Entry 1: Course Introduction

Angel Foster's Blog


Welcome to the first entry of my blog.
In this video I will introduce myself and my experiences with learning languages.

I hope you enjoy the video!


















Thanks for watching!


Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 2, 2018 at 5:29 PM

    Hello Angel! Wow, it is so amazing that you were able to slightly learn another language by just being around friends and peers that spoke that language. I am trying to learn Spanish at the moment and it is fairly difficult for me, so you are amazing. I also think it is very cool that you have parents that know two completely different languages. Ortega states, "Children acquiring their first language complete the feat within a biological window of four to six years of age." (2013, Pg 12). So I am blown away from your ability to easily learn a language in grade school without really being taught! Keep working with your Spanish, you'll be fluent in no time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 4, 2018 at 4:10 PM

      Thanks Kelly, I feel like I was more exposed to Spanish in my childhood years than I was to my parents' native languages. I am lucky I had peers who were willing to translate for me when I asked. Without their help I would not have been able to learn to speak and understand Spanish the way I do now! People often ask me if I took a Spanish class before and are surprised when I mention that I did not. I feel like having frequent interactions with native Spanish speakers during my early childhood years is when I was able to build my foundation in Spanish. During middle school, I was able understand most sentence frames but I would ask my peers to translate new words I was unsure about. This is how I was able to develop a broader vocabulary in Spanish.On the other hand, as an adult trying to learn Arabic was pretty difficult. I feel that Arabic was also a much more complex language than Spanish, but that is my opinion. I feel like I retained more of the words I learned in Arabic as a child, but I have trouble learning new words because I am not as familiar with the basic terms.

      Delete
  2. UnknownSeptember 7, 2018 at 8:58 AM

    Hi Angel,
    I too am interested in teaching math in only the middle grades, specifically 7th grade. I definitely envy the diverse culture that you have gained from your parents! I am always interested in learning about different cultures, especially those in Asia and the Middle East. You mentioned that you have difficulty with the semantics in Spanish which Gass and Selinker spoke about (2008, p. 12). This seems to be a trend among the different classmates I have spoken with in regards to struggling with a language. Almost everyone has mentioned that the part they struggle with in being fluent in the language is the semantics. Luckily, you know it well enough that your dialog is still able to be understood so you can communicate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 9, 2018 at 6:16 PM

      Thanks Emily,

      I am also interested in teaching 7th grade curriculum, but this semester I am student teaching in an 8th grade classroom so it is a new experience for me.It is interesting that you mention the common trend of language learners mentioning their struggles with semantics. I feel that Arabic was difficult for me to learn because of how different the words are for referring to a female/male. There are even different specific terms for aunt/uncle from your mother's side and aunt/uncle from your father's side. I feel that Spanish was a bit easier for me to learn since there are not as many differences in words used to mention males/females so I was able to comprehend more than in Arabic when listening to spoken language. Ortega (2013, p. 62) mentions that although interaction and input are essential to acquiring a new language, they are not enough to guarantee successful grammatical acquisition. Since I have never taken an actual Spanish language class, it is possible that am lacking grammatical correctness in my Spanish skills due to this.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Entry 3

Image
It was interesting to learn about the experiences and ideas Ms. Rodriguez shared during our interview. It must be beneficial that the English language learners in Ms. Rodriguez's class have a teacher who can speak in their native language and translate content for them. Ortega (2015, p. 61) states that  learning happens through comprehension, and that the more one comprehends, the more one learns. The classroom environment along with the mixture of English language levels in Ms. Rodriguez's class is also very supportive of her ELL students. Ortega (2015, p. 66) Mentions a meta-analysis that  found that the gains for groups who used the targeted L2 forms during task-based interaction were substantial. Practicing explaining  mathematical concepts to peers in English is a great way for ELLs to improve grammar and communication skills in English. Practice  helps proceduralization of new knowledge by allowing the establish ment and strengthening o...
Read more

Entry 2: An interview with...

Image
Hello and welcome to my second Vblog entry! After reviewing and reflecting on my interview with Danial, I was able to make several connections between what he mentioned about his process of learning the English language and what researchers mention. When I asked Danial if he felt like learning English at a younger age was an advantage to him, he mentioned how his relative who began learning English as an adult is still not very proficient in English, while he now considers English his most used language. Ortega (2013, p. 16) mentions that "older is better initially, but that younger is better in the long run." This proves true in Danial's case since as an adult he is more proficient in English than his aunt who still struggles with her English language skills. Ortega (2013) discusses how adults were able to retain more, but for shorter periods of time, while younger language learners were able to retain new words and phrases for longer periods of time.  Da nial g...
Read more