In chapter five I really liked seeing a chart on page 114, which labels modifications to help in academic texts. I feel like I am a least helping my students when I teach. I especially do this in my history lessons. I will read the text to them and then on board write notes in simpler terms, and write it in note format, and add lots of pictures for deeper understanding. From reading the chapter I really see that I really need to work on interactional modifications. I really don’t give time for students to talk and have time to social interaction. I am always afraid they will not talk about what I want them to do, not realizing that social interaction will help them with their vocabulary, expanded and elaborate on what they talk about. A point in this chapter that is very true for my students is that as they are learning L2 they are becoming the translators, I see this all the time even when I need to communicate with their parents they are being the translator for me to them. I also have seen over the years that the parents are losing the rule as parents and students are figuring out how to undermine the parents’ authority due to the lack of language. I had to see this since my students parents really care, but feel like they are pushed against the wall with not being able to communicate with me or other teachers. I am also seeing that my students are losing their their L1. They are having a hard time remembering words and are becoming ill-equipped in their own national language. I also feel that I am more aware of how to give positive feedback to my students when talking. In chapter six I really liked to read the vocabulary section, I have know about the high frequency words but I liked to have a list of function words to add to my wall of knowledge in the classroom. I think this will be helpful for my students. In addition I liked the Academic word list to have or talk about with my students. Something I will keep I mind when teaching or using these words. The biggest take away for me is the reading, writing, listening and speaking section. Reading I see is the most important too, I liked the break down of abilities. It says that students should have their L1 to help them transfer knowledge so I wonder do the bilingual teachers teach reading in Spanish or go right into English. I never have asked, but I wonder now. I wonder if it would make a difference for them when it coming to reading. I also really liked the information on the order of reading tests. As I read this I was thinking that being able to critique and evaluate in reading is the last point they hit. This explains why taking the ISAT test is so hard, and I wonder how much this will affect my students when I add more common core teaching next year. Since both parts use more critiquing of what they read and deeper meaning questions. The listening section was great they need to be able to speak up and participate in class more. That is very important to me now and I even want more of it next year. By giving them a time to speak up and ask questions when I am teaching will help with any questions that I might have not cover and bridge the gap of background knowledge. In turn this gives an opportunity for my students to speak using their appropriate vocabulary and share knowledge about the topic at hand. From having a chance to talk they will also learn how repair misunderstanding and how to sustain interpersonal interactions. Writing is often a problem for my exited bilingual students. I can see that by me modeling it helps but that a few times of modeling might not be enough they need this in the early stages of writing. I will do more of that next year, especially since I am getting an exited child with low writing scores.
In chapter 5 the statement which really stood out was by Gonzalez(1986), he stated, "studies show that immigrant students from Mexico who attended Mexico schools for 2 years prior to coming to the U.S. had higher reading scores in English by the 6th grade than did Spanish L1 peers who began school in the U.S." How is this related to L1 English speakers who begin Dual 2-way programs in kindergarten? Have these students developed the necessary cognitive and academic competence to help them transfer their knowledge from English(L1) into Spanish(L2)? If the first 3 years of their schooling is in a classroom with 90% of their schooling in their L2 will they fully develop their L1 and will their L2 be able to fully develop if they haven't developed competence in L1? I also liked the following comment by Gonzalez, "Age of 1st exposure to a new language is less important for predicting ultimate ability than the age when learning the L2 really becomes important to the learners and when they take responsibility for that learning." This seems to confirm that individuals are never too old to learn a new language as long as the desire to do so is genuine.
Being able to interact when learning another language is so important it allows the learner to be able to practice and get input from the listener. This allows the speaker who is going through SLA to development more effectively. The scaffolding process is so evident when trying to speak and communicate with another person. I have had experience this with my own students’ parents and with some of my students when trying to communicate what was needed to understand the lesson. I remember another time when I was helping a person with directions to a certain store. I never thought that I was scaffolding and going through the ZPD in our process of communication. This is a wholelistic approach for SLA to accrue. Do to so many micro and macrosocial influences in the environment when a person is learning a second language. It really does depend on how the learner will acquire a second language fully. Through interaction with family, community, education and a learner’s background knowledge the interaction will depend on how well they develop their SLA. Academic vs. interpersonal develop is much different from each other because for academic it becomes more of reading and writing comprehension were as interpersonal development is more for speaking and listening. Each can differ in their own area due to the environment there are trying to communicate in. It is so true that vocabulary is so important when accruing a second language. It was interesting to me that academic and interpersonal vocab was different, but each must have some form of high frequency words that carry over between each other. In order for SLA to accrue the learner needs to develop those high frequency words in order to communicate. Again I see second language learners go through the stages of develop in their second language. The stages all begin with vocabulary, morphology, phonology, syntax, verbal, but again it all depends on the learner’s level of knowledge of their first language and the second language.
Saville-Troike Chapters 5 and 6 One of the most significant comments from the chapter that stuck with me, was the very last line in chapter 5. It says, “These various factors are beyond the control of the individual, but whether options are available or not, one’s L1 and possible L2 can have profound effects on the course of one’s life.” I truly believe this is true. If a person has the motivation and want to learn a language for whatever reason, then they will be more likely to do so. Also, if a person is around people that speak that language or sees the language in writing, then they will be more capable of learning the language and becoming close to proficient in it. I think that the more resources and opportunities a person has to learn a language, the more likely it will become a reality. I also found the part about private speech or inner speech fascinating. I had a student that did this during class. His desk was close to where I would write on the overhead, so I would overhear him doing this. I never knew what he was doing, but as soon as I read this, it was an “ahh hah” moment. As I think back about it, he was saying the sentence he was trying to write in different ways, using different forms of the verb. He continually did this, until he came up with the “correct” way to write it. During my reading of Chapter 6, I found the part about when people talk and have a conversation interesting. I did not know that in some cultures it is considered rude if you begin to respond to a speaker too quickly. I guess I never really thought about “rules” being applied to how we speak to each other socially, for instance, speaking before an elder, interrupting, or not waiting long enough between interactions. There are so many factors involved with learning a second language. To be proficient in a language, one must be able to speak, write and read it both academically and socially. No wonder our students have so much difficulty with this. They are not only trying to do this with their L1, but also their L2. I have difficulty with this and I am only learning one language.
After reading chapters 5 & 6 in Troike two things stuck out to me. First is how input and interaction and the nature of input modifications, described on pages 112-114. I found it interesting how the study conducted by Joanne Kleifgen described how a native English language teacher unconsciously modified her utterances to L2 children in order for them to better understand based on their L2 proficiency. She mentions that this has probably been developed over the course of time with the teacher’s experience with her own native language and understanding L2 learners. My question is, how do I know when it is appropriate to drop grammatical correctness in order to communicate more clearly to my L2 learners? Will this just happen over time. Maybe it already does. In speaking to our night custodian, Juan, we smile a lot and say hello and thank you. We don’t engage in lengthy conversations mainly because of his limited English and my limited Spanish. We make a lot of gestures (smiles and hand movements). When we do have to communicate it is awkward, but friendly. There is a mutual desire to accomplish our goal of communicating effectively. We are both working hard at being successful, which is usually concluded with a lot of smiles. I tend to speak just the way Kleifgen’s subject did when talking to her students, which is similar to what Troike describes as “baby talk”. One example of this happened when Juan was trying to tell me something, but didn’t have the words to express what he wanted to say. It was late in the day and I might have been the only one in the school besides Juan. He was using hand gestures pointing to outside my windows (which were closed by the blinds). He used words like kids, smoke, out, all while gesturing to the windows. I finally “got it” when he put his fingers to his mouth in a pinched form, much like a person would hold a marijuana joint (not that I know anything about that!) gesture. I finally understood and went to the doors leading outside and there were two teens doing exactly what Juan had communicated. It bothered him enough to want to let me know that and he spoke to me in the best way he could so that we understood each other. I guess I do that too, with some of my students’ parents and should feel that it is okay to do so, but I have to admit I feel that I am insulting them by speaking in such a simplistic way. I have to get over it and realize this is what Troike is explaining about “communicative competence.”
The second item I found interesting was the explanation of academic versus interperpersonal competence. I see myself as wanting to learn to speak Spanish so I can better communicate with my students’ parents as well as community members. It would be beneficial in the classroom as a way of letting students know I am interested in their L1. My students have a much more daunting task. They have to not only build on their SLA, but they are having to become proficient in their reading and writing in L2. It seems that I have the easier task.
After reading ch. 5 there was a section that made me wonder about not only the L2 learners in the school I teach in, but our students in general. The book considers circumstances of learning on pg 135, and that by the time children begin their formal education, they have already internalized the basic values and beliefs of their native culture, learned the rules of behavior, and learned how to learn. This concerns me only because many of our students come from homes where they aren't read or talked to, so have they really learned "how to learn?" I see so many students struggling with so many of these circumstances If this is true, it is scary.
As I read chapter 5, I made some connections about L1 and L2 learners developing language through mediation. This student-centered activity is essential in my opinion for students to learn from each other and build relationships within the classroom. Mediation occurs in my room during Making Meaning, Being a Writer, and math. Making Meaning is a read-aloud program that U-46 adopted several years ago. While I am reading a book to the students, they are given time within the reading to share ideas with each other. They are assigned partners and have discussions about what is happening in the story. Being a Writer is a similar program. Students listen to a read-aloud and develop writing ideas. Once again, they work with a partner and discuss ideas. Each day, students are given an opportunity to share their writing pieces with their peers. Because I teach a 4/5th grade combination class, math is done with center activities. While I meet with small groups of students, the other students are working in various centers. Students rotate centers every 20 minutes. During these various activities, once again, students have opportunities to work together and develop language. I have to admit that I used to be one of those teachers that did not like my students speaking Spanish to another Spanish speaker. I would assume that they were socializing. I realize now what a misconception that was and how important it is for L1 and L2 learners to provide that mediation. It not only builds trust among one another, but it honors the Hispanic culture. I see inner speech occur in both my L1 and L2 learners during guiding reading. I first learned about this metacognitive strategy while I was working on my Masters in Reading. I see and hear it happening quite frequently. Students are consciously planning and monitoring their thoughts as they read aloud. Although I understand that this may not be necessarily tied to language development, I strongly agree with the fact that it provides a “window into the mind” for teachers.
In chapter 5 I really liked enjoyed the part that described foreigner talk, and the part about interactions. I thought the section on foreign talk was interesting because it really made me think about my own experiences with ELL students. It got me to start thinking about whether I had made this adjustments or modifications when speaking with them. I think that I have in fact tried to modify the way I speak in terms of vocabulary. Like the book state, I often used higher level words =, but would then give a definition or explain the usage in more depth. This way I could enrich the student’s vocabulary, but make it feasible for them to understand. I also laughed out loud when I read the part where people start speaking louder to ELLs. I think this was funny because a lot of people do this without realizing they are doing it. I know I am guilty of this, and I often speak really fast, and have been working on learning to control the speed of my speech. I thought the part where Saville Troike talked about the students needed to interact was really important as well. I have always liked to give students, whether they are ELLs or not, a chance to get together to work. I think this is an important social skill that every student needs to acquire in order to be successful in the world, but it can be especially important for L2 learners because this gives them a chance to practice their target language. I also think students that speak the same L1 should be given time to talk to each other, because this helps to reinforce that their L1 is important. In my class, we always encouraged the students to talk in their L1 (when appropriate). Often I would have a student tell me that they did not know a word in English, so I would have them ask a friend in Spanish what the words was in English. Sometimes we had to ask a few students before we got to an answer. I thought this was great for two reasons. One, I feel that by allowing the students to use their L1 it made them felt hat that language was important and values by me. Two sometimes the students would have this really great talks and/or disagreements about how why this word was not/was the same in English or Spanish. By having the kids talk about this they got to further explore their L1, and they got a firmer grasp on their L2. I liked the part in the very beginning of chapter 6 that talked about the differences between academic competence and interpersonal competence. I liked this section because it talked about the differences of these two terms that I think a lot of teachers might overlook. In our classes, we have a lot of students that have a very high level of interpersonal competence. They talk very well and can communicate with native English speakers. I think that when we see this we believe that they are as proficient in academic competence as well. This can be a problem because if a student is proficient tin one area does not necessarily mean they are proficient in the other, especially when it comes to L2 acquisition. I also thought the section in this chapter that talked about the rules of other cultures was interesting. I think these are things that are the hardest for L2 learners to learn, because they are not explicitly taught, but rather something that is picked up by L1 learners as they are acquiring the language.
Learning is a social process and there needs to be interaction that takes place between students as well as the teacher. Many of the Spanish speaking students in my classroom have parents that do not speak English. For many of my Spanish speaking students, the only time they practice in English is within the school day. The opportunity for students to practice and become more efficient in their English is primarily within the school day. After introducing or teaching a concept, I allow students to work together on their common tasks. This time has allowed students to have conversations with one another and to give assistance to each other. Allowing time for students to interact with one another has also allowed students to share or explain in their L1 to students who needed support. Sometimes students will get off topic; however, I believe it is giving students an opportunity to interact and learn from each other. Looking at some of the characteristics of foreigner talk, and some of the modifications from pg. 113-114 I have seen myself do some of these things. The first one that caught my eye was seeing “loud volume.” I have been aware that using loud volume doesn’t make it easier for language learners to process information. I have seen it done in the movies and T.V. shows and it makes me laugh because of how silly it really looks but yet at times I have caught myself from trying to talk louder as a form of strategy. Sub-consciously, I have found myself to begin slowing down and trying to simplify speech when necessary. One area that I see that I can work on modification is when communicating in written format. I need to work on simplifying some of my word choice and sentence structure when sending home information.
In not so technical terms I feel we as teachers are teaching communicative competence to our students each and everyday. It is an important concept for them to learn in order to fit into mainstream society. I thought it was interesting to learn about variable features. Although, I feel students should find what they are comfortable with when speaking. The example the book used for variable discourse was, “Hi” or “I am very pleased to meet you” (page 109). I would believe that all of us as teachers could agree with Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Having students who parents spend more quality time with them at times produces a student with a more complex mental functioning ability.
I also enjoyed the discussion on acculturation. It made me think about what my motivation was for learning Spanish. The discussion on motivational factors and how dominant groups (assuming in this case English speakers) “do not learn a minority language at all” (page 129), makes me feel I have to work that much harder to learn a second language. Thus allowing me to be separated from the norm.
I found parts of chapter 6 building off other chapters in the book. The section on components of language knowledge I think was a matching section on our first test. It was really nice, while I felt as if I was reviewing, to have a feeling of understanding as I read through the materials. Something new and interesting to me were the sections on reading, listening, and writing. Gabe’s fluent academic reading components were interesting. Along with the discussion titled Beginning L2 Listening. How everything at first in a foreign language is noise and the process in which noise becomes meaning.
Troike Chp 5/6 Considering that most the students at my school have one or both parents speaking their native language with little or no L2, my students rely on social and school conversation to gain and retain their L2 language. After this week’s readings, I have come to realize that the social aspect of language acquisition seems to outweigh the classroom. Yes, language syntax and morphology are necessary for strong writing as well as articulation when pursuing employment. However, it is the interpersonal language, the discourse between students as they navigate the language between them, whether it be with a strong, near native speaker, or an L2 who is at a similar interlanguage level as they are themselves are, to scaffold each other through conversation to acquire L2 langauge.
I had to laugh as I looked over my notes again to read foreign speaker. Loud, hesitant, yes, that was me as a speaker of Spanish the two times I took a foreign language class. And I find myself speaking louder to the parents of my students when I feel the parent is not understanding what I am saying. Geez, I really need to stop increasing the volume of my speech act as it has no influence on increased comprehension of English for my parents.
Chpt 6 Chapter 6 zero in on reading. I wish I had read this passage a couple of months ago when I still had students at my disposal. Page 166 referenced the four functions of reading. Now that I have read the functions, I realize I have seen this in my classroom. The one function I get frustrated with is the fourth one Troike mentions, reading to critique and evaluate. My students really struggle with this as 5th graders. By the end of the year, I had only a third of my class enjoying success with this function of reading. If this phenomenon is connected to the interlangauge, then it makes sense that time and practice will bring success to fruition. I just wish I was there to see it!
As I read through microsocial factors in chapter 5, I could see variation, input and interaction, and Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory in my own classroom. My students are learning the L2 at different levels, so there is variation in the learning that is occuring in the classroom. The table on page 113, characteristics of foreigner talk, I see with some of my students, and actually see most of the characteristics when speaking to the parents. Scaffolding is a term that I am familiar with from conversations I have had with dual language teachers. Many of them refer to scaffolding when teaching their students, and explained that they include much guidance for their students while teaching the L2. One thing I also heard from the dual language meetings is that when the teacher is teaching Spanish, they are to put something on to show the students that they are transitioning into the second lanugage, such as glasses, or one teacher even put a flower in her hair. As I am taking these classes, especially this one, I am connecting many of the issues with what I hear from the dual language teachers. As I read chapter 6, it was good to read through the six components that we discussed in chapter 3. While we discussed these concepts in our linguistics class, and it is something we have know from our own teaching, it is beneficial to connect these terms to our L2 students. On page 146 it said in contexts where a second language is going to be needed for only a limited range of functions, decide on priorities for what needs to be learned is an important step for teachers and learners to take. I have a curriculum to teach, yet I need to think about the 6 components of lanugage knowledge for my students that are learning English, and I need to prioritize these components to fit their needs.
Session 5: Saville-Troike Chapter 5 In this chapter, the social contexts of second language acquisition are explored. The part that really spoke to me and was relatable to my teaching is the part that discussed grouping people according to social categories. Examples of that being age, sex, ethnicity, education level, and socioeconomic status. In my teaching practice, we keep having this discussion of poverty as related to a students’ ability to learn. I do still believe that it does have an effect on their learning process and second language acquisition. However, I am seeing a little bit more clearly just how much more goes into that and how complex it is to explore someone’s social categories. Chapter 6 In Chapter 6, the focus is acquiring knowledge for L2 use. As I read, I was asking myself the question, why do people need or want to learn a second language, especially with all that goes into it? I found it interesting when the book broke it into two competences: academic and interpersonal. Exploring the competences in this way allowed me to see that there are different levels of acquiring L2. Academically, people learn a second language to be able to be successful in school or work and learn further. Interpersonal is the everyday, face-to-face contact with people who are also speakers of this L2 (whether they be L1 or L2). Both of these aspects are equally important in acquiring L2.
Saville-Troike Chapter 5 [See next post for Chapter 6-It would not accept the whole posting, even though Word says it is 826 words, this site is telling me I have more than the maximum of 4,096 characters...sorry, I have a lot to say!] Chapter 5 deals with the microsocial and macrosocial levels of context that affect language learning. The text says the “microsocial focus deals with the potential effects of different immediately surrounding circumstances while the macrosocial focus relates SLA to broader cultural, political, and educational environments.” I found several area of interest as I read the chapter. First was the variation that was originally labeled as “unsystematic irregularity” in the production of language. But placed under a category of “variable features” suddenly it “follows regular and predictable patterns.” This accounts for the wide variety of dialect and word choices. Sometimes I think academics are so narrowly focused on research and in their eagerness to categorize and label phenomena, they miss the forest for the trees. Naturally people will use various ways of putting sentences together depending on the context of their learning; that is what makes language so rich. I also found the data on how we modify our speech to interact with an L2 learner to be fascinating and true. I find myself simplifying the vocabulary and sentence structure, slowing my speech rate, and speaking very clearly to the parents of my ELLs at conference time. Scaffolding is something I am familiar with and employ intentionally both inside and outside the classroom. I think we are all familiar with how we scaffold instruction in the classroom so let me give you an example from my home. In teaching my son how to do the dishes, I intentionally worked out a scaffolding program that lasted about five years! At first when he was very young, he would just put the silverware away after I took out all the sharp knives and I would unload the rest. Then he would put the plates and cups away. Gradually he learned where everything went. Then we added the doing of the dishes. I would rinse them and hand them to him and guide him as to how to load the dishwasher. If he put something in the “wrong” place I remember telling him, “When I load the washer, I like to put these taller glasses in this area so they get cleaned with the bottom sprayer.” Now at age 12½, I just say, “Nathaniel can you take care of the dishes?” and I know that he will know all the ins and outs of the process. Vygotsky would be proud of him, he never could have done it all without scaffolding! Another area of interest to me is the macrosocial aspect of language as it applies to a national identity. The text says that language can “serve both to unify speakers as members of one language community, and to exclude outsiders from insider communication.” This reminds me of living in and learning Indonesian. I learned not only the language, but the cultural aspects of the nation. One thing I found interesting is that I was told the government purposely used Bahasa Indonesian “the Indonesian Language” to unify the more than 3,000 islands and over 700 languages. Bahasa is taught in all the schools and is the language of everything official, but in the markets and streets of Java, everyone speaks Javanese. An interesting bilingual setting!
I know you said to put both posts together, but the site would not accept it, so here is my reflection on Chapter 6: Chapter 6 was a much more “academic” chapter for me. I found myself thinking back on the various languages I took in my life as I read about academic competence and interpersonal competence. When I took Spanish in high school, I learned for the sake of academic competence, to get a good grade and pass the class. The same holds true for the one year I took of Russian. I retain about three phrases from that entire year of work because I was not exposed to anyone else who was a native speaker of the language and I did not have interpersonal reasons for learning it. Another part of chapter 6 that made an impression on me was the section about how important reading is to the development of L2 academic competence. I will be copying Grabe’s six “component abilities and types of knowledge that are involved” in fluent reading. I see many aspects that I emphasize in my classroom like learning specifically how texts are organized. Grabe calls it “formal discourse structure knowledge.” I call it “tackling” the text. When you are faced with a diary book, how it is organized? What can you expect to see when you open the books? Dates, chronological order, letter-writing to the book as if it were a person, etc… I also was interested in the four academic settings for reading on page 166. I see the different levels of difficulty and my students definitely have problems with the highest level, that of “reading to critique and evaluate.” It is an area that I push them toward all year by challenging them to “go deeper” into the book, to infer and read between the lines. Tough to do, but worth the effort.
I enjoyed reading chapter 5, for the review portion as well as for the information on SLA influences and the effects they have on L2 acquisition. SLA needs to be accomplished with interaction from others, whether in the natural setting or in the formal classroom, as we learn through Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. I can relate to the Accommodation Theory and how speakers change their sentence structure and/or pronunciation depending on who their speaking to and in what context. I do this myself when speaking to parents, mainly because I feel so inept when trying to speak Spanish to them, and find myself using many of the characteristics of Table 5.1 when trying to communicate with them. I do appreciate parent’s feedback, but only receive it when I explicitly ask for it. If I ask them how to say something they tell me, but that’s it, nothing more. I appreciate their direct correction, just as I hope my students appreciate the direct correction I give them. After completing this week’s reading with all the information regarding correcting L2 learners, I still wonder if it should be done or not. As long as the correction is respectful and explicitly stated so the student learns, I don’t see it to be harmful. Using the practice of scaffolding within the ZPD, is another way second language is acquired. I see this in my classroom through private speech or self-talk and student collaboration. Finally, we learn of different macrosocial factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and prior education which affect SLA. Chapter 6 begins reviewing communicative and linguistic competence as well as academic and interpersonal competence. This knowledge of the language is necessary and useful for communicating and everyday life interactions as well as for academic or business knowledge. As we’ve learned prior, the components of the language: vocabulary; morphology; phonology; syntax; and discourse are all necessary for L2 acquisition. When learning L2 for communicative purposes, speaking and listening skills are important. When learning L2 for academic or business purposes, reading and listening, sometimes writing are important skills necessary for this type of success.
In chapter five I really liked seeing a chart on page 114, which labels modifications to help in academic texts. I feel like I am a least helping my students when I teach. I especially do this in my history lessons. I will read the text to them and then on board write notes in simpler terms, and write it in note format, and add lots of pictures for deeper understanding. From reading the chapter I really see that I really need to work on interactional modifications. I really don’t give time for students to talk and have time to social interaction. I am always afraid they will not talk about what I want them to do, not realizing that social interaction will help them with their vocabulary, expanded and elaborate on what they talk about. A point in this chapter that is very true for my students is that as they are learning L2 they are becoming the translators, I see this all the time even when I need to communicate with their parents they are being the translator for me to them. I also have seen over the years that the parents are losing the rule as parents and students are figuring out how to undermine the parents’ authority due to the lack of language. I had to see this since my students parents really care, but feel like they are pushed against the wall with not being able to communicate with me or other teachers. I am also seeing that my students are losing their their L1. They are having a hard time remembering words and are becoming ill-equipped in their own national language. I also feel that I am more aware of how to give positive feedback to my students when talking.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter six I really liked to read the vocabulary section, I have know about the high frequency words but I liked to have a list of function words to add to my wall of knowledge in the classroom. I think this will be helpful for my students. In addition I liked the Academic word list to have or talk about with my students. Something I will keep I mind when teaching or using these words. The biggest take away for me is the reading, writing, listening and speaking section. Reading I see is the most important too, I liked the break down of abilities. It says that students should have their L1 to help them transfer knowledge so I wonder do the bilingual teachers teach reading in Spanish or go right into English. I never have asked, but I wonder now. I wonder if it would make a difference for them when it coming to reading. I also really liked the information on the order of reading tests. As I read this I was thinking that being able to critique and evaluate in reading is the last point they hit. This explains why taking the ISAT test is so hard, and I wonder how much this will affect my students when I add more common core teaching next year. Since both parts use more critiquing of what they read and deeper meaning questions. The listening section was great they need to be able to speak up and participate in class more. That is very important to me now and I even want more of it next year. By giving them a time to speak up and ask questions when I am teaching will help with any questions that I might have not cover and bridge the gap of background knowledge. In turn this gives an opportunity for my students to speak using their appropriate vocabulary and share knowledge about the topic at hand. From having a chance to talk they will also learn how repair misunderstanding and how to sustain interpersonal interactions. Writing is often a problem for my exited bilingual students. I can see that by me modeling it helps but that a few times of modeling might not be enough they need this in the early stages of writing. I will do more of that next year, especially since I am getting an exited child with low writing scores.
In chapter 5 the statement which really stood out was by Gonzalez(1986), he stated, "studies show that immigrant students from Mexico who attended Mexico schools for 2 years prior to coming to the U.S. had higher reading scores in English by the 6th grade than did Spanish L1 peers who began school in the U.S." How is this related to L1 English speakers who begin Dual 2-way programs in kindergarten? Have these students developed the necessary cognitive and academic competence to help them transfer their knowledge from English(L1) into Spanish(L2)? If the first 3 years of their schooling is in a classroom with 90% of their schooling in their L2 will they fully develop their L1 and will their L2 be able to fully develop if they haven't developed competence in L1?
ReplyDeleteI also liked the following comment by Gonzalez, "Age of 1st exposure to a new language is less important for predicting ultimate ability than the age when learning the L2 really becomes important to the learners and when they take responsibility for that learning." This seems to confirm that individuals are never too old to learn a new language as long as the desire to do so is genuine.
Being able to interact when learning another language is so important it allows the learner to be able to practice and get input from the listener. This allows the speaker who is going through SLA to development more effectively. The scaffolding process is so evident when trying to speak and communicate with another person. I have had experience this with my own students’ parents and with some of my students when trying to communicate what was needed to understand the lesson. I remember another time when I was helping a person with directions to a certain store. I never thought that I was scaffolding and going through the ZPD in our process of communication.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wholelistic approach for SLA to accrue. Do to so many micro and macrosocial influences in the environment when a person is learning a second language. It really does depend on how the learner will acquire a second language fully. Through interaction with family, community, education and a learner’s background knowledge the interaction will depend on how well they develop their SLA.
Academic vs. interpersonal develop is much different from each other because for academic it becomes more of reading and writing comprehension were as interpersonal development is more for speaking and listening. Each can differ in their own area due to the environment there are trying to communicate in.
It is so true that vocabulary is so important when accruing a second language. It was interesting to me that academic and interpersonal vocab was different, but each must have some form of high frequency words that carry over between each other. In order for SLA to accrue the learner needs to develop those high frequency words in order to communicate. Again I see second language learners go through the stages of develop in their second language. The stages all begin with vocabulary, morphology, phonology, syntax, verbal, but again it all depends on the learner’s level of knowledge of their first language and the second language.
Saville-Troike Chapters 5 and 6
ReplyDeleteOne of the most significant comments from the chapter that stuck with me, was the very last line in chapter 5. It says, “These various factors are beyond the control of the individual, but whether options are available or not, one’s L1 and possible L2 can have profound effects on the course of one’s life.” I truly believe this is true. If a person has the motivation and want to learn a language for whatever reason, then they will be more likely to do so. Also, if a person is around people that speak that language or sees the language in writing, then they will be more capable of learning the language and becoming close to proficient in it. I think that the more resources and opportunities a person has to learn a language, the more likely it will become a reality.
I also found the part about private speech or inner speech fascinating. I had a student that did this during class. His desk was close to where I would write on the overhead, so I would overhear him doing this. I never knew what he was doing, but as soon as I read this, it was an “ahh hah” moment. As I think back about it, he was saying the sentence he was trying to write in different ways, using different forms of the verb. He continually did this, until he came up with the “correct” way to write it.
During my reading of Chapter 6, I found the part about when people talk and have a conversation interesting. I did not know that in some cultures it is considered rude if you begin to respond to a speaker too quickly. I guess I never really thought about “rules” being applied to how we speak to each other socially, for instance, speaking before an elder, interrupting, or not waiting long enough between interactions. There are so many factors involved with learning a second language. To be proficient in a language, one must be able to speak, write and read it both academically and socially. No wonder our students have so much difficulty with this. They are not only trying to do this with their L1, but also their L2. I have difficulty with this and I am only learning one language.
After reading chapters 5 & 6 in Troike two things stuck out to me. First is how input and interaction and the nature of input modifications, described on pages 112-114. I found it interesting how the study conducted by Joanne Kleifgen described how a native English language teacher unconsciously modified her utterances to L2 children in order for them to better understand based on their L2 proficiency. She mentions that this has probably been developed over the course of time with the teacher’s experience with her own native language and understanding L2 learners. My question is, how do I know when it is appropriate to drop grammatical correctness in order to communicate more clearly to my L2 learners? Will this just happen over time. Maybe it already does. In speaking to our night custodian, Juan, we smile a lot and say hello and thank you. We don’t engage in lengthy conversations mainly because of his limited English and my limited Spanish. We make a lot of gestures (smiles and hand movements). When we do have to communicate it is awkward, but friendly. There is a mutual desire to accomplish our goal of communicating effectively. We are both working hard at being successful, which is usually concluded with a lot of smiles. I tend to speak just the way Kleifgen’s subject did when talking to her students, which is similar to what Troike describes as “baby talk”. One example of this happened when Juan was trying to tell me something, but didn’t have the words to express what he wanted to say. It was late in the day and I might have been the only one in the school besides Juan. He was using hand gestures pointing to outside my windows (which were closed by the blinds). He used words like kids, smoke, out, all while gesturing to the windows. I finally “got it” when he put his fingers to his mouth in a pinched form, much like a person would hold a marijuana joint (not that I know anything about that!) gesture. I finally understood and went to the doors leading outside and there were two teens doing exactly what Juan had communicated. It bothered him enough to want to let me know that and he spoke to me in the best way he could so that we understood each other. I guess I do that too, with some of my students’ parents and should feel that it is okay to do so, but I have to admit I feel that I am insulting them by speaking in such a simplistic way. I have to get over it and realize this is what Troike is explaining about “communicative competence.”
ReplyDeleteThe second item I found interesting was the explanation of academic versus interperpersonal competence. I see myself as wanting to learn to speak Spanish so I can better communicate with my students’ parents as well as community members. It would be beneficial in the classroom as a way of letting students know I am interested in their L1. My students have a much more daunting task. They have to not only build on their SLA, but they are having to become proficient in their reading and writing in L2. It seems that I have the easier task.
After reading ch. 5 there was a section that made me wonder about not only the L2 learners in the school I teach in, but our students in general. The book considers circumstances of learning on pg 135, and that by the time children begin their formal education, they have already internalized the basic values and beliefs of their native culture, learned the rules of behavior, and learned how to learn. This concerns me only because many of our students come from homes where they aren't read or talked to, so have they really learned "how to learn?" I see so many students struggling with so many of these circumstances If this is true, it is scary.
ReplyDeleteAs I read chapter 5, I made some connections about L1 and L2 learners developing language through mediation. This student-centered activity is essential in my opinion for students to learn from each other and build relationships within the classroom. Mediation occurs in my room during Making Meaning, Being a Writer, and math. Making Meaning is a read-aloud program that U-46 adopted several years ago. While I am reading a book to the students, they are given time within the reading to share ideas with each other. They are assigned partners and have discussions about what is happening in the story. Being a Writer is a similar program. Students listen to a read-aloud and develop writing ideas. Once again, they work with a partner and discuss ideas. Each day, students are given an opportunity to share their writing pieces with their peers. Because I teach a 4/5th grade combination class, math is done with center activities. While I meet with small groups of students, the other students are working in various centers. Students rotate centers every 20 minutes. During these various activities, once again, students have opportunities to work together and develop language.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I used to be one of those teachers that did not like my students speaking Spanish to another Spanish speaker. I would assume that they were socializing. I realize now what a misconception that was and how important it is for L1 and L2 learners to provide that mediation. It not only builds trust among one another, but it honors the Hispanic culture.
I see inner speech occur in both my L1 and L2 learners during guiding reading. I first learned about this metacognitive strategy while I was working on my Masters in Reading. I see and hear it happening quite frequently. Students are consciously planning and monitoring their thoughts as they read aloud. Although I understand that this may not be necessarily tied to language development, I strongly agree with the fact that it provides a “window into the mind” for teachers.
In chapter 5 I really liked enjoyed the part that described foreigner talk, and the part about interactions. I thought the section on foreign talk was interesting because it really made me think about my own experiences with ELL students. It got me to start thinking about whether I had made this adjustments or modifications when speaking with them. I think that I have in fact tried to modify the way I speak in terms of vocabulary. Like the book state, I often used higher level words =, but would then give a definition or explain the usage in more depth. This way I could enrich the student’s vocabulary, but make it feasible for them to understand. I also laughed out loud when I read the part where people start speaking louder to ELLs. I think this was funny because a lot of people do this without realizing they are doing it. I know I am guilty of this, and I often speak really fast, and have been working on learning to control the speed of my speech.
ReplyDeleteI thought the part where Saville Troike talked about the students needed to interact was really important as well. I have always liked to give students, whether they are ELLs or not, a chance to get together to work. I think this is an important social skill that every student needs to acquire in order to be successful in the world, but it can be especially important for L2 learners because this gives them a chance to practice their target language. I also think students that speak the same L1 should be given time to talk to each other, because this helps to reinforce that their L1 is important. In my class, we always encouraged the students to talk in their L1 (when appropriate). Often I would have a student tell me that they did not know a word in English, so I would have them ask a friend in Spanish what the words was in English. Sometimes we had to ask a few students before we got to an answer. I thought this was great for two reasons. One, I feel that by allowing the students to use their L1 it made them felt hat that language was important and values by me. Two sometimes the students would have this really great talks and/or disagreements about how why this word was not/was the same in English or Spanish. By having the kids talk about this they got to further explore their L1, and they got a firmer grasp on their L2.
I liked the part in the very beginning of chapter 6 that talked about the differences between academic competence and interpersonal competence. I liked this section because it talked about the differences of these two terms that I think a lot of teachers might overlook. In our classes, we have a lot of students that have a very high level of interpersonal competence. They talk very well and can communicate with native English speakers. I think that when we see this we believe that they are as proficient in academic competence as well. This can be a problem because if a student is proficient tin one area does not necessarily mean they are proficient in the other, especially when it comes to L2 acquisition. I also thought the section in this chapter that talked about the rules of other cultures was interesting. I think these are things that are the hardest for L2 learners to learn, because they are not explicitly taught, but rather something that is picked up by L1 learners as they are acquiring the language.
Learning is a social process and there needs to be interaction that takes place between students as well as the teacher. Many of the Spanish speaking students in my classroom have parents that do not speak English. For many of my Spanish speaking students, the only time they practice in English is within the school day. The opportunity for students to practice and become more efficient in their English is primarily within the school day. After introducing or teaching a concept, I allow students to work together on their common tasks. This time has allowed students to have conversations with one another and to give assistance to each other. Allowing time for students to interact with one another has also allowed students to share or explain in their L1 to students who needed support. Sometimes students will get off topic; however, I believe it is giving students an opportunity to interact and learn from each other. Looking at some of the characteristics of foreigner talk, and some of the modifications from pg. 113-114 I have seen myself do some of these things. The first one that caught my eye was seeing “loud volume.” I have been aware that using loud volume doesn’t make it easier for language learners to process information. I have seen it done in the movies and T.V. shows and it makes me laugh because of how silly it really looks but yet at times I have caught myself from trying to talk louder as a form of strategy. Sub-consciously, I have found myself to begin slowing down and trying to simplify speech when necessary. One area that I see that I can work on modification is when communicating in written format. I need to work on simplifying some of my word choice and sentence structure when sending home information.
ReplyDeleteIn not so technical terms I feel we as teachers are teaching communicative competence to our students each and everyday. It is an important concept for them to learn in order to fit into mainstream society. I thought it was interesting to learn about variable features. Although, I feel students should find what they are comfortable with when speaking. The example the book used for variable discourse was, “Hi” or “I am very pleased to meet you” (page 109). I would believe that all of us as teachers could agree with Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Having students who parents spend more quality time with them at times produces a student with a more complex mental functioning ability.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the discussion on acculturation. It made me think about what my motivation was for learning Spanish. The discussion on motivational factors and how dominant groups (assuming in this case English speakers) “do not learn a minority language at all” (page 129), makes me feel I have to work that much harder to learn a second language. Thus allowing me to be separated from the norm.
I found parts of chapter 6 building off other chapters in the book. The section on components of language knowledge I think was a matching section on our first test. It was really nice, while I felt as if I was reviewing, to have a feeling of understanding as I read through the materials. Something new and interesting to me were the sections on reading, listening, and writing. Gabe’s fluent academic reading components were interesting. Along with the discussion titled Beginning L2 Listening. How everything at first in a foreign language is noise and the process in which noise becomes meaning.
Troike Chp 5/6
ReplyDeleteConsidering that most the students at my school have one or both parents speaking their native language with little or no L2, my students rely on social and school conversation to gain and retain their L2 language. After this week’s readings, I have come to realize that the social aspect of language acquisition seems to outweigh the classroom. Yes, language syntax and morphology are necessary for strong writing as well as articulation when pursuing employment. However, it is the interpersonal language, the discourse between students as they navigate the language between them, whether it be with a strong, near native speaker, or an L2 who is at a similar interlanguage level as they are themselves are, to scaffold each other through conversation to acquire L2 langauge.
I had to laugh as I looked over my notes again to read foreign speaker. Loud, hesitant, yes, that was me as a speaker of Spanish the two times I took a foreign language class. And I find myself speaking louder to the parents of my students when I feel the parent is not understanding what I am saying. Geez, I really need to stop increasing the volume of my speech act as it has no influence on increased comprehension of English for my parents.
Chpt 6
Chapter 6 zero in on reading. I wish I had read this passage a couple of months ago when I still had students at my disposal. Page 166 referenced the four functions of reading. Now that I have read the functions, I realize I have seen this in my classroom. The one function I get frustrated with is the fourth one Troike mentions, reading to critique and evaluate. My students really struggle with this as 5th graders. By the end of the year, I had only a third of my class enjoying success with this function of reading. If this phenomenon is connected to the interlangauge, then it makes sense that time and practice will bring success to fruition. I just wish I was there to see it!
As I read through microsocial factors in chapter 5, I could see variation, input and interaction, and Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory in my own classroom. My students are learning the L2 at different levels, so there is variation in the learning that is occuring in the classroom. The table on page 113, characteristics of foreigner talk, I see with some of my students, and actually see most of the characteristics when speaking to the parents. Scaffolding is a term that I am familiar with from conversations I have had with dual language teachers. Many of them refer to scaffolding when teaching their students, and explained that they include much guidance for their students while teaching the L2. One thing I also heard from the dual language meetings is that when the teacher is teaching Spanish, they are to put something on to show the students that they are transitioning into the second lanugage, such as glasses, or one teacher even put a flower in her hair. As I am taking these classes, especially this one, I am connecting many of the issues with what I hear from the dual language teachers. As I read chapter 6, it was good to read through the six components that we discussed in chapter 3. While we discussed these concepts in our linguistics class, and it is something we have know from our own teaching, it is beneficial to connect these terms to our L2 students. On page 146 it said in contexts where a second language is going to be needed for only a limited range of functions, decide on priorities for what needs to be learned is an important step for teachers and learners to take. I have a curriculum to teach, yet I need to think about the 6 components of lanugage knowledge for my students that are learning English, and I need to prioritize these components to fit their needs.
ReplyDeleteSession 5: Saville-Troike Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, the social contexts of second language acquisition are explored. The part that really spoke to me and was relatable to my teaching is the part that discussed grouping people according to social categories. Examples of that being age, sex, ethnicity, education level, and socioeconomic status. In my teaching practice, we keep having this discussion of poverty as related to a students’ ability to learn. I do still believe that it does have an effect on their learning process and second language acquisition. However, I am seeing a little bit more clearly just how much more goes into that and how complex it is to explore someone’s social categories.
Chapter 6
In Chapter 6, the focus is acquiring knowledge for L2 use. As I read, I was asking myself the question, why do people need or want to learn a second language, especially with all that goes into it? I found it interesting when the book broke it into two competences: academic and interpersonal. Exploring the competences in this way allowed me to see that there are different levels of acquiring L2. Academically, people learn a second language to be able to be successful in school or work and learn further. Interpersonal is the everyday, face-to-face contact with people who are also speakers of this L2 (whether they be L1 or L2). Both of these aspects are equally important in acquiring L2.
Saville-Troike Chapter 5 [See next post for Chapter 6-It would not accept the whole posting, even though Word says it is 826 words, this site is telling me I have more than the maximum of 4,096 characters...sorry, I have a lot to say!]
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 deals with the microsocial and macrosocial levels of context that affect language learning. The text says the “microsocial focus deals with the potential effects of different immediately surrounding circumstances while the macrosocial focus relates SLA to broader cultural, political, and educational environments.”
I found several area of interest as I read the chapter. First was the variation that was originally labeled as “unsystematic irregularity” in the production of language. But placed under a category of “variable features” suddenly it “follows regular and predictable patterns.” This accounts for the wide variety of dialect and word choices. Sometimes I think academics are so narrowly focused on research and in their eagerness to categorize and label phenomena, they miss the forest for the trees. Naturally people will use various ways of putting sentences together depending on the context of their learning; that is what makes language so rich.
I also found the data on how we modify our speech to interact with an L2 learner to be fascinating and true. I find myself simplifying the vocabulary and sentence structure, slowing my speech rate, and speaking very clearly to the parents of my ELLs at conference time.
Scaffolding is something I am familiar with and employ intentionally both inside and outside the classroom. I think we are all familiar with how we scaffold instruction in the classroom so let me give you an example from my home. In teaching my son how to do the dishes, I intentionally worked out a scaffolding program that lasted about five years! At first when he was very young, he would just put the silverware away after I took out all the sharp knives and I would unload the rest. Then he would put the plates and cups away. Gradually he learned where everything went. Then we added the doing of the dishes. I would rinse them and hand them to him and guide him as to how to load the dishwasher. If he put something in the “wrong” place I remember telling him, “When I load the washer, I like to put these taller glasses in this area so they get cleaned with the bottom sprayer.” Now at age 12½, I just say, “Nathaniel can you take care of the dishes?” and I know that he will know all the ins and outs of the process. Vygotsky would be proud of him, he never could have done it all without scaffolding!
Another area of interest to me is the macrosocial aspect of language as it applies to a national identity. The text says that language can “serve both to unify speakers as members of one language community, and to exclude outsiders from insider communication.” This reminds me of living in and learning Indonesian. I learned not only the language, but the cultural aspects of the nation. One thing I found interesting is that I was told the government purposely used Bahasa Indonesian “the Indonesian Language” to unify the more than 3,000 islands and over 700 languages. Bahasa is taught in all the schools and is the language of everything official, but in the markets and streets of Java, everyone speaks Javanese. An interesting bilingual setting!
I know you said to put both posts together, but the site would not accept it, so here is my reflection on Chapter 6:
ReplyDeleteChapter 6 was a much more “academic” chapter for me. I found myself thinking back on the various languages I took in my life as I read about academic competence and interpersonal competence. When I took Spanish in high school, I learned for the sake of academic competence, to get a good grade and pass the class. The same holds true for the one year I took of Russian. I retain about three phrases from that entire year of work because I was not exposed to anyone else who was a native speaker of the language and I did not have interpersonal reasons for learning it.
Another part of chapter 6 that made an impression on me was the section about how important reading is to the development of L2 academic competence. I will be copying Grabe’s six “component abilities and types of knowledge that are involved” in fluent reading. I see many aspects that I emphasize in my classroom like learning specifically how texts are organized. Grabe calls it “formal discourse structure knowledge.” I call it “tackling” the text. When you are faced with a diary book, how it is organized? What can you expect to see when you open the books? Dates, chronological order, letter-writing to the book as if it were a person, etc… I also was interested in the four academic settings for reading on page 166. I see the different levels of difficulty and my students definitely have problems with the highest level, that of “reading to critique and evaluate.” It is an area that I push them toward all year by challenging them to “go deeper” into the book, to infer and read between the lines. Tough to do, but worth the effort.
I enjoyed reading chapter 5, for the review portion as well as for the information on SLA influences and the effects they have on L2 acquisition. SLA needs to be accomplished with interaction from others, whether in the natural setting or in the formal classroom, as we learn through Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. I can relate to the Accommodation Theory and how speakers change their sentence structure and/or pronunciation depending on who their speaking to and in what context. I do this myself when speaking to parents, mainly because I feel so inept when trying to speak Spanish to them, and find myself using many of the characteristics of Table 5.1 when trying to communicate with them. I do appreciate parent’s feedback, but only receive it when I explicitly ask for it. If I ask them how to say something they tell me, but that’s it, nothing more. I appreciate their direct correction, just as I hope my students appreciate the direct correction I give them. After completing this week’s reading with all the information regarding correcting L2 learners, I still wonder if it should be done or not. As long as the correction is respectful and explicitly stated so the student learns, I don’t see it to be harmful. Using the practice of scaffolding within the ZPD, is another way second language is acquired. I see this in my classroom through private speech or self-talk and student collaboration. Finally, we learn of different macrosocial factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and prior education which affect SLA.
ReplyDeleteChapter 6 begins reviewing communicative and linguistic competence as well as academic and interpersonal competence. This knowledge of the language is necessary and useful for communicating and everyday life interactions as well as for academic or business knowledge. As we’ve learned prior, the components of the language: vocabulary; morphology; phonology; syntax; and discourse are all necessary for L2 acquisition. When learning L2 for communicative purposes, speaking and listening skills are important. When learning L2 for academic or business purposes, reading and listening, sometimes writing are important skills necessary for this type of success.