Discuss the role of emotional language in your L1 and L2. Which language is emotionally richer. As your learners acquire (participate?) in their new speech communities do you see a change in their emotional language behavior. Reflect on the notion of (re)construction of self in your own L2 or L3 learning experiences.
Emotions are fluctuating feelings that one encounters at different states. It could be from a distressed state to a depressed state to an exciting state, etc. When it comes to emotional language I perceive it as the language that comes naturally when encountering these states. I think that when strong emotions take over us we use the language that we feel attached to at that moment. Emotional language serves as a meaningful transfer of communication. Being bilingual I have expressed myself in both English and Spanish in personal ways. I find myself using both languages accordingly to the state and situation I am in. I do not think one is richer than the other since I use them equally. I even switch back and forth but this is of course with those who understand both langauges.
In my classroom, my students are younger. They are young learners who are acquiring their second langauge in different ways than an adult but still I can see the change in their emotional langauge behavior. One of the students in my class came from Mexico and didn't speak English. As he acquired the language I noticed him speaking more English than Spanish with his peers. Of course like any being, he would come across differences with his them. At this point he would be unable to express himself fully and he would go to the table and put his head down. When I would approach him to help him work through it he would start in English but ended up telling me in Spanish. In these states of anger, frustration, and hurtfullness he tried to express himself in a language that the environment called for but because he was limited to words and in his eagerness to get it all out he switched over to Spanish.
Place, time, peers, etc. play a factor in using your emotional langauge. I think that the circumstances and state that you are in will bring about the language that you feel will get your thoughts and feelings across.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Reflection #8
Okay. What is it going to be form-focused or communicative or a combination of both. Back up your thoughts with some of the studies in LS Ch. 6
In my opinion it must be a combination of both to better promote language learning. Classroom practices must illustrate both of these approaches. Students need to learn the specific stucture grammar of a language in order to communicate properly. Communicative approach allows them to put into action the dialogue needed to practice that particular grammar.
It is important to stray away from the sergeant drill and practice although it has been proven to work but to reshape it by creating a more open forum for communication. I know there is the concern of early fossilization of errors but we need to step back and not look at errors so negatively because even natives make errors in their own language. Mistakes are inescapable. Don't we learn from them if provided with some positive corrective feedback? In other words we should make sure they understand the connections between the form and the meaning (if the situation calls for clarification) without disrupting the learning and making them feel belittled.
Giving students opportunities to interact is a big component because they are involved in making meaning in an non-threatening environment. The teacher needs to set up goals so that a task-based instruction is enforced and students do not stray away from the focus of the lesson, which is why teaching needs to be motivational so students are engaged in meaningful language from the very beginning.
An approach, strategy, practice, and technique are very limited when they stand alone. Students are so diverse when it comes to learning that we need to know the how, when, where, why, what, and to whom in order to use these techniques effectively.
In my opinion it must be a combination of both to better promote language learning. Classroom practices must illustrate both of these approaches. Students need to learn the specific stucture grammar of a language in order to communicate properly. Communicative approach allows them to put into action the dialogue needed to practice that particular grammar.
It is important to stray away from the sergeant drill and practice although it has been proven to work but to reshape it by creating a more open forum for communication. I know there is the concern of early fossilization of errors but we need to step back and not look at errors so negatively because even natives make errors in their own language. Mistakes are inescapable. Don't we learn from them if provided with some positive corrective feedback? In other words we should make sure they understand the connections between the form and the meaning (if the situation calls for clarification) without disrupting the learning and making them feel belittled.
Giving students opportunities to interact is a big component because they are involved in making meaning in an non-threatening environment. The teacher needs to set up goals so that a task-based instruction is enforced and students do not stray away from the focus of the lesson, which is why teaching needs to be motivational so students are engaged in meaningful language from the very beginning.
An approach, strategy, practice, and technique are very limited when they stand alone. Students are so diverse when it comes to learning that we need to know the how, when, where, why, what, and to whom in order to use these techniques effectively.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Reflection #7
An affective factor that I have encountered in the classroom deals with self-esteem. It is their attitude that affects their learning because their attitude leads them to want to or not to learn. If they feel good about themselves they are more willingly to try. They have perserverance in learning where they keep trying and do not give up. If their self-esteem is low they down themselves and lack the willingness in themselves to be active participates in their learning.
By creating a non-threatful environment is a good step in which to start to lower affective filters. It is important ot motivate kids and let them know that the classroom is a place where they will all learn at their own pace with the help of each other. Teaching everyone to be respectful fo everyone and that we are a family in which we need to be active participates in our learning. I have developed whole group meetings in which I allow everyone have a voice in our matters for example having meetings for our rules and the consequences if we do not follow them. We have also participated in workshops on how to provide encouragement to each other by particpated in friendship webs where a ball of yard is passed to a studen and a compliment is given. I have modeled on how to encourage each other like when playing in teams. I applaude the way they have interacted. One that comes to mind is playing basketball with the kids and applauding on the way they passed the ball to their teammates.
By creating a non-threatful environment is a good step in which to start to lower affective filters. It is important ot motivate kids and let them know that the classroom is a place where they will all learn at their own pace with the help of each other. Teaching everyone to be respectful fo everyone and that we are a family in which we need to be active participates in our learning. I have developed whole group meetings in which I allow everyone have a voice in our matters for example having meetings for our rules and the consequences if we do not follow them. We have also participated in workshops on how to provide encouragement to each other by particpated in friendship webs where a ball of yard is passed to a studen and a compliment is given. I have modeled on how to encourage each other like when playing in teams. I applaude the way they have interacted. One that comes to mind is playing basketball with the kids and applauding on the way they passed the ball to their teammates.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Reflection #6
Re the Whorfian hypothesis: Are there concepts or ways of saying things in one of the languages that you speak that can not be said or expressed or the meaning changes in another of your languages? How do you address culture in your classrooms? Do you go beyond the "holiday" model of culture?
I do believe there are sayings that are not able to translate in the same meaning. The backgroung linguistic system may be similar but it is not exact. If you translate a saying verbatim the meaning and expression might not mean the same. Dissecting dialogue could in turn make someone confused because the language grammar system (which includes the passive voice, the tense system, lexcial items, and such) is set up differently. Dialogue is therefore altered to make sense of the orginal meaning.
We see examples of this in quotes, slang, songs, idioms etc. All of these have at one point or another been altered because they just do not make sense if words were to be translated as they were. In the classical song, "Besame" we see the effects of it.
Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderter despues.
vs.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,Because I fear to lose you,To lose you again.
Here we can see how the first part was changed verbatimlly and then it was changed from depues (later) to again. In the English language we would not say "I fear to lose you". What we would say is "I fear of losing you". Language does need to be carefully monitored especially when students are new to the language and are not aware of the culture of the language.
I have only encountered Hispanic culture in my classroom because of the population of the community but there are still different cultures that exist among us so I do need to address those cultures. Showing a picture or just merely talking about a different culture is not enough. To become aware of the different cultures we keep a running calendar of when events happen in other cultures and not necessarily the common holidays. I try to do extensive research on the internet and look for videoclips to bring into so that they can watch actual footage of the culture and we have participated in those traditions in our own classroom by role plays. Once we role played Rosa Parks by using the whole classroom. I had half the class be the audience while the first half role played being in a bus where girls were not allowed to sit on the bus but boys could. Then I had the other half of the class participate while the others watched and had the girls sit and the boys were not allowed to sit. It was great to see how first grade students reacted. They were mature enough to talk about real life issues and concerns. We compare cultures to our own and we discuss how it would be like to be a part of that paticular culture. I try to address these issues in ways they will understand and enjoy so they will be aware and sensitive to cultures different than their own.
I do believe there are sayings that are not able to translate in the same meaning. The backgroung linguistic system may be similar but it is not exact. If you translate a saying verbatim the meaning and expression might not mean the same. Dissecting dialogue could in turn make someone confused because the language grammar system (which includes the passive voice, the tense system, lexcial items, and such) is set up differently. Dialogue is therefore altered to make sense of the orginal meaning.
We see examples of this in quotes, slang, songs, idioms etc. All of these have at one point or another been altered because they just do not make sense if words were to be translated as they were. In the classical song, "Besame" we see the effects of it.
Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderter despues.
vs.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,Because I fear to lose you,To lose you again.
Here we can see how the first part was changed verbatimlly and then it was changed from depues (later) to again. In the English language we would not say "I fear to lose you". What we would say is "I fear of losing you". Language does need to be carefully monitored especially when students are new to the language and are not aware of the culture of the language.
I have only encountered Hispanic culture in my classroom because of the population of the community but there are still different cultures that exist among us so I do need to address those cultures. Showing a picture or just merely talking about a different culture is not enough. To become aware of the different cultures we keep a running calendar of when events happen in other cultures and not necessarily the common holidays. I try to do extensive research on the internet and look for videoclips to bring into so that they can watch actual footage of the culture and we have participated in those traditions in our own classroom by role plays. Once we role played Rosa Parks by using the whole classroom. I had half the class be the audience while the first half role played being in a bus where girls were not allowed to sit on the bus but boys could. Then I had the other half of the class participate while the others watched and had the girls sit and the boys were not allowed to sit. It was great to see how first grade students reacted. They were mature enough to talk about real life issues and concerns. We compare cultures to our own and we discuss how it would be like to be a part of that paticular culture. I try to address these issues in ways they will understand and enjoy so they will be aware and sensitive to cultures different than their own.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Reflection #5
What is CAH and what are the differences between it and CLI? How can some of the concepts talked about in the Chpater (Brown ch 9) be used in the classroom, e.g., error analysis, CLI, Stages of learner language development, fossilization.
CAH stands for Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis. The definition for it is at follows, the claim that the principal barrier to second language acquisition is first language interference, and that a scientific analysis of the two languages in question enables the prediction of difficulties a learner will encounter. It is rooted in the behavioristic and structuralist approach and in the end to acquire a second language you would have to overcome the differences between the two linguistic systems. It also looked at the errors in 2nd language learners and pinpointed the negative tranfers of these errors. I am amazed at how researchers look at it from this standpoint because when one is learning there native langauge it is not looked upon as negative tranfers of the process. It is just play of the language.
Cross Linguistic Influence is a concept that replaced the contrastive analyss hypothesis, recognizing the significance of the role of the first langauge in learning a second langauge, but with an emphasis on the facilitating and interfering effects both languages have on each other. It was seen as the weaker version of the CAH because it had an intuitive appeal. It recognizes the significance of interferences in the languages and it explains the difficulties.
These concepts can be used in the classroom becasue we take into consideration how students learn. We must take into consideration their prior knowledge of thier native language. Like the text says we must not overlooked it. This is important because we do not want to confuse them or mislead them. We want to clear any misunderstandings as they make connections. CAH can have a fatal fall because it is used as a tool of prediction. It is okay if we do not rely on the predictions but use it as a means of suggested areas of improvement. I did not like that we use it as a means for testing because how validity and reliablitiy is in question. I think exposing these students to interactive approaches would allow these students to gain more insight in second language learning as long as the teacher knows the level of proficiency the students has and has structured the lessons accordingly for them to progress successfully.
CAH stands for Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis. The definition for it is at follows, the claim that the principal barrier to second language acquisition is first language interference, and that a scientific analysis of the two languages in question enables the prediction of difficulties a learner will encounter. It is rooted in the behavioristic and structuralist approach and in the end to acquire a second language you would have to overcome the differences between the two linguistic systems. It also looked at the errors in 2nd language learners and pinpointed the negative tranfers of these errors. I am amazed at how researchers look at it from this standpoint because when one is learning there native langauge it is not looked upon as negative tranfers of the process. It is just play of the language.
Cross Linguistic Influence is a concept that replaced the contrastive analyss hypothesis, recognizing the significance of the role of the first langauge in learning a second langauge, but with an emphasis on the facilitating and interfering effects both languages have on each other. It was seen as the weaker version of the CAH because it had an intuitive appeal. It recognizes the significance of interferences in the languages and it explains the difficulties.
These concepts can be used in the classroom becasue we take into consideration how students learn. We must take into consideration their prior knowledge of thier native language. Like the text says we must not overlooked it. This is important because we do not want to confuse them or mislead them. We want to clear any misunderstandings as they make connections. CAH can have a fatal fall because it is used as a tool of prediction. It is okay if we do not rely on the predictions but use it as a means of suggested areas of improvement. I did not like that we use it as a means for testing because how validity and reliablitiy is in question. I think exposing these students to interactive approaches would allow these students to gain more insight in second language learning as long as the teacher knows the level of proficiency the students has and has structured the lessons accordingly for them to progress successfully.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Reflection #4
Why do you think that it is so difficult for researchers to agree on the CPH (Critical Period Hypothesis). Give explicit examples from the readings. Also give examples from your own experience.
The CPH claims that there is a biological timetable for acquiring a language. It was first annoted towards first language acquistion but later considered into 2nd language learning. It states that there is a biologically determined period of life when language can be acquired more easily and beond which time language is increasingly difficult to acquire. Researchers have found it difficult to agree on the CPH because there has been casese that question the theory. In the reading it states that after 12 or 13 you are considered "over the hill" to be successful in second language learning. This would make me question the theory because I have seen many cases among my friends and family who have been older and have been successful in learning a second language. What is considered successful? They have succeded in learning the language however they have not lost their accent. The chapter puts an emphasis on accent as having a role as a component of success. Accent to me is the least importance as a mean of success as long as it does not affect communication. There was a discussion on accents and how everyone has an accent and how we adjust our accents accordingly to our environments. I personally feel that it is easier to acquire a language when you are at an infant stage because you are free to explore the language and play with it before actually learning the academic structure but that does not mean that you will not be able to learn a new language after a certain age. There are many factors that come into play. Motiviation, necessity, willingness, etc. can also be considered when learning a language. I would be more motivated to learn Italian because I would want to go to Spain and because Spanish is related to Italian than learning another foreign language.
The CPH claims that there is a biological timetable for acquiring a language. It was first annoted towards first language acquistion but later considered into 2nd language learning. It states that there is a biologically determined period of life when language can be acquired more easily and beond which time language is increasingly difficult to acquire. Researchers have found it difficult to agree on the CPH because there has been casese that question the theory. In the reading it states that after 12 or 13 you are considered "over the hill" to be successful in second language learning. This would make me question the theory because I have seen many cases among my friends and family who have been older and have been successful in learning a second language. What is considered successful? They have succeded in learning the language however they have not lost their accent. The chapter puts an emphasis on accent as having a role as a component of success. Accent to me is the least importance as a mean of success as long as it does not affect communication. There was a discussion on accents and how everyone has an accent and how we adjust our accents accordingly to our environments. I personally feel that it is easier to acquire a language when you are at an infant stage because you are free to explore the language and play with it before actually learning the academic structure but that does not mean that you will not be able to learn a new language after a certain age. There are many factors that come into play. Motiviation, necessity, willingness, etc. can also be considered when learning a language. I would be more motivated to learn Italian because I would want to go to Spain and because Spanish is related to Italian than learning another foreign language.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Reflection #3
What is your learning style? Have you ever taken a learning style inventory? In your classrooms as teachers how have you or do you address the issue of learning styles? Finally discuss your experience with learners' beliefs about language, of either your students or their parents. How has it affected your teaching?
Listening and visual is more my learning style. I am able to be more successful when I observe and see the concepts better. Afterwards I am able to open up and be more tactile. I would have liked to be able to take an inventory earlier in life because I would have been able to know what my strengths and weaknesses are. In this way I would have been able to know how to strengthen my learning styles even the ones I am weak on because it is important to be able to use all styles of learning.
In the classroom I try to integrate my lessons using all learning styles. I try to break the lessons apart to have listening, visuals, tactile, oral, etc. so that the lesson is engaging for all and that they are exposed to them and learn how to use them to their benefit.
Even to this day parents are still giving English more value than their own language, which in this case is Spanish. From what I have gathered they believe that in order to be successful they must master the English language. Even some of the parents themselves are speaking
English more. I understand that it is necessary for them as well to practice the language for their own benefits but I have seen how they lose their language. Parents need to be aware of the benefits of the programs that are offered to them so that they choose the best education for their children. I think they need to be aware that the more you know the more windows of opportunities are there for you.
Listening and visual is more my learning style. I am able to be more successful when I observe and see the concepts better. Afterwards I am able to open up and be more tactile. I would have liked to be able to take an inventory earlier in life because I would have been able to know what my strengths and weaknesses are. In this way I would have been able to know how to strengthen my learning styles even the ones I am weak on because it is important to be able to use all styles of learning.
In the classroom I try to integrate my lessons using all learning styles. I try to break the lessons apart to have listening, visuals, tactile, oral, etc. so that the lesson is engaging for all and that they are exposed to them and learn how to use them to their benefit.
Even to this day parents are still giving English more value than their own language, which in this case is Spanish. From what I have gathered they believe that in order to be successful they must master the English language. Even some of the parents themselves are speaking
English more. I understand that it is necessary for them as well to practice the language for their own benefits but I have seen how they lose their language. Parents need to be aware of the benefits of the programs that are offered to them so that they choose the best education for their children. I think they need to be aware that the more you know the more windows of opportunities are there for you.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Reflection #2
The behavioral, nativist, and functional approaches offer insight as to how a being acquires language. All three of these approaches have a valid stance on how language is obtained. Their perspectives have been proven when looking into different cases. When looking into the behavioral approach, I can see how learning takes place because children do respond when they are reinforced. In the classroom, if students blurt out "Ms." I ignore that behavior but if calls Ms.Palomino, I respond by saying thank you for getting attention the correct way, and students do respond to this action. Thier behavior is controlled by the consequences. The nativist approach also is proven in all children because children are born with a genetic capacity to learn. I think that the environment in which the child grows in develops and shapes the language system of a child.The role of culture in any language acquistion does have effects because children do develop patterns according to how they are interacted with. I do believe there is a difference in the child-parent interaction in the United States than in other cultures. In Mexican culture children have a spoken language similar to that of an adult. Topics of conversation are more advanced than here in the United States. The enviornment in which they are surrounded in is very aware of culture and world issues and are brought around children and children are invited into these topics. Adults do engage in adult like conversations with children which seem to be very different in the United States culture.
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