Blog Entry Three

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 see this in your classroom? (video)

I disagree in the sense that I believe a support system should be considered as key factors as well. Motivation plays an essential part in acquiring an L2. If they don't see an important purpose in learning it, there will be no drive. Self-esteem and anxiety are very closely related. Kids with higher self-esteem and a low anxiety level tend to be more extroverted. Due to this, they generally get more practice in with the L2, as they are more willing to say things out loud. As I always tell my students, "Practice is what's going to make you learn a new language, not vocabulary drills."


3. If you could add another word to Stephen Krashen's three factors of student language learning, what word would you add? (Video)

As referenced in the previous question, I would add "strong support system." It takes learning an L2 to a whole other level when they have strong support at home. Ex: Parents that ask students about what they have learned, have them tell them about it in depth. This is similar to "two birds with one stone." The students learn something new and go on to tell and teach their family members about it. *You know a student has mastered something when they are able to teach it to someone else*

4. How do you help your students transfer the information they learn to long-term memory? Are there any activities or techniques you use to help the learning/memorization process? (Chapter 5)

Contextual use of vocabulary is what ultimately makes students remember what they've learned. Once they are taught new terms, I make them use it in context and continue to build upon it.

Ex. Once I taught students "May I please use the restroom?" in Spanish, from there on out they had to always ask in Spanish. Next, we learned telling time in Spanish, so when they wanted to use the restroom or go anywhere, they had to ask in Spanish and tell me what time it was. 

5. According to Ortega's Second Language Acquisition, "Neither positive attitudes towards the target language and its speakers nor abundant and meaningful comprehension of L2 messages are in and of themselves sufficient for second language learning to be successful, although both are certainly important ingredients in a highly complex environmental equation." Do you agree with this statement? Where do you see this in your classroom? (p.79, Chapter 4) 

I agree with this 100%. Although both items are important, the two alone are not a guaranteed recipe for success in L2 acquisition. For example, I have a student that has a positive attitude about L2 and it's people and comprehends what is being sent to him. However, those things are not what makes him successful. It's his willingness to take this understanding and actually formulate responses and be able to carry a conversation. What's the use of comprehending a message if you are not able to send one back?

6. How do students react differently to negative feedback and positive feedback when they are learning Spanish? (Chapter 4). 

Positive Feedback: This works with almost everyone. Students love to hear that they are doing well and are grasping the content. It being said aloud to them sort of solidifies it for them.

Negative Feedback: Negative feedback is sometimes necessary but how it's presented and crucial. It should be given with constructive criticism and paired with support and a positive phrase (Ex; "You've got this, just practice a bit more!") I believe without those two things students will not be repetitive, may paint a bad picture of you and it could even shut down in your class completely.

7. In your classroom, do you mostly teach in Spanish or English? I have witnessed both teaching styles and I wanted to hear your take on it. What do you think are the drawbacks and benefits on each? (Immersion)

I teach Spanish 1 in mostly English. I find it crucial because the students need some sort of base to build knowledge upon. They also need to be able to make connections with the content and vocabulary. It's very easy to do so in their native language. Ex: My students remember that "mayor" in Spanish means "older" because I told them in politics, typically the mayor is an older person.

As far as full immersion, I have never tried it, as this is my first year teaching. Although, from personal experience, I believe it is more effective in elementary school-aged children.

8. Do you think age affects language learning? (Chapter 2) 

Yes. Studies show that right around the ages of 5-7, learning a new language becomes increasingly more difficult as time progresses.

9. How have your experiences with a second language shaped your teaching pedagogy and lessons? (Chapter 1) 

I feel that Spanish is my first language has immensely benefitted me as a teacher. In my Spanish 1 classes, I am already loaded with an abundance of knowledge on the topic, but I also can relate to my students in that learning a new language can be very challenging and frustrating. Knowing both languages also gives me more ideas on how I can bridge the gap between English and Spanish with connections that are easy for the students to remember. (See "mayor" example above)

In my communication applications classes, knowing Spanish has made it easier to communicate with my ELLs whose native language is Spanish. Inversely, I can bridge the gap from Spanish to English.

To reiterate, my ability to empathize with my students makes a world of a difference in how my lessons go. I still get stuck on some Spanish terms, and I use my previous struggle to help gauge how my students may be feeling when I need to revisit a topic, etc.

10. Many learn English to increase career and life opportunities. Many encourage pre-service teachers to pursue a bilingual certification for this reason. What are benefits of learning another language and how do you motivate your students to learn a second language? (Chapter 1, Chapter 8)

Motivation is something that we drill into our students at the very beginning of the semester. I like to pull at their heartstrings and tell stories of students who somewhere along the line were not taught Spanish (any other language really), and cannot communicate with older generations of their family who may only speak Spanish (or anything else besides English). I also try to put them into immigrants shoes. reminding them how they would feel if they were in another country, and were not able to speak to anyone. I also give them the common financial motivation - you are more marketable if you are bilingual.

Reflection

      Adriana Galarza, a close friend of mine, engages in this interview by sharing language practices she uses in her classroom and touching on the emotional values of learning a second language. One strategy Ms. Galarza demonstrates in her classroom is the contextual use of vocabulary. This strategy is where the students are able to use the vocabulary and sentences they learn to communicate with the teacher. Examples, like asking to use the restroom and telling time, are given. This strategy ultimately builds vocabulary knowledge strength, which is the range of ability to recognize words and use the word in context (Ortega, 2013).

      Ms. Galarza touches on the emotional aspect of learning a second language as well. One topic she shares is the importance of positive and negative feedback in the foreign language classroom. Even though negative feedback is no the easiest to experience when undergoing the frustrations of a new language, Galarza recommends using negative feedback. Researchers agree with a combination of positive and negative feedback (Ortega, 2013). These practices are used in her classroom and she takes account of the emotional needs of her students by pairing a supportive phrase with negative feedback. 

      In conclusion, Adriana's care for her students is heartwarming and her teaching practices are supported by research. She consistently uses her former struggles as an ESL student to relate to her students in her Spanish classes. A theme in the interview question responses is the importance of motivation. From this interview, I have learned that no matter the academic subject a teacher teaches, there should always be an effort to find factors to motivate and connect to the emotional needs of the students.