Vlog Entry 2
Backup Link: https://youtu.be/BXC-slLKF70
Jeevan was born in America however was the daughter of two Indian
parents who taught her Punjabi (an Indian language native to the northern
Punjab region of India). She began learning English at a young age, however
struggled with learning English in an environment which was fully English based
(though she admitted having patient teachers who would work with her to help
her improve her language skills). Her school environment overall, however, was
not a program which fully catered to ELL students. As a result, she was
initially a student who was at a disadvantage learning English.
One disadvantage she had was the environment in which she began learning English. Her environment was not suited well for ELL's as her school's program included many outdated systems (namely pull-out instruction) to teach English. This likely slowed down her progress in learning English efficiently. "The second pre-requisite we need to acquire language is an environment in which
we are exposed to a language."(Rowland, 2014, pg. 16). Should her environment implemented more modern and well-tested systems, her proficiency in English would likely have been seen much earlier in her life.
Jeevan was able to learn
English proficiently later on though. Because Jeevan's teachers continued to
teach her fully in English, her cultural and language differences were not
fully valued when she needed them to be. Some practices her teachers used were
considered standard, such as one-on-one instruction by pulling students from
class. Her motivation to learn English was actually internal which she used to
teach herself much of the English she knows today. Her hard work has helped her
to become a fluent English speaker, however it is important that future
teachers recognize that any ways in which students can be aided must be taken
into account so students may remain motivated and learning.
Rowland, Caroline. Understanding Child Language Acquisition. Routledge. 2014.
Hey Lee! I really enjoyed watching your interview with your friend Jeevan. I am sorry to hear that the school’s program was so outdated, and that your friend struggled learning her second language. However it is great to hear that she was a highly motivated individual, who pushed herself to become fluent in English. According to Gardner (2001), integrativeness is an attitude defined as a ‘genuine interest in learning the second language in order to come close to the other language community’ (p.5) Ortega (2013) goes into detail about the three dimensions that when combined, he describes as the highest and most facilitative form of motivation, called integrative motivation. (p.171) Even when her learning environment was not preferable, your friend continued to push herself and continued to stay motivated, and with a great attitude.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, Lourdes. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London:
Routledge.
Hello Joanna. You make a very valid point in pointing out that genuine interest can help to define the progress of the individual. Motivation is a deciding factor on how well a student will learn in any subject, yet the importance of the roll for ELL's is greatly increased. It is also notable to point out that she learned through a mixture of naturalistic and instructed methods as described in Ortega, 2013 pg. 6. Her motivation and methods did ultimately prove successful despite some complications with the system however.
DeleteOrtega, Lourdes. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London:
Routledge.
Hi Lee!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your interview! It sounds like Jeevan struggled with the antiquated ESL system of the school. When schools did not have an effective ESL program, they basically made students whose first language was not English “sink or swim.” Ortega (2013) warns against these sink or swim techniques by saying, “First, knowing that young children may have a slow start when acquiring an L2 can be an important research-based argument against harmful attempts to promote so-called sink-or-swim educational policies that attempt to reduce or even completely withdraw the first and second language support that is to be provided to language minority children by schools” (Ortega, 2013, p. 28). Fortunately, it sounds like Jeevan was able to overcome that obstacle to become successfully bilingual.
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. New York: Routledge.
Hello Holli. In regards to your point regarding the policies surrounding the implementation of ELL programs, you are right to be aware of the fact that schools must remember how students progress through programs. Schools can sometimes be too concerned with the rate of progress, which is how fast progress can be made in L2 (Ortega, 2013, pg. 7), and less concerned about the true effectiveness. Switching this way of thinking is one effective way for students such as Jeevan to go through a more efficient system and not have to rely on outdated systems.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hey Lee, your interview with your friend was very fascinating. It’s sad to hear that her experience learning English didn’t go well. I have heard stories from some of my friends that did not have not had a good experience with learning English at their schools. I like how Ortega states that it is important to also get help from outside sources. It can sometimes help more by learning from outside sources rather than from school. Ortega (2013) states that “Support from significant others (including parents, siblings, peers), since believing that they want one to learn the language creates rewards and reinforcements that may be important in boosting motivation.” (p. 172).
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Caroline. I am glad that you acknowledges the fact that support and motivation must be present in order for a student to progress well through a system, however to go beyond that, it is also true that a student's surrounding environment must also be supportive. Society as a whole does not always support ELL students as they sometimes make statements targeting ELL's hesitance to learn a second language. Being supportive of these types of students can help them to reach their "ultimate attainment or absolute potential that entail diverse needs and goals." (Ortega, 2013, pg. 7).
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.