, then teach what would appropriately come next.
6. Get it right in the end
This position argues that "learners will benefit in terms of both efficiency of their learning and the level of proficiency they will eventually reach." How can you teach what is teachable with the get it right in the end proposition? I can understand that using the target language with the learners as if they were L2 speakers is crucial, but not necessary all the time. Students need to build up to that level of understanding and proficiency.
Chapter 6 in Saville-Troike touches on acquiring knowledge for L2 use. I think the diagram at the beginning of the chapter did a nice job describing it. In order to have language knowledge, other proponents are necessary. Therefore language knowledge = content + culture knowledge + context + language use. All of these factors are crucial in understanding how to properly convey the L2. The chapter states that "vocabulary is the most important level of L2 knowledge for all learners to develop." While I agree that vocabulary is important, couldn't one argue that you need to be able to form sentences in some sort of grammatically correct structure in order to convey a message? You can't just spit out random words all the time and hope that the listener understands what you mean.
1. Get it right from the beginning -
"Supporters of communicative language teaching have argued that language is not learned by the gradual accumulation of one item after another. They suggest that errors are a natural part of the language learning process." (Lightbrown and Spada, 140). Fluency before accuracy. From my previous experience, I have learned that I only learn from my past mistakes. If a teacher were to continually correct every single mistake I had made in the classroom, I would have become frustrated with the language and not wanted to put forth effort into learning it. It wasn't until I made public errors in Spain that I learned the correct way to say certain things. I was then able to convey my message and be grammatically correct at the same time.
2. Just listen... and read
I understand the challenges the book proposes, but I think that listening to a foreign language, hearing how the words are pronounced, and seeing them on the page are crucial. There is not enough emphasis on listening or speaking practice in foreign language classrooms. The main focus is usually on reading and writing skills. They all are equally important.
3. Let's talk
When given the opportunity to talk, students generally have problem coming to a mutual consensus because they are so wrapped up in trying to convey their meaning. Research also has proposed that learners talk more with other learners rather than natives, which I think, from my personal experience, is a confidence factor. Finally, a researcher by the name of Storch found that "learns who participated in the collaborative and expert-novice pairs maintained more of their second language knowledge over time." (153). It's almost like a miniature challenge. When I was in Spain, I felt comfortable talking to the other foreign exchange students, but I knew my Spanish was never going to improve if I didn't step outside of my bubble and talk to native speakers with more expansive vocabularies, more grammar knowledge, and that could have a cultural influence on me.
4. Two for One
This concept can be related to the two for one day. Learners acquire an L2 while studying a different subject in that L2. I think this would be a good exposure to an L2 in a different type of context than a foreign language class, but wouldn't the students struggle with formulating answers since they lack the knowledge of the L2?
5. Teach what is teachable
Simply stated, make the material understandable. Don't try to think you are helping your students out by throwing in grammatically copmlex sentences or big vocabulary words. Build up to those things. As a teacher, it is important to always be assessing where the learner is at, then teach what would appropriately come next.
6. Get it right in the end
This position argues that "learners will benefit in terms of both efficiency of their learning and the level of proficiency they will eventually reach." How can you teach what is teachable with the get it right in the end proposition? I can understand that using the target language with the learners as if they were L2 speakers is crucial, but not necessary all the time. Students need to build up to that level of understanding and proficiency.
Chapter 6 in Saville-Troike touches on acquiring knowledge for L2 use. I think the diagram at the beginning of the chapter did a nice job describing it. In order to have language knowledge, other proponents are necessary. Therefore language knowledge = content + culture knowledge + context + language use. All of these factors are crucial in understanding how to properly convey the L2. The chapter states that "vocabulary is the most important level of L2 knowledge for all learners to develop." While I agree that vocabulary is important, couldn't one argue that you need to be able to form sentences in some sort of grammatically correct structure in order to convey a message? You can't just spit out random words all the time and hope that the listener understands what you mean.
Monday, April 4, 2011
April 5
Although the Firth and Wagner article was both difficult to read and understand, I can gather that it divides native speakers from non-native speakers, learner from user, and target language from interlanguage. They pose very interesting questions about other dichotomies that need to be further researched.
I found this one to be the most interesting.
4. Purity versus hybridity: Are languages separated
from each other, even at the most abstract level of
grammatical form? And how do they associate with
other symbol systems and modalities of communication?
(Khubchandani, 1997; Makoni, 2002).
I related this back to the question of which language do you think in? When you read in your L2 does it transfer back to your L1 as you read, or does it stay in the L2 the whole time? Same goes for writing.
It is to my understanding that Canadarajah was asking if we can raise our students' awareness of their communication strategies, attitudes and linguistic identities. Researchers are aware that English is one of the fastest growing languages and is a main source of communication in multilingual contexts. This article talks about English Lingua Franca, which is exactly what I just said. It is a process of accommodation, and defined as any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
LFE is based on interaction. On page 925 of Canadarajah (speaking about ELF) it says, "Speakers are able to monitor each other's language proficiency to determine the mutually appropriate grammar, phonology, lexical range, and pragmatic conventions that would insure intelligibility."
Everything that we have read about is coming together, especially the importance of dynamic and interactive learning. SLA speakers need interaction in order to communicate efficiently, accommodate, and learn about the culture they want to assimilate into.
I found this one to be the most interesting.
4. Purity versus hybridity: Are languages separated
from each other, even at the most abstract level of
grammatical form? And how do they associate with
other symbol systems and modalities of communication?
(Khubchandani, 1997; Makoni, 2002).
I related this back to the question of which language do you think in? When you read in your L2 does it transfer back to your L1 as you read, or does it stay in the L2 the whole time? Same goes for writing.
It is to my understanding that Canadarajah was asking if we can raise our students' awareness of their communication strategies, attitudes and linguistic identities. Researchers are aware that English is one of the fastest growing languages and is a main source of communication in multilingual contexts. This article talks about English Lingua Franca, which is exactly what I just said. It is a process of accommodation, and defined as any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
LFE is based on interaction. On page 925 of Canadarajah (speaking about ELF) it says, "Speakers are able to monitor each other's language proficiency to determine the mutually appropriate grammar, phonology, lexical range, and pragmatic conventions that would insure intelligibility."
Everything that we have read about is coming together, especially the importance of dynamic and interactive learning. SLA speakers need interaction in order to communicate efficiently, accommodate, and learn about the culture they want to assimilate into.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Chapter 5 of Wong was really rather interesting, and it caused me to think and raised a few questions.
First, interestingly enough, Wong states on page 159, "English is the language of the elites..." This statement directly ties back to what we talked about last week in class. It is incredibly important to emphasize that it is okay for students to use their L1 and L2 as if they were equal. We cannot degrade other languages that are not English and give them a lower status because we see ours as 'superior.' In the US, there's this notion that, "We live in America, therefore we should only speak English." No wonder other cultures have a continual conflict of trying to meet the status quo, while, at the same time, maintain their heritage. A clear example of this feeling that English is superior and others languages used in the United States can be an embarrassment are seen in the dialect between Lucia and her daughter.
Wong expresses the importance of "Knowledge for Whom?" as her main topic of this chapter. We as TESOLers need to base our curriculum on what the students need to know English for. We need to understand their purpose to create a dialogical curriculum that is effective and is really centered on, as the book says, "the heart" of what students want.
Double consciousness is defined as "looking at oneself through the eyes of the other and "measuring one's soul by the tape of another world."" and "having the awareness that one is measured by the standards of the unmarked Anglo American or the White European American core group." (175) I think these two statements say a lot in themselves. First, it tells us that in American, we see things on a narrow road. You are classified as white or different. Implying this idea of double consciousness means that an individual sees himself as others define him, instead of for what he truly is. Feelings of double consciousness are especially ignited under racism and colonialism and this affects how many children today assimilate and learn English as well.
First, interestingly enough, Wong states on page 159, "English is the language of the elites..." This statement directly ties back to what we talked about last week in class. It is incredibly important to emphasize that it is okay for students to use their L1 and L2 as if they were equal. We cannot degrade other languages that are not English and give them a lower status because we see ours as 'superior.' In the US, there's this notion that, "We live in America, therefore we should only speak English." No wonder other cultures have a continual conflict of trying to meet the status quo, while, at the same time, maintain their heritage. A clear example of this feeling that English is superior and others languages used in the United States can be an embarrassment are seen in the dialect between Lucia and her daughter.
Wong expresses the importance of "Knowledge for Whom?" as her main topic of this chapter. We as TESOLers need to base our curriculum on what the students need to know English for. We need to understand their purpose to create a dialogical curriculum that is effective and is really centered on, as the book says, "the heart" of what students want.
Double consciousness is defined as "looking at oneself through the eyes of the other and "measuring one's soul by the tape of another world."" and "having the awareness that one is measured by the standards of the unmarked Anglo American or the White European American core group." (175) I think these two statements say a lot in themselves. First, it tells us that in American, we see things on a narrow road. You are classified as white or different. Implying this idea of double consciousness means that an individual sees himself as others define him, instead of for what he truly is. Feelings of double consciousness are especially ignited under racism and colonialism and this affects how many children today assimilate and learn English as well.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Practice makes perfect.
The basic concept in chapter for is that practice is necessary in order to acquire any skill, or that we "learn by doing." We read from countless theorists and their interactive learning ideas. Freire and Mao "saw that teh oppressed must liberate themselves in the context of a world that is changing. Learning takes place through pracitce in transforming the world." Continual adjustment and adaptations must be made for dialouge to be understood, and this can only be done through practice.
Later, Wong continues on page 143 to say "In general, the field of English as a second language is committed to the importance of practice in language learning and integrating hands-on experiences with speaking and writing." I could not agree with her more completely. What good is any information or skill one possesses without practice? It must be utilized in order to be effective. I can testify from personal experience that I did not get better at my Spanish until I really practiced it and was forced out of my comfort zone to use it. I'm not perfect at it, but in the long run it was worth it. We need to do the same for our students. Give the real life, applicable situations so that they can PRACTICE our language.
Later, Wong continues on page 143 to say "In general, the field of English as a second language is committed to the importance of practice in language learning and integrating hands-on experiences with speaking and writing." I could not agree with her more completely. What good is any information or skill one possesses without practice? It must be utilized in order to be effective. I can testify from personal experience that I did not get better at my Spanish until I really practiced it and was forced out of my comfort zone to use it. I'm not perfect at it, but in the long run it was worth it. We need to do the same for our students. Give the real life, applicable situations so that they can PRACTICE our language.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Sources
Broaddus, Karen, and Gay Ivey. "A Formative Experiment Investigating Literacy Engagement among Adolescent Latina/o Students Just Beginning to Read, Write, and Speak English." Reading Research Quarterly 42.4 (2007): 512-45. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
This article does not study motivation of Spanish speakers learning English. However, it looks at the literacy skills of middle school native Spanish speakers using their English in the classroom. They created an instructional plan to help these ESL students improve their literacy skills. I think this would be interesting to look at the methods and activities the teachers used. In order to understand motivation, I need to look at how students learn and will use their English in a classroom setting as well as in the real world.
Cordero, Iris, and Alicia Pousada. "Until I Learn English, I Will Always Live in a Prison": Teaching E.S.L. to Hispanic Women Inmates." (1995): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
These researchers were looking to create a substantial ESL program for Spanish speaking women in prison learning English. Major factors that contributed to the success of language acquisition include high self-esteem, great motivation, and a more positive attitude toward the program. I hope to analyze all three of these factors in the report because they deal with intrinsic factors and use them towards my article.
Miño-Garcés, Fernando. "Learning for Life, a Structured and Motivational Process of Knowledge Construction in the Acquisition/learning of English as a Foreign Language in Native Spanish Speakers." International Journal of English Studies 9.1 (2009): 81-89. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article is an interesting find because it talks about the motivation that teachers could instill in their students to learn English and lists these different factors along with a simple explanation. I thought that this article could possibly be useful because it gives the other side’s perspective. Therefore, I can see what the motivation behind the students is as well as the motivation behind the teachers teaching these Latino SLA students.
"Parental Motivation, Attitudes, Support, and Commitment in a Southern Californian Two-Way Immersion Program." Journals of Latinos and Education 5.1 (2006): 5-28. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article looks at a 2 year English immersion program for immigrant Spanish speaking children and the motivation and attitudes of their parents. Through this article, I am able to look at parents as a support system and why they choose to have their children learn English in the United States, even when they, themselves, do not speak English fluently.
This article does not study motivation of Spanish speakers learning English. However, it looks at the literacy skills of middle school native Spanish speakers using their English in the classroom. They created an instructional plan to help these ESL students improve their literacy skills. I think this would be interesting to look at the methods and activities the teachers used. In order to understand motivation, I need to look at how students learn and will use their English in a classroom setting as well as in the real world.
Cordero, Iris, and Alicia Pousada. "Until I Learn English, I Will Always Live in a Prison": Teaching E.S.L. to Hispanic Women Inmates." (1995): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
These researchers were looking to create a substantial ESL program for Spanish speaking women in prison learning English. Major factors that contributed to the success of language acquisition include high self-esteem, great motivation, and a more positive attitude toward the program. I hope to analyze all three of these factors in the report because they deal with intrinsic factors and use them towards my article.
Miño-Garcés, Fernando. "Learning for Life, a Structured and Motivational Process of Knowledge Construction in the Acquisition/learning of English as a Foreign Language in Native Spanish Speakers." International Journal of English Studies 9.1 (2009): 81-89. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article is an interesting find because it talks about the motivation that teachers could instill in their students to learn English and lists these different factors along with a simple explanation. I thought that this article could possibly be useful because it gives the other side’s perspective. Therefore, I can see what the motivation behind the students is as well as the motivation behind the teachers teaching these Latino SLA students.
"Parental Motivation, Attitudes, Support, and Commitment in a Southern Californian Two-Way Immersion Program." Journals of Latinos and Education 5.1 (2006): 5-28. EBSCO. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
This article looks at a 2 year English immersion program for immigrant Spanish speaking children and the motivation and attitudes of their parents. Through this article, I am able to look at parents as a support system and why they choose to have their children learn English in the United States, even when they, themselves, do not speak English fluently.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Problem Posing
Last semester, in my EAF 228 class, we spent a lot of time focusing on Freire and the banking system. Whenever I think of the banking system, I picture a gumball machine. You put your money in, you watch the ball spiral down the tube, then it spits out at the end. It does this over and over again.
This proposed method of problem posing seems a lot more logical when it comes to teaching, especially learning a foreign language. A major focus of this chapter as well as these 2 teaching methods is testing. I like that problem posing allows for students to compare their own achievements to their own personal pasts rather than to that of a state score. I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with the paragraphs Wong wrote about high stakes testing. I do not feel that test skills will always present themselves spontaneously. The students may be engaging in some sort of activity to bring them to certain skills, but they will not be aware that they are test taking skills unless the teacher tells them or guides them to that point. They need to simply be made available and relevant. Secondly, Wong says rather than teaching to the test, teach beyond it. I was thinking about cross country in high school. Every race was 3 miles long, but we were always told to train three times the distance! In the beginning, it makes the unattainable goal seem much more achievable.
While memorization is a usual tool and skill that one can possess, it is useless unless utilized properly. Wong stresses that learning a language is more than memorization. It is comprehension and active participation on the student's part. The chapter later addresses ZPD again. The same issue and concept arise. A teacher cannot force their ESL student to comprehend a language; they can guide them to reach their maximum potentinal but cannot essentially instill it in their brains.
This proposed method of problem posing seems a lot more logical when it comes to teaching, especially learning a foreign language. A major focus of this chapter as well as these 2 teaching methods is testing. I like that problem posing allows for students to compare their own achievements to their own personal pasts rather than to that of a state score. I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with the paragraphs Wong wrote about high stakes testing. I do not feel that test skills will always present themselves spontaneously. The students may be engaging in some sort of activity to bring them to certain skills, but they will not be aware that they are test taking skills unless the teacher tells them or guides them to that point. They need to simply be made available and relevant. Secondly, Wong says rather than teaching to the test, teach beyond it. I was thinking about cross country in high school. Every race was 3 miles long, but we were always told to train three times the distance! In the beginning, it makes the unattainable goal seem much more achievable.
While memorization is a usual tool and skill that one can possess, it is useless unless utilized properly. Wong stresses that learning a language is more than memorization. It is comprehension and active participation on the student's part. The chapter later addresses ZPD again. The same issue and concept arise. A teacher cannot force their ESL student to comprehend a language; they can guide them to reach their maximum potentinal but cannot essentially instill it in their brains.
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