Before Second Language Acquisition, I did not know that there were courses, studies, theories, and a multitude of people who dedicate their lives to researching how people learn a second language. Since I have been exposed to several languages but have never pursued bilingualism seriously, I did not know the details of what could affect a person’s language learning. Now, with a better understanding of Ortega’s Second Language Acquisition, I am able to see factors such as a learner’s age, motivation, environment, individual differences, cognition, and much more that are incorporated in the process of learning a language. This new understanding of second language acquisition impacted my professional practice in a series of ways, one of which is how I can support my ELL students. In America, when ESL students are learning or have newly learned English, their academic performance in math, science, history, and English language arts can be the result of their language gap (Ortega, 20...
Good afternoon! This blog entry features an interview from Adriana Galarza, a high school Spanish and Communication Applications teacher, and a reflection based on second language acquisition theory. Interview 1. Ms. Galarza, what is your personal experience with language? Was English your first language? Do you speak any other languages other than Spanish and English? My L1 is Spanish. Sometime in elementary school (very early on, but can't remember what grade), I was put into the ESL program. I don't ever remember learning English, or speaking Spanish at school, I just know that I was in the program. We continued to use my L1 at home, and that is the reason why I am still 90% fluent (I struggle with some writing/grammar). 2. According to Stephen Krashen, an educational researcher on language acquisition, there are three key factors that affect a student's language learning - Motivation, Self-Esteem, and Anxiety. Do you agree with this statement? Where do you...