Posts

Entry 4

BreAnna Winzer Entry 4                      In this course I have been exposed to a variety of concepts relating to the topic of learning a second or an additional language.  Coming into this course I knew that subject areas relating to ELL's could be quite complex. My feelings were right because I have learned that this subject has so many different theories and studies related to it.  In other words I know that in my own classroom if an issue arises I know I can do research to address it. More specifically this course discussed some of the phases in development that impact acquiring and additional language. I also gained more a perspective on the importance of environment and the way impacts language.  I previously had never given it that much thought. True learning is a well rounded experience no matter what the subject area is but I think that acquiring another language requires even more than that.  Stu...
7 comments
Read more

Entry 3

https://youtu.be/gW_6KcywSEI Blog 3             The educator that I interviewed has taught a bilingual class, specifically during the summer for elementary age children. I felt that we had a very good dialogue about a few different topics in regard to the topic of acquiring a second language and what that can entail. One of the questions that I asked was if she thought that children who acquire a second language at a younger age are at an advantage.   Her reply was yes, she came to this conclusion from mainly from her personal experience of acquiring another language. “Children acquiring their first language complete the feat within a biological window of four to six years of age. By contrast, the ages at which different L2 learners may begin learning the new language range wildly. Thus, age emerges as a remarkable site of difference between L2 and L1 acquisition” (Ortega, pg.12).   In her experience she said th...
9 comments
Read more

Entry 2

https://youtu.be/h8XuxPJ-D5o I was very excited to do this interview.  I found that this was a very beneficial experience.  Having the opportunity to learn about someone's process of learning a second language was very enlightening to me.  My subject discussed her experience learning English as a second language at a very young age in primary school. "Learning a second language, therefore, constitutes a very different task from learning the first language.  The basic problems arise not out of any essential difficulty in the features of the new language themselves but primarily out of the special “set” created by the first language habits" (Fries, 1957, p.95).  All languages have some similarities and differences whether it be grammatical or structural.  My subject talks about having to learn to adjust in order learn English.  This was a difficult thing for her to accomplish and she still struggles with it.  “Those structures that are si...
12 comments
Read more

Entry 1

Hi, my name is BreAnna Winzer and this is my last semester at the University of Houston. I am a Teaching and Learning major and I think that this course will provide me with a lot of useful information to apply into my approach to teaching.  I am currently student teaching on a elementary school campus. I created a little video about me and I hope you enjoy it.
14 comments
Read more