Meagan Geer's Blog 2
In Second Language Acquisition, the course begins with the introduction of the term English language learner (ELL). According to the text used in my SLA 4303 course, an English language learner can be defined as a non-native English speaker who is going through the process of attaining proficiency in English (Wright, 2010, 1). The second language acquisition course uses research to support teaching practices used today. By identifying learners who are ELLs, educators can work to help reach every one of their students and guide them through learning to become proficient in a second language while also learning academic content along the way.
Research has proven to impact teaching practices used today through the advances and amendments that have been made to educational practices and programs in schools. A variety of programs and approaches have been created to help reach the needs of varying learners. According to research in Second Language Acquisition, there is a provided dominant understanding about individual learners who are ELLs. This understanding is that every person has their own “essential, unique, fixed, and coherent attribute such as German or Chinese, an international student or an immigrant, motivated or unmotivated” (Brown & Lee, 2015, 159). This is important for educators to know because identifying at least one attribute about the student could truly benefit the student by allowing for the teacher to tailor their experience or make learning more valuable to them.
Second Language Acquisition research and investigation has proven that there is more than one approach to how second and foreign languages are best learned. Most research agrees that students are most successful when they are in classrooms where there is student-centered learning as opposed to a mostly teacher-centered classroom. Students are often most successful when they are given opportunities to practice using the language daily. There are a few key principles of second language acquisition; the eight principles are: automaticity, transfer, reward, self-regulation, identity and investment, interaction, languaculture, and agency. These terms may sound familiar because they are introduced in chapter 4 of this course’s required text. As an educator, it is important to understand the key aspects and related constructs because “they can act for you as major theoretical insights on which your methodology can be based” (Brown & Lee, 2015, 85). The principles presented should be used to inform the educator’s understanding of how languages are successfully learned and taught (Brown & Lee, 2015, 85). A table containing all eight of the principles can be found on page 85 of the text. I believe that the best way an individual can learn a second or foreign language truly depends on the characteristics of the individual. Research supports this idea as well. This is why there are different principles that can be used to help create an approach to teaching different individuals. Incorporating the identity of the individual can go a long way in the sense that getting to know the student can help the educator in deciding which approaches to take and how to approach learning barriers that may present themselves.
Brown, D. and Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by Principles. White Plains : Pearson-Longman,
4th. Ed. IBSN-13: 978-0-13-392585-2
Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory,
policy and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing.
Hi Meagan, thank you for sharing a little bit about what the Second Language Acquisition class is about. I have not taken it yet, but I see that it goes hand-in-hand with this class. I liked what you said about making learning valuable to the student. I believe that should be every teacher's goal. Like you said, thanks to research we know that it is preferable to have a student-center classroom instead of a teacher-centered classroom. I also believe this to be true because students need to be motivated to learn, and if we don't allow them to express themselves, we cannot pretend they will learn.
ReplyDeleteThe SLA class should be taken before this one. It makes more sense that way. How can someone talk about SLA methodology when they do not know the foundations? More difficult. It is like doing multiplication without knowing addition, don't you think?
DeleteMaisa, thank you for your reply! I think it so bizarre that the university allows for students to take this course without taking the acquisition class. I actually enrolled in both courses over the summer, and I ended up dropping the methodology course because I felt that I was lacking the foundation of second language acquisition. I really enjoyed taking the second language acquisition course because I felt that it was really informative. It helps you better understand what it really means to be an ELL and how you can help these students in the classroom.
DeleteI really like the way you expressed your ideas in a coherent, well-supported way. I would like how theory has informed you in the area that you want to teach. Have you read any articles from empirical studies that informed you about better teaching practices in your area?
ReplyDeleteDr. Avellaneda, thank you for your direct feedback. I felt that I received a greater understanding for this course (SLM) by taking the second language acquisition course first. I am very adamant about saving all of my coursework, so I was easily able to access information from the course to better articulate my ideas in my initial post. I have read some additional readings and articles, but I cannot think of their names off the top of my head. I do think that research is key in helping teachers decide what is the best step to take when considering the needs of all learners.
DeleteGreat point. Thank you.
DeleteHi Meagan!
ReplyDeleteELL learners are very prominent in Texas, as well as all over the country. I think you make a great point that being able to identify learners who are ELLs will facilitate educators’ efforts in reaching each and every one of their students. The understanding that every person has unique attributes that you refer to from the text is something that I can relate to. From personal experience, as well as in my observations, I think that identifying at least one attribute about the student really does benefit the student in a positive way. For example, when teachers recognize that I am Vietnamese and they make the learning relatable to the real world or make connections to my own specific culture, it makes the learning click and makes it more valuable. From reading the chapters from the text, I can definitely agree with you that there is more than one approach to how second and foreign languages are best learned. Just like any other kind of learning, people learn in different ways whether it is visually, audibly, kinesthetically, or so on and so forth. Your statement about how students learn best in student-centered learning as opposed to a mostly teacher-centered classroom hits home for me because as I mentioned in my blog entry, my French as a foreign language class was mainly teacher-centered in which she lectured us and we did very little collaborative work with our classmates. I think that this method is, in fact, effective because it “giv[es] opportunities to students to participate in a classroom without fear of being scolded or belittled by a teacher” (Brown & Lee, 2015, pg. 45). I believe if my classroom had been more student-centered, or learner-centered, then I could have learned more and the learning would have been more meaningful and memorable.
Jenny, I love that you consider the demographics of the state we will likely teach in as well as the overall demographics of our country. I think it so valuable to my learning and to others when you are able to share your experiences and connect with what we are currently learning, so thank you for doing so. I like that you made a point to say that we need to identify attributes about our students to make the learning relevant to them. I feel as though a lot of the times when students are frustrated, it is because they feel that what they are learning isn’t beneficial to them. I am glad that you agree and that recognizing teacher-centered classrooms are not ideal for the students. I love the quote you included! I also feel that it is very important to provide students with opportunities. Even if they make a mistake, it is important for the students to be able to practice using their second language in a safe, nurturing environment.
DeleteMegan, I really liked reading your blog entry. When given this prompt, I wasn’t sure at all what the professor was asking so I feel like my blog entry was lacking, especially after reading yours. I haven’t taken the Second Language Acquisition class yet and it seems like I’m taking the language classes out of order so this class is a bit of a struggle for me to understand. After reading your blog it seems like a few light bulbs turned on in my head! From previous classes that I have taken I have learned that getting to know your students as an individual is essential in being able to make learning something more meaningful and valuable to a student. This is the same even when learning a second language as you detailed in your blog. The principles mentioned, as stated in the textbook, “form the core of an approach to language teaching” as they are the overarching principle of second language learning (Brown & Lee, 2015, p. 67). These principles then interacts with sound practice to form an educator’s teaching practice, just as you pointed out in your blog. So, really getting to know your students as an individual can really help an educator figure out what approach to take when teaching and we can see this based on research done.
ReplyDeleteChenda, thank you for your kind feedback. I am sorry that you haven’t taken the acquisition course, because you are probably feeling lost at times. In the acquisition course, there was a lot of time spent on defining the terms and understanding what they meant and how they looked in the classroom. I am glad that my post was able to turn your light bulbs on. I like that you included how getting to know your students can go a long way. It’s true! Even learning how to pronounce your students names correctly can be one small step towards making that student feel valued and allowing them to feel comfortable in their environment.
DeleteHey Meagan,
ReplyDeleteI agree that research is truly vital in situations especially when English language learners are put into boxes/categories etc. According to Brown and Lee 2015, it is also important that people recognize ELL’s as being a very diverse group of people. “Learner agency in a sociopolitical context and its importance in language education are strongly connected with how language learners have traditionally been viewed in mainstream SLA research (Brown and Lee, 2015, pg. 98). In my opinion, this just goes to show why research and continued research is imperative. As teachers we are life-long learners. Times change and situations change, so research and the way we conduct it must change as well. I feel as if I understand the development of agency, because it is easy to give up on something that seems so difficult and foreign. In regards to that, it is our job as teachers to support our students so that they may begin to understand themselves and their goals (one of them acquiring a language).
DeleteValerie, I found it very important that you made a point to talk about how students who are ELLs are often “put into a box”, or they are given a one-size fits all approach. As we have learned in many of our education courses, every student is different. Even between your monolingual English speaking students, you will still have significant learning differences and abilities. This is why it is so important to really consider the needs of our ELLs. They are often left in the dark meaning they are overlooked and not taken into consideration. I also love how you included how important it is to provide support for our ELLs.
Hi Meagan! I agree with you that student success relies on the individual student. Teachers need to be aware of how their students learn best in order to help decide which approach is best for acquiring a second language. I believe that students can gain so much more knowledge by having authentic and real-world based situations while learning an L2 as this knowledge can be helpful and more likely used outside of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteJennie, I also agree with what Meagan stated in her post. I truly believe that nothing is more important than trying to learn what works best for our students. I also like the idea of having authentic and real-world based situation while learning an L2. In addition, I find it helpful in math as well. At the end of the day, we as teachers are responsible for the success and failure of our students.
DeleteThank you, Meagan, for sharing your learning from Second Language Acquisition. I like what you introduced about the eight principles. “ With these eight principles, you should be able to evaluate a course, a textbook, a group of students, and an educational context, and to determine solutions to pedagogical issues in the classroom (Brown & Lee, 2015, 85).” From that, we can see that the results of research can impact teachers’ teaching and planning. As a teacher, it is important to collect students’ strengths and weaknesses as data to plan lessons. As you talked about teacher-center classroom, when I was in my country, my English classes were all teacher-center class. It is really decreased students’ interests in learning English. If teachers can follow the eight principles, it can help students to have more interests in learning, willingness to communicate. I think teachers should learn about this type of research so that students can improve their abilities not only on learning that language but also in many different ways.
ReplyDelete