After sitting down to interview JV for my blog entry
two, it was definitely clear that linguistics is an essential component in
learning a new language. As JV points out that when coming to the United
States, words were used that she didn’t use or either had a different meaning.
The text book, Foundations for teaching
English Language Learner, states morphology through compounding is a form
of borrowing words from other languages to create new words (Wright, 2015, p. 32).
This can be a major obstacles for many students when they are learning English
as a second language. The reason I believe this is an obstacle is because the
English language borrows from many other languages and many of the English words
can have multiple meanings. This obstacle can be difficult to overcome but if
teachers incorporate Filmore and Snow five functions which are; teach as
communicators, teachers as educators, teachers as evaluator, teachers as an
educated human and teachers as agent of socialization (Wright, 2015, p. 28-29),
than the student will have a greater understanding of the language. Learning
English as a second language is not just about learning a new language but also
about understanding that language. Like with learning any subject in school,
learning English as a second language doesn’t start and end within the
classroom. JV states during the interview how communicating with others help
her learn English. This can be done through acculturation which allows a
student to integrate into the new culture they are learning without abandoning their
own (Wright, 2015, p. 20). If we as educators find a way to incorporate our
student culture and history while teaching them, we will have a higher success
rate with educating our students.
Wright, W.E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching
English language learners: research, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon
Publishing.
10 comments:
Nicole, thank you for sharing your interview with JV. Hearing her experience of learning English in another country was definitely interesting because I have not heard stories of it before. I think JV makes a very good point that teachers need to be accommodating to different levels of student learning and using basic language that can be applied in everyday life. Asking too much of student’s can become overwhelming and discourage learning if it is not at their level. According to Wright, “The ways teachers organize their programs and practices helps students adjust to the everyday practices, the system of values, and beliefs, and the means and manners of communication at school and in society” (2015, p. 29).
Hello Nicole,
I enjoyed listening to JV's experience as an ELLs, coming from a a different country such as India I can see how different and difficult it was to adjust to the United States. It is not an easy journey and the ways, sayings, and lifestyles of the American people can be hard and difficult to understand. Some of the points that she stated were very important, teachers should stick to the basics to help students understand. Simple things like she mentioned such as reading a book can really help a child not just hear but visualize the words and meanings. believe teachers should use assessments to collect, plan, analyze, report, and use the data to identify what each students needs are (Wright, 2015, pg. 120-121). This is crucial because every student is at different level, therefore teachers must have n overall knowledge of where each student is. By assessing the teacher's can focus on their weaknesses and help them become strengths.
Hey, Nicole! Thank you for sharing your interview with JV with us. If I heard correctly, I found it interesting that JV learned English in India. The reason being is that I have cousins living in Vietnam who are required to learn English and strive to better their fluency in English for the advantages it may bring them in their prospective careers and higher educations. I wonder if it is the same case for those who live in India. I find that for those living in the United States, while we are required to take foreign language classes in high school, it is beneficial but not necessary to become fluent in another language in order to have a successful career. Additionally, I also found it interesting that the variation of English that JV learned in India—the Queen’s English, is different than what Americans use in the United States. According to Wright (2010), many students use “regional or nonstandard varieties of English that differ in phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and vocabulary” (p. 31).
Hello Nicole, thank you for sharing you interview video with JV I really enjoyed watching it. I completely agree with JV whenever she talks about how people learning a new language these days are lucky to have technology. I feel as if technology does play a huge role in learning a new language. People have more to rely on, they can get on the internet and use different strategies or videos to help them learn. They can also change the settings on their phones when typing in a different language. I feel as if ELLs these days have more manipulative to learn with then people who learned back then. According to Wright, a number of ESL software programs include opportunities for students to practice speaking" (p175). Thus is because they have the resources these days to use technology when learning a new language.
Hi Emerald
Thank you for taking the time out to watch my video. Yes, I definitely agree with you in regards to teachers must organized their practices and programs to suit their student’s needs. Each student is different and as teachers we have to find a way to not only understand that, but find ways to teach them in a way they can learn and retain. JV is definitely an example of what the book calls a language minority student or heritage language speaker. Which are students within the United States that speak other languages and standard varieties of English (Wright, 2015, p.5). Students will come from different backgrounds and cultures, just like JV, but finding a way to connect our lessons with them is important. The text makes a key point when it points out the major misconception that immigrants are slow to learn English (Wright, 2015, p. 7). It is not a matter of being slow to learning English but more on the method on which students are taught, in my opinion.
Wright, W.E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English language learners: research, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hello Rubi
Thank you for taking the time out to watch my blog entry two. Yes, coming from a different country for any student can be difficult. There is an increase number of students from the Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries and some of these students may experience interruption in their education (Wright, 2015, p. 14). This interruption can make learning a new language even more difficult. That difficulty can feel twice has hard because you’re trying to adjust to the culture as well as learn a new language. Students are coming from all over the country to the United States. Finding a way to remain with the times of today as well as keeping things simple can be difficult for teachers. With technology growing this is leading many students from hard back or paperback books to tablets, iPhone and other gadgets. This doesn’t necessarily means that we as teachers have to get rid of the basic methods of teaching but we do need to find a way to merge the two. Having the necessary resources and qualified teachers to educate our students is essential to their success (Wright, 2015, p. 15).
Wright, W.E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English language learners: research, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hi, Thanh Thao Nguyen
Yes, The English JV new prior to arriving to the United States caused a language barrier therefore she had to take classes. This made it frustrating for her because even though she knew one form of English she was not able to communicate in the manner she thought she could because of the differences in words, meaning and usage. Interviewing her was interesting due to her background of learning and then having to relearn. As the text states “It is important to recognize that ELL’s may not necessarily come from a singular cultural or linguistic background” (Wright, 2015, p. 18). This can also affect how a student develops culturally because not only did she have to maintain her home culture but she had to learn and adjust to the American culture. JV was able to develop her proficiency in English while maintaining her home language, also known as additive bilingualism (Wright, 2015, p. 21).
Wright, W.E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English language learners: research, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hello Emily
I agree that technology has a major influence on how we teach students today. Teachers can help students through instructional and noninstructional ways (Wright, 2015, p. 35). We can use technology to incorporate these different ways of teaching students. In doing so the teacher can become relatable to the students while educating them. If a student feels that they cannot connect with the information they are being taught they tend to lose interest, in my opinion. There are many software and applications that can help the student learn the pronunciation of words, the meaning of words and how words can convey a different meaning depending on how you say it. Pragmatic is an essential component in learning a new language, according to the text it helps us “understand how we use the language to start, maintain and end a conversation” (Wright, 2015, p. 35). Technology is another great method to use not only to show and teach English language learners vocabulary and word usage but also pragmatics.
Wright, W.E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English language learners: research, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Nicole, I think that it is interesting that even different variations of English may cause disparities between Americans and English speaking individuals from other countries. The fact that JV had to relearn makes me think about my cousins in Vietnam again. One of my cousin’s English is commendable for someone living in Vietnam, however, even he has acknowledged that it is nowhere near my level of fluency. Because he is not immersed in an English community, it is often times rigid and formal.
Thanh Thao Nguyen, yes it is interesting how different variations of learning English can still cause communication gaps and ultimately cause a misinterpretation of what is being spoken and what is being heard. ELL’s come from all types of backgrounds, history and cultures but finding a way to merge English and American culture; while maintaining your own culture and identity is difficult. I truly believe that schools that maintain pluralist discourses can be more effective because it recognizes the students’ home language and their culture as a resource to help ELL’s to learning English (Wright, 2015, p. 3).
Wright, W.E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English language learners: research, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing
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