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.  Students need to be motivated and the language they are learning needs to be immersing them.  
                     The process of learning how to develop a blog and utilizing technology in this context has been interesting. Before this class I never had experience in making a blog.  Another thing that was new to me was publishing a video.  I have never uploaded a video on YouTube before this course so I think that this experience has been beneficial. Another interesting aspect of this course has been the interactions between classmates.  In the beginning I was slightly intimidated to post my thoughts on to a public platform but I recognize this as an opportunity for growth now.  I can use these experiences in other aspects of my life.  I think it's good when a course can push you out of your comfort zone and it really pays off.
                     This course has impacted my teaching philosophy by understanding that their are multiple factors that can student learning and I have the responsibility on creating an equitable  classroom.  I know that I can't control student motivation and attitudes but I do have the opportunity influence them.  Providing instructional content that relates to students personally is a good way to do that and I believe that is wonderful way to encourage student learning.   

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 15, 2018 at 6:46 PM

    Hey BreAnna! Awesome blog 4. I love how you mentioned that in your future classroom if a problem arises that you can research to find a solution. I think that is a great idea to learn from the course. Ortega mentions, "Specifically, there was suggestive evidence that, under stressful conditions, the introverted participants achieved higher lexical richness and more explicit language but at the expense of engaging in more hesitation-marked lexical searches and in more disfluency." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 198). As educators we never know what will exactly take place within our classrooms and this course has shown me how to use resources in order to find the best solution. I really enjoyed participating in the blogs because it allowed me to see a different insight to second language acquisition than i had before.

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    1. UnknownApril 22, 2018 at 3:53 PM

      Hello Sara,
      Thank you very much for your comment, it's much appreciated. I agree this course has been a good resource for my future professional practice. I know that Ortega in particular has provided with a wider and more in depth perspective over the area of SLA. I agree that as educators that it is our responsibility to constantly seek knowledge that will help promote growth in students.

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  2. Isabel AskerApril 15, 2018 at 7:39 PM

    Hello BreAnna. I enjoyed reading your reflection. I really connected with you when you talked about how you were intimidated about sharing via blog with it being such public platform. I totally felt intimidated as well. I agree that having to blog allowed for growth. The opportunity to interact with classmates helped me understand some topic better and allowed me to see difference perspectives, as a result, I was more in tune with the course learning. According to Ortega, social support is important. “Support from significant others (including parents, siblings, peers and teachers), since believing that they want one to learn the language creates rewards and reinforcements that may be important in boosting motivation” (Ortega, 2011, pg. 172).

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    1. UnknownApril 22, 2018 at 4:08 PM

      Good afternoon Isabel,
      Thank you so much for your positive comment. I'm happy to know that I'm not he only one that can be intimidated by technology at times in this high tech world. "Gardner (2001) believed the highest and most facilitative form of motivation is
      what he called the integrative motivation, which is attained only when three
      conditions are met: (1) the antecedent of integrativeness itself is high, (2)
      motivation quantity (that is, the combined amount of effort, enjoyment, and
      investment) is also high, and (3) attitudes towards the learning situation (teachers,
      curriculum) are positive" (Ortega, 2011, pg. 172). I believe this course encompasses some of these points.

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  3. UnknownApril 17, 2018 at 7:46 PM

    You mention in your post that through this experience in this class, you have learned the perspective of the environment for students to learn a new language. According to Ortega, some aspects of the personality of the L2 learner is also an indicator of accomplishment (Ortega, pg. 196, 2009). I feel to set a great environment for students to learn you have to involve their personality and interest in the classroom. I believe this a great indicator to grasp their attention and motivate them more. I also have to agree with through this course I was impacted by its multiple factors into teaching a group of students who prerequisite attention in their learning.

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    1. UnknownApril 22, 2018 at 4:14 PM

      Thank you Anali for your very sweet comment. A classroom environment is so important to development of students. It can affect many aspects of learning such as motivation. "Motivation is usually understood to refer to the desire to initiate L2 learning and
      the effort employed to sustain it, and in lay terms we all understand it to be a
      matter of quantity, as in the everyday observation that some learners are highly
      motivated and others have little or no motivation"( Ortega, pg. 196, 2009).

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    2. UnknownApril 22, 2018 at 8:44 PM

      Hi BreAnna!
      You are totally correct; classroom environment is very important when you are trying to create a consistent productive classroom. A classroom environment is not just having students feel safe but is an area that will help motivate the learning of the student. I think as future educators we will have a great aspect in how we need to set our classroom environment. Thank you for sharing have a great summer!

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