Entry 4: Reflection
Through this course, I have learned a lot of new things about the process of acquiring a second or additional language. There are several aspects that come into play when helping an English language learner (ELL) successfully acquire English. As a future middle grade teacher, I must take advantage of the critical period for language learning mentioned by Ortega (2013), by giving ELLs opportunities to practice using English and develop new vocabulary within my content area math classroom. I also learned that it is the responsibility of the teacher to create a supportive linguistic environment to motivate and encourage students to learn content area topics as well as the second language. Learning about the ways I can improve my future students’ language learning experience had a tremendous impact on the way I will plan and design my lessons as a practicing teacher. One thing I felt really stood out to me was that learning a language is a social process. Ortega (2013, p.104) men...