Hello again everyone, and for those of you new to this blog, welcome!
I have a few unique experiences with learning new languages. Formally, I took Spanish and French in school. However, I am much more comfortable with my Spanish-speaking abilities as my French has not been used frequently enough for me to be comfortable calling myself a conversationalist in the language. I also have family who speak Spanish as well as people I worked with who do as well.
I took Spanish first, and the teacher focused mostly on workbook activities and vocabulary lessons. The routine was good for me, and I learned common phrases quickly. However, the experience felt lacking, and had I not had fluent Spanish-speakers around me, I fear I may have lost any progress in the language I was able to make.
My French learning experiences were much more varied. The teacher liked having us sing songs in French, watch Disney, Action movies, and cartoons in complete French, and incorporated vocabulary into our homework and class assignments. The tests had written short answers, multiple choice questions, and a vocal section where you have a brief conversation with the teacher. Most days, we could only speak French aloud, while others we only had to carry one or two conversations that day. Watching shows and movies that you know already in English is fantastic for learning new languages, and she made the learning process easy and fun.
I enjoyed the experience of learning French much more than Spanish, yet I retained more Spanish-speaking skills because of my real-world application of the language. I would like to start relearning the language, and have begun using the speaking-portions of French more often in my daily life. I watch movies and shows in French with English subtitles, and sing songs in French.
While both teachers helped me to learn their respective languages, I have found memories of my French learning experience. I liked the differentiation she employed, and how she used that differentiation in both her teaching and assessments. Sometimes, instead of tests, we could opt to perform skits, songs, or entire projects in French. I liked these methods since many classmates I knew had difficulty with test anxiety.
My teaching style heavily reflects aspects of teachers who I admire, or who inspired me. I had an English teacher who made sure to decorate her room in soft colors and textures, scented candles, and lamps instead of the fluorescent lights. The room always felt warm and cozy because of these things, and I think math students can benefit from a comfortable environment - especially since most students don’t particularly enjoy math as much as I do.
There was a teacher who had small snacks and drinks that you could win by earning high scores on any number of assignments, from quizzes to major projects. She would also host parties for classes who scored high on tests, letting us pick the food. I like the idea of making sure my students aren’t feeling hungry all of the time, so food plays a fairly significant role in my teaching style as well.
In relation to second language learning, I find that math has a few key similarities. Both subjects, in my opinion, benefit from immersion-based teaching. Having students surrounded by the language and practices of that subject allow for the student to perform better. In my class, I hope to implement a variety of differentiated teaching methods to ensure my ELLs do not feel lost or confused. Interactive learning, heavy use of manipulatives and visuals, the use of repeated phrasing and key words, and the encouraged practice of math-centric language are some of the strategies I like the most.
I am looking forward to having everyone here interact on this blog and their own. I hope that we can all explore new methods, experiment with new strategies, and find new resources.
Hi Ila! It was very interesting hearing your experience learning Spanish in school. When I was in high school, I took French for two years. My experience learning French was similar to yours since my teacher also focused on workbook activities. However, one thing that I found differed from my experience was the use of music and TV in learning Spanish. I would have loved for my teacher to have used music as a means to learn a second language. I have always loved music and I am actually able to remember things better when I associate it to a song or tune. All of this is to say that I agree with Wayne E. Wright’s statement that students who use the arts to learn a language can transcend the “language barriers” and be used to learn English (p.291, 2015). I can confidently say that I will give the option to include music as a way to differentiate for my students.
ReplyDeleteHello Karen, I also love music and shows as a vehicle for learning a second language! Your use of Wayne E. Wright's excerpt provides a great insight into this phenomenon. I also have experience in French, and using music has bridged many of the gaps created over time. Do you think that other "fine arts" may provide the same insights, as Wright suggests in his 2015 work? Perhaps short plays, or photographs heavily influenced by the culture surrounding that language? Personally, I enjoy a mixed media type of immersion, where students can surround themselves with media and art from that language.
DeleteYes, Ila I do think that other fine arts can have the same positive influence in learning a second language, in the same way that music has for me. I specifically like the thought of having students act out conversations that tend to be found on average textbooks. Wayne E. Wright calls this, “role play”, where students are encouraged to simulate a conversation or interaction found in a textbook (p. 173, 2015). I think this is a great thing for all students to do but I especially like this idea for ELL’s to use.
DeleteHello Ila, I understand you took Spanish and french it must of been difficult transitioning between three languages and getting some words confused/mixed with others. When I was in Spanish our exams also had short answer questions and we could converse with our teacher as well, but I would much rather talked to the teacher after class. I also like that you are re watching and learning french again. It would be cool if you could teach a bit of french, Spanish and English to your students in class.(Wright, 2015, 19) I also like that you mention having a stress free class environment with the candles during math. Math can be hard especially if you are not very good at it, at least you aren't as stressed with a comfortable learning environment. Also I like that you mention various teaching strategies at the end you would use to ensure the ELL students aren't confused.
ReplyDeleteWright, E. W. (2015). Foundations of Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Caslon Publishing.
Hello Jesus! I actually have far less conversational skills in French than Spanish from years of neglecting the language. Much like yourself, I also agree with Wright's comments on including various aspects of language in classes (Wright, 2015). I am also glad that I like the ideas I mentioned in creating low-stress environments (though candles may have to be replaced with those filtered wax-heaters since open flames are frowned upon in modern classes). Concerning various learning strategies, have you found any from the readings or power points that seem particularly helpful? I especially enjoy strategies where my ELL students can have more say in how they learn.
DeleteHi Ila, I really enjoyed getting to know a bit about you and your background. It’s really impressive that you can speak three languages. When I was learning Spanish in school, it was not taught to us the way you were taught. My teacher did not really care if we spoke English in class and whether we knew the language by the end of the year; more so she wanted us to just pass the class. It is really important to find an educator that truly wants you to learn the language being taught, especially for ELL. Wright (2015) talked about how it is important for teachers to know a student’s ethnicity and country of origin (p. 16). My teacher just assumed that because this was a Spanish 2 class, everyone was familiarized with speaking Spanish. However, I only ever heard Spanish when I was in the class. I’m really happy that you have an idea of what you would like your teaching style to be because of your previous teachers.
ReplyDeleteWright, E. W. (2015). Foundations of Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Caslon Publishing.
Hello Samiha, I am glad you enjoyed my blog! I'm flattered, but my speaking skills are much more basic in French than they used to be when I first started learning the language. I am saddened that your teacher didn't value your own education and progress towards learning your second language. I agree with your views on Wright's concept of familiarization of students' cultural backgrounds, and the value in recognizing their differences (Wright, 2015). Would you say that your teachers influence your own style? Perhaps not in terms of what you would like to emulate, but rather behaviors or traits you try to avoid?
DeleteHaving the fluent Spanish speakers around you probably made Spanish stick better. I feel like my second teacher of Spanish was more similar to your French teacher with the Spanish songs and cartoons. I did not pick up well with this method. Much like you it sounds like I did better going through actual conversations with someone rather than me trying to sing or keep up with someone else’s conversations.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia, I agree that the people around me definitely influenced whether or not I continued to practice my language speaking skills. I am surprised music and other fine arts did not help you with learning your second language, like Wright believes (2015). Though, I remember one of our power points mentioning the different learning styles of our students, and how each student varied from one to the next. Perhaps you are not an auditory learner? From your experiences with conversations and interactions, it seems like you might be more of a kinesthetic learner. Would you say that your teaching style may have more interactive methods and strategies incorporated in comparison to other teachers?
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