VBlog Entry 1
From the video, I‘m sure you can tell that I grew up as a monolingual in the United States. I always wanted to learn Spanish and I tried my best throughout my schooling to get some kind of understanding of the language. Since I was only exposed to English and a little Spanish I was surprised to read, “in many parts of the globe, most children grow up speaking two or more languages simultaneously” Ortega (2013). I would hear my relatives speak Spanish and be in awe of the fact that they could be speaking English one second and then Spanish the next with no problem. When I little I caught onto little Spanish phrases my family used such as “loco en la cabeza” but I didn’t actually realize it was Spanish until later on in my life. Bilingual people have always amazed me because I have always seen speaking more than one language incredible. While I am sure it is not too late for me to learn Spanish it just seems somewhat impossible to me since I am already twenty years old. While I do understand some Spanish I wish I were confident in my speaking skills because of a large number of Spanish speakers in my life. According to Ortega, “second language acquisition investigates the human capacity to learn languages other than the first, during late childhood, adolescence or adulthood, and once the first language or languages have been acquired” (2013), which is something I find very interesting and I am excited to learn about. Thanks for reading!
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Marissa, I find it very interesting that although you were raised in an interracial household, your mother chose to only focus on your English because that is the language that your mother and father shared. Perhaps at the time this was the right choice, because you were able to truly perfect you English language skills at an early age. However, it is never too late to learn. Traveling, as you said you would like to do, can really help you pick up a language in an emersion setting. I also relate to the experience you had in your Spanish classes in middle school. So perhaps the combination of travel and school can help you learn your new language. After all, Ortega says that most people “learn additional languages from a mixture of both naturalistic and instructed experiences". (Ortega 2013)
ReplyDeleteThat is very true! My mother has traveled throughout Europe and her Spanish speaking skills were able to help her a lot, especially when it came to asking for directions. If I were to learn Spanish it would most likely be through naturalistic experiences since you learn it "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, page 6). I say this because once I graduate I will probably not have time to take Spanish classes or lessons. But since I did take Spanish classes in middle school and high school I guess I would be an instructed learner as well because they "learn additional languages through formal study" (Ortega, 2013, page 6). I truly hope to better my Spanish so I can help my future students more!
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Marissa! So excited and look forward to doing graduate school with you. I think that it is really cool that you at least have the Spanish language in your family. According to Ortega, "A robust empirical research base tells us that, for children who grow up monolingually, the bulk of language is acquired between 18 months and three to four years of age" (2013, pg. 3). Possibly some day you can learn yourself and teach your future children, so they can be bilingual. I am super shocked to hear that you had Spanish offered to you at such a young age! I sadly was not able to take a foreign language class until high school.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn Spanish in time to teach my future children since there are many benefits to knowing two or more languages. I would love for them to be able to speak both English and Spanish. According to Ortega, when it comes to learning a second language, "older is better initially, but younger is better in the long run" (2013, page 16). With that being said, my future children would be better off learning Spanish while they're young. Ortega also states that "adult learners and older children learned at a fast pace than younger children" (2013, page 17) which makes sense because of their cognitive maturity. So children could learn while they are young and be better in the long run or they could learn when they are older at a quicker rate. I personally would have preferred to learn at a young age.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
I agree with you that your students should be comfortable in your classroom especially if they are English Language Learners. It is that “the learning of a non native language [occurs] in the environment in which that language is spoken” (Gass 7). The use of English in a classroom is essential but you have to ensure that your student is comfortable with the use of English in the class. You have to understand the culture of the student to ensure that they are receiving the best education possible.
ReplyDeleteI want all of my students to feel comfortable using English in the classroom. Language, whether Spanish, English, or even French allow us as humans to "communicate to specific audiences, to address ourselves rather than others, and other times to address collective, unknown audiences, as when we participate in political speeches, religious sermons, internet navigations, commercial advertisements, newspaper columns or literary works" (Ortega, 2013, page 1). Language truly makes the world go around so that is why I find it crucial for students to feel comfortable speaking their native language as well as English in our future classrooms.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Nayab makes an interesting point. I also value comfort in my teaching style, and am extremely interesting in love languages as a tool for creating a safe, healthy learning environment for my students. Seeing as we all seem to share this ideal Gass', what are your thoughts on comfort in relation to Ortega's ideas of integration (2013)? I know that integrating language is important, and i would not hesitate to do so in my own classroom, but that is only my ideology.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you feel is more important, or more crucial for a student to succeed in school? Their comfort level, or their learning another language?
Personally, I highly value comfort, but recognize the merits of forcing my students out of their comfort zone in academia.
Hello, Marissa, could you please click the link below to access my blog and comment/ reply to my post?
ReplyDeletehttps://mstraciadams.blogspot.com/?m=1
Thank you!