Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Ana Gonzalez. She is a former ELL student and after interviewing her, I was able to gain some perspective on how it feels to be an ELL student and the process in which they learn a new language. I discovered that it was an extremely intimidating experience for her and it took more than one school to find the support that she needed to learn a second language. I believe that a rich and supportive learning environment for second language acquisition will directly affect the outcome and success of the student. According to Ortega, “there are five environmental ingredients that contribute to optimal learning which are acculturated attitudes, input that can be comprehended, negotiated interaction, pushed output, and a capacity to attend the language code” (Ortega, 2009, p.79). This means that she was given the opportunity to learn about customs and beliefs about a new culture, she was able to understand what was being taught, and she was given the opportunity to communicate with peers that were experiencing the same thing. It is critical that students are given the space and place to grow and practice their new skills without feeling pressure or intimidation. Lastly, after listening to Ana’s story, I learned that acquiring a second language is not just about practicing grammar in school and reciting words with your teacher. Learning a new language should not just come from the teacher’s point of view. We have to look through the eyes of the student to make language acquisition successful. According to Ortega, what matters in the L2 environment is how the student does or does not process the data, what they do and do not make of it, and how they live and experience that environment (Ortega, 2009, p. 80). As a future educator, I will remember this and try to help my ELL students feel as though are in a secure and welcoming learning environment.
Here is the link to my interview. Interview
Hello Anna! I enjoyed watching your interview with Ana. It was interesting to learn of her experience learning English as a second language when she did not have the choice but to simply learn it. After listening to how Ana learned English, I can say that Ana is both a naturalistic and instructed learner. According to Ortega (2013), Ana is a naturalistic learner because she learned English within her surroundings or by watching television. She is also an instructed learner because she learned English while she was in school (p. 6). Several children in my placement school are in the same situation as she was. Therefore I like the questions that you asked her about how much support she had and the support we can give as teachers to those students.
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah and thank you for responding. You are right, Ana is a naturalistic and instructed learner. From personal experience and from listening to others' stories, I think that this is the best way to learn. Students need to have the opportunity to practice formally and informally. ELLs need to grow up understanding the norms of the culture or society they are in, so they can feel comfortable practicing the language. ELLs also need to have access to a great education where they have the chance to learn a second language and have the opportunity to continue to use their native language.
DeleteHi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI found your interview with Ana to be quite entertaining. I have known her for a little while now and did not know she was from Mexico originally. She speaks so much like a native I would have never guessed. Learners who begin to acquire L@ before a certain age, studies locate to be around puberty, exhibit intuitions that are very close to native speakers (Ortega, 2011, p. 19). Ana beginning to learn English at age 5 made a big difference in her attainment level. I also found it interesting when you guys spoke about immersion. One of the videos we watched earlier in the semester suggested that immersion would be the quickest way to learn a second language. It can help your brain to overcome the pre-existing language networks more quickly. Furthermore, as with my interviewee, the main reason Ana learned English was because of school. So she had a mix of naturalistic and instructional teaching to help her acquire her L2 (Ortega, 2009, p. 6). I would be interested to hear some of the ways that she tried to teach herself English and since English was not spoken in her home originally, if it is now.
Ana is an awesome young lady and I really enjoyed hearing some of her story.
Hi Tracy. Ana is an awesome person. When I interviewed her, she told me the first school she went to did not provide a supportive environment. Fortunately, her mom was able to find a school that supported her needs to learn English. Because of my interview with Ana, I have a better understanding of how difficult it can be to learn a second language. As teachers we need to have empathy and provide support for our students.
DeleteHi Anna! I found your interview with your friend really interesting. It was really interesting hearing Ana’s experience learning English. It must have been terrifying for her being in an all English-speaking school at first. It’s good that she was able to transfer to a school that could support her growth in English by providing that bilingual environment. The way that she learned was a mixed approach. Through going to school, she learned English through an Instructional approach from her teachers and growing up she heard English all around her and learned it through a Naturalistic approach (Ortega, 2009). I also liked what she said about having to be immersed in the language in order to fully learn it. I too agree with that statement but through previous classes and through some reading I found that motivation may play a part as well. According to Gass & Selinker, “motivation appears to be the second strongest predictor of success” (Gass & Selinker, 2008, p. 426). So, if you are thrown in somewhere where you have to know the language in order to communicate you’ll be more motivated to learn it whereas if that’s not the situation you may not be as motivated. Immersion and motivation may go hand in hand when learning a second language.
ReplyDeleteHi and thank you for responding. I like the fact that you pointed out motivation as being a big factor in learning a new language. Do you think motivation should come from the teacher motivating the student to learn or do you think the child is motivated because they must learn? I think the teacher needs to motivate the child. Hopefully the student will want to learn a new language, but the teacher needs to provide motivational support to enhance the learning situation.
DeleteHello Anna!
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure watching your interview with Ana! Your interview questions really allowed us to truly understand Ana’s SLA. Ana mentioned she came to the United States at 4 years old and began learning English when she started Kindergarten. I think, also like she mentioned that, that was a huge advantage for her and many people to learn it at a younger age because of all of the exposure and support, especially at school. I believe Ana’s journey to learning English occurred in a naturalistic form, in which according to (Ortega, pg. 6) “learners learn their L2 through informal opportunities in multicultural neighborhoods, workplace, and school,”. Not to say that it is impossible to learn it at an older age but I believe more support occurs at a younger age. I really enjoyed listening to Ana’s journey to learning English!
Hi and I enjoyed your comment. I think learning a new language at a young age can be beneficial especially if you continue to stay in the environment that supports your growth. However, it may be easier to learn a second language at an older age because the person may be self-motivated to learn. Which ever opportunity that arises for a person to acquire a new language, I do believe it is extremely beneficial to learn in a naturalistic form by enjoying experiences within that culture or community.
DeleteHi Anna, I think as you're younger it might be easier because you are exposed to the other language more often but I also think self-motivation can contribute greatly with the success of a new language as well. I think the more exposed you are to the new language the more adept you will become in that language.
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