In your video, you mentioned that you can speak and write both English and Spanish fluently. I think that will be very beneficial for your students because like Gass and Selinker (1994) explain, teachers must see learning and understanding a new language as more than just memorizing rules and being expected to apply them (p. 3). You have already been through the process of learning another language and will be able to assist your students better because you understand what will be required of them. I think students are also more comfortable with a teacher when they know that they can be understood in English as well as their native language.
Hi Devon! Thank you for your comment. Yes I am able to speak English and Spanish fluently, I am very grateful to my parents for making this a requirement in my upbringing. I feel that it will be very beneficial to the career field we are choosing. Carrie Rowland states, "language has many facets, so when we talk about acquiring a language we are actually talking about learning a whole range of different skills and acquiring many different types of knowledge" (Rowland, p.12). With this, the author is able to express the value that comes with learning another language.
Hi Jennifer, I can also speak English and Spanish! I'm happy to see that there are teachers who truly care about helping students who struggle due to a language barrier. One of the issues I struggle with the most is that I can't speak Spanish in a middle school class, we can accommodate certain needs but helping them in their native tongue may hinder them from learning English. Gass and Selinker mentions how, "bilingualism and SLA can overlap in the early years, making it at times difficult to draw the boundaries between the two fields" so it brings some comfort to know that these kids will struggle at first, so being aware of that helps me understand that I need to be cautious on how fast I speak, also explaining what a block might be as a manipulative and in distance (1994, p.4). Learning a second language will be difficult at times but having a desire to help learn is what will allow students to push forward. Teachers like yourself are an encouragement to keep going!
Hi there Cesia, thank you for your reply! I think it's great that you can speak English and Spanish as well. It is such a blessing to be able to communicate in multiple languages and especially with many minority groups. Living in such a diverse city like Houston, I feel that it is absolutely necessary to be able to speak a second language and it brings me joy that you are able to account for that percentage of people. The author states, "children learn how to combine speech sounds into meaningful words when exposed to a second language at a early age" (Rowland, p.5). This statement from the textbook demonstrates the process that you and I had to go through to learn a second language.
Jennifer, It is very admirable that you are seeking to teach math and science because that was something you used to struggle with in elementary. Congrats on being in your senior year, it is a huge accomplishment! There is definitely an advantage to knowing Spanish in the community and area that we live in. This is something I consistently wish I was around during the time I was developing my language skills so that it would be second nature to me. It is pretty neat that you are wanting to learn a third language. It was mentioned by Ortega (2013, p.16) that depending on the circumstance, people in adolescence and early adulthood who are learning a second language can have an easier time learning than someone in early childhood. Would you want to learn your third language through direct instruction or would you be interested to live in the country for a time to learn the language? I am curious because Ortega (2013) also states within Chapter 2 of the text that sometimes living within the country of the language you are trying to learn as an adult can be more beneficial than direct instruction.
Hi Emily! Thank you so much for your reply. I do want to teach math and science, especially since STEM is on the rise for the future and I want to take part in shaping our future and the classroom is where that can start. To answer your question, I would actually be interested in both. I would like to learn a third language through direct instruction here in the states by taking courses, but I would also love to have the opportunity to travel and live in a foreign country and really be submerged into their culture, traditions, and language. The author states, "in more recent years, ties have been strengthened between heritage language learning and second language acquisition" (Gass, p.38). This demonstrates that a persons heritage is closely aligned with their language acquisition and being so, I think that being submerged into a different culture would allow me to learn a different language proficiently.
Hi Jennifer, I also want to teach math and science but for the opposite reasons. Math and science were the subjects that I understood best when I was in school and I feel that I would be more comfortable teaching those subjects rather than ELA, Reading and Social Studies. Just like many of our classmates, I noticed that we learned Spanish and English the naturalistic way which is through informal opportunities in multicultural neighbourhoods, schools and workplaces (Ortega, 2013, pg 6). I think that because we had to learn two languages when we were young will be beneficial to us, as teachers, because we will be able to understand our students if we have one that is struggling with an L2.
Hi Gabriela! Thank you for your reply. I think it's awesome that you want to teach math and science as well, we need great math and science teachers! Especially since you mentioned that you were extremely proficient in these subjects growing up, it is something that will come as second nature to you and I'm absolutely sure it will portray in your students as well. I think it's also great that you know Spanish! The author states, "any human can reproduce any aspect of language they hear, regardless of age and gender" (Rowland, p.6). This demonstrates that as children, a second language would be engrained into us because of the exposure we had as children.
In your video, you mentioned that you can speak and write both English and Spanish fluently. I think that will be very beneficial for your students because like Gass and Selinker (1994) explain, teachers must see learning and understanding a new language as more than just memorizing rules and being expected to apply them (p. 3). You have already been through the process of learning another language and will be able to assist your students better because you understand what will be required of them. I think students are also more comfortable with a teacher when they know that they can be understood in English as well as their native language.
ReplyDeleteHi Devon! Thank you for your comment. Yes I am able to speak English and Spanish fluently, I am very grateful to my parents for making this a requirement in my upbringing. I feel that it will be very beneficial to the career field we are choosing. Carrie Rowland states, "language has many facets, so when we talk about acquiring a language we are actually talking about learning a whole range of different skills and acquiring many different types of knowledge" (Rowland, p.12). With this, the author is able to express the value that comes with learning another language.
DeleteHi Jennifer, I can also speak English and Spanish! I'm happy to see that there are teachers who truly care about helping students who struggle due to a language barrier. One of the issues I struggle with the most is that I can't speak Spanish in a middle school class, we can accommodate certain needs but helping them in their native tongue may hinder them from learning English. Gass and Selinker mentions how, "bilingualism and SLA can overlap in the early years, making it at times difficult to draw the boundaries between the two fields" so it brings some comfort to know that these kids will struggle at first, so being aware of that helps me understand that I need to be cautious on how fast I speak, also explaining what a block might be as a manipulative and in distance (1994, p.4). Learning a second language will be difficult at times but having a desire to help learn is what will allow students to push forward. Teachers like yourself are an encouragement to keep going!
ReplyDeleteHi there Cesia, thank you for your reply! I think it's great that you can speak English and Spanish as well. It is such a blessing to be able to communicate in multiple languages and especially with many minority groups. Living in such a diverse city like Houston, I feel that it is absolutely necessary to be able to speak a second language and it brings me joy that you are able to account for that percentage of people. The author states, "children learn how to combine speech sounds into meaningful words when exposed to a second language at a early age" (Rowland, p.5). This statement from the textbook demonstrates the process that you and I had to go through to learn a second language.
DeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteIt is very admirable that you are seeking to teach math and science because that was something you used to struggle with in elementary. Congrats on being in your senior year, it is a huge accomplishment! There is definitely an advantage to knowing Spanish in the community and area that we live in. This is something I consistently wish I was around during the time I was developing my language skills so that it would be second nature to me. It is pretty neat that you are wanting to learn a third language. It was mentioned by Ortega (2013, p.16) that depending on the circumstance, people in adolescence and early adulthood who are learning a second language can have an easier time learning than someone in early childhood. Would you want to learn your third language through direct instruction or would you be interested to live in the country for a time to learn the language? I am curious because Ortega (2013) also states within Chapter 2 of the text that sometimes living within the country of the language you are trying to learn as an adult can be more beneficial than direct instruction.
Hi Emily! Thank you so much for your reply. I do want to teach math and science, especially since STEM is on the rise for the future and I want to take part in shaping our future and the classroom is where that can start. To answer your question, I would actually be interested in both. I would like to learn a third language through direct instruction here in the states by taking courses, but I would also love to have the opportunity to travel and live in a foreign country and really be submerged into their culture, traditions, and language. The author states, "in more recent
Deleteyears, ties have been strengthened between heritage language learning and
second language acquisition" (Gass, p.38). This demonstrates that a persons heritage is closely aligned with their language acquisition and being so, I think that being submerged into a different culture would allow me to learn a different language proficiently.
Hi Jennifer, I also want to teach math and science but for the opposite reasons. Math and science were the subjects that I understood best when I was in school and I feel that I would be more comfortable teaching those subjects rather than ELA, Reading and Social Studies. Just like many of our classmates, I noticed that we learned Spanish and English the naturalistic way which is through informal opportunities in multicultural neighbourhoods, schools and workplaces (Ortega, 2013, pg 6). I think that because we had to learn two languages when we were young will be beneficial to us, as teachers, because we will be able to understand our students if we have one that is struggling with an L2.
ReplyDeleteHi Gabriela! Thank you for your reply. I think it's awesome that you want to teach math and science as well, we need great math and science teachers! Especially since you mentioned that you were extremely proficient in these subjects growing up, it is something that will come as second nature to you and I'm absolutely sure it will portray in your students as well. I think it's also great that you know Spanish! The author states, "any human can reproduce any aspect of language they hear, regardless of age and gender" (Rowland, p.6). This demonstrates that as children, a second language would be engrained into us because of the exposure we had as children.
Delete