I really liked to see the three questions summed up. When it comes to each of these questions there is something I will take back to my classroom. From the questions what the students will learn, the patterns of recurrent elements is important to keep in mind. I know that I will need to add more communication or interaction between students to my class because this is how they acquire knowledge. It also helps and to keep building on their prior knowledge, and that interlanguage system changes. The biggest question that was answered for me way why some students have more success than others. This has even answered the questions for me for why I had a hard time learning L2 too. I feel for me it was my linguistic background was not solid and I was not motivated to do it. I now am motivated to learn, but back then I did not see the point as much as a requirement for school. Most important for me as a teacher it is to help my students master their grammatical forms and through positive feedback. Overall the most important part of this chapter is the last part on page 190 the guidelines to help L2 learning and teaching. All of these points are important for me to think about, but for me the most important to keep in mind is I need to approach my teaching through all three levels of linguistic, psychological and social. I have to really pay close attention to social. I see the school district need to look at the fact that there is no one “best” way to learn. I feel they push us to use what they want but don’t pay attention to the fact that there is no “best” way. I keep seeing how important it is to have interactions with peers and well as through instruction with from the teacher. I see that structure based instructional is best when grammar rules are taught explicitly and students learn mainly through repetition and habit formation. Whereas communicative instructional setting is content based instruction and emphasis meaning both between teachers and students in group or pair work. This time I understand more of the corrective feedback. I see that metalinguistic feedback and repetition are the best ways to talk with your students when making corrections. They seem to learn from clarification. This is something that I would like to work on, so that I am really helping my students when making corrections and not giving negative feedback. The other key point to me was the kinds of questioning, and that I see that I am good at. I was evaluated this year from my boss and she said I was good at open ended questions providing a chance for my students to respond, elaborate, and create a group discussion. I am glad that I am doing that right. Although I know I need to work on my wait time. I see that I really do not give them that much time to respond before going to another student. I see that if I would wait it might not be that they do not know the answer, but they are forming a longer more complex answer. That is something I need to work on and not worry so much about time going over in a lesson.
It is so important for a teacher to be able to observe and ask questions to themselves about the level to what their students are at in their second language development. I think most teachers use the recast method when working with their students in their second language. This method allows the teacher to correct the learner, but not in a way where it is not negative to the learner. The teacher leaves out the errors and redirects the learner to the correct usage of the language without the learner actually knowing that they are being corrected. This is more of a positive feedback for the learner. Allowing students to ask questions with the teacher and their fellow classmates help the second language learners develop their new language. This year I had the fifth grade bilingual class join my fifth grade regular ed. for math and I had the students interact and work together on math problem and projects and I did notice for a lot of my bilingual students their second language improved in both their speaking and reading. Writing we still need to work on that. It is this interaction that reinforces the language and their confidence in their new language.
At the beginning of this chapter, Lightbown and Spada said that many “believe that learning a second language ‘on the street’ is more effective”. I thought this was interesting because many I know that have learned from an immersion experience believe that it was the best way to learn too. The reality is though, that our students will have a mix of both. They live in Hanover Park but a community that is predominantly Spanish speaking. So while they may live in an area that speaks English and are exposed to English in the school, at stores and homes they can speak Spanish. Our students at our school are either in Dual Language program, TB program or in a monolingual program. Even in the monolingual program the majority of students were in a bilingual program at one time. Their SLA continues in this environment even after they are exited from the program. I found the section on communicative instructional settings very interesting. Finding a balance between what is expected of students to know and teaching them thoughtful practice to emphasize meaning is not easy. I think that looking at how and why errors are made in writing is important in the classroom. Even as kids (and adults) we didn’t care for having our writing edited in red pen, it not only made you feel bad but it didn’t encourage learning how to fix the mistakes. Just as we do with our own children at home, students should learn how to naturally correct errors trough the communicative approach.
Seville Troike Chapter 7
In chapter 7, the most significant thing for me was the section on why some learners are more successful than others? This is a question that all teachers ask, and ask often! Macrosocial factors impact attitude and opportunity which are significant to students. Many of our students are learning a second language but also need to learn this language in a social setting and need to learn specific vocabulary and grammar in an academic setting. While in the classroom we use both, it is important for students to see that switching registers is important in many settings. I particularly like the video clip we saw of the classroom playing the jeopardy game learning how to switch register. Another factor is that many of our students do not have a solid understanding of their L1 reading and writing systems before the begin to acquire language. This is where I tend to see a lot of variation in skills in the classroom. Understanding these factors along with strengthening instruction in the classroom will give students a better environment for acquiring language.
I read Troike chapter 7 first. The section on success of L2 learners over others was interesting. I’ve always heard that younger children are more successful in acquiring second language than adults because of brain plasticity. This is mainly because they have fewer inhibitions and are less analytical. But we learned earlier in the book that as children become older, they have more success in the reading and writing form of a second language. Is it too late for me as an adult? I have not been put in a situation where I have to rely on learning L2, but that time is coming. In order to be a more effective teacher I believe it will be imperative to acquire a second language.
I also wonder if I have been successful in how I give corrective feedback. I probably tend to overlook many errors students make because I don’t want them to feel dumb. I also will sometimes joke with them about feedback, but I wonder if this still leaves them feeling dumb. More and more I find myself showing my faults to my students, reminding them that while I make errors, I always strive to get better at getting it correct.
In chapter 5 Lightbown and Spada discussed the different types of questions teachers may use in their classrooms. I could guess that it would be established that the referential questions (and the open-ended questions) would produce the most complex answers. However, I liked how they also stated that the display questions(and closed questions) also had a purpose-basically checking for background knowledge or knowledge of necessary vocabulary. As educators we know we should be utilizing the questioning which requires deep thinking from our students but I know I never really thought about the fact that starting with the simple questions is okay, as long as we delve further. As far as wait time, I am very conscious of waiting before I call on someone and even once I call on someone, I call it "think time". Some students simply need a little extra time to formulate their response and if we wait we are given the opportunity to call on a greater number of students. Thus more students become engaged in their learning.
When reading this chapter I thought about how similar natural acquisition settings are very similar to how a child may learn their L1. When I was reading this section I thought about my dad. He was raised speaking only Spanish for the first 8 years of his life, and I found many of these descriptions to fit him. His errors were never corrected, he was rarely exposed to a lot of written materials, or made to write, and he did not (and still doesn’t) know a good portion of academic vocabulary. After reading, this made total sense since a child would learn their language in a natural setting, but I had never really compared the two this way. This would also give more credit to the idea that people do not truly learn a second language until they are forced to use it, or immersed in the language. Again using my dad, he learned English because his family moved to Illinois, and many people here did not speak Spanish. As a result, my dad speaks English natively in my opinion. He does not have an accent because he worked hard to get rid of it because the kids made fun of him. I think that many schools are now moving to a better model of foreign language or dual language systems, but it is hard to believe that it took this long. The whole section on feedback was interesting and made me look back at how I have corrected students in the past. Have I done it in an appropriate way? What can I do to improve it? I think this section really helped me to rethink how I might correct a student. I have always tried to make my students feel comfortable enough to make mistakes or take a chance. I try to make the students feel comfortable by making mistakes myself. For example, there are many bilingual students in my class who speak Spanish and English. In a way to connect with them I have them teach me Spanish words, or phrases. Some I have no problem pronouncing and others I totally butcher. When I say the words the kids laugh, and will try to correct me. I think this helps them to feel more comfortable with me because they can see that I am not perfect and I make mistakes, and therefore they are more willing to take risks especially when they are trying to pronounce words in English.
Saville-Troike Chapter 7 After reading this chapter, I finally understand the importance of learning the various perspectives of linguists, psychologists and social. Without reviewing these various views we simply are unable to answer the following questions: 1. What is being learned? (Linguistic Perspective) 2. How does a learner acquire language? (Psychologist Perspective) 3. Why are some learners more successful than others? (Social Perspective). In addition to realizing the purpose of various perspectives, I also found “near native competence” important. As an L2 learner you find yourself struggling to find some form of identity in a complex realm of languages. To a non-native Spanish speaker I am considered both fluent and competent in Spanish, however to a native speaker I am considered semi-fluent. As I read this chapter I was able to relate with the statement that said L2’s “may not use words with the same probability of occurrence in the same phrasal units”. In addition to this, I can relate with struggling to “recognize connotations and allusions which require cultural information and experience”. As an L2 learner of Spanish, I find myself able to understand some forms of connotations, however only those that apply to Mexican-Americans. Funny thing is I have friends who are native to Mexico that joke about my ability to know my culture because I am unaware of things such as “Dia de los Ninos”.
Chapter 5 Lightbown and Spada While reading Chapter 5 of Lightbown and Spada, natural acquisition settings really stood out to me. Most of our students get their first experience with English (L2) on the playground. I can agree a great deal with “learners are exposed to a wide variety of vocabulary and structures” and the fact that “learners errors are rarely corrected”. I find this to be true with our students whose L1 is Spanish. Most of their English is learned through media and carried over onto the playground. I find that many students utilize street terminology or slang terms for some of their English words. Interestingly enough our students are not truly taught English through Linguistics. It is common to see a 6th grader enter your classroom without having been taught the consonants and vowels in English. Though they have been taught these concepts in a bilingual classroom, it is usually in L1 (Spanish) and using the Spanish alphabet. It would benefit our students to have some form of structure-based instructional settings where “linguistic items are practiced and presented in isolation”. I also agree with using questions in the classroom. I feel that it’s important for teachers to ask both display and genuine questions. Though display questions might be used more frequently, it’s important to ask genuine questions to show students that we are all learners. This may break the stereotype that teachers know everything.
I liked how chapter 5 from Lightbown and Spada and chapter 7 from Saville-Troike tied together. To me chapter 5 focused more on second language in the classroom setting. The 13 studies in the classroom were interesting and provided insight. Study 2 was cleaver in how recasts (corrections) were made with example but not directed at the one making the error, only later to have the one who made the error correct themselves.
I enjoyed reading chapter 7, especially the area in which it discussed how a learner acquires L2 knowledge, and why some learners are more successful than others. I feel that our class has been introducing us all along to processes or avenues in which one most go through when learning a second language. I also really enjoy and continue to relate to why some people learn a second language easier than others.
When it comes to giving English language learners feedback on errors made when speaking, I have been one to correct verbal errors when I hear them. When errors are made I have often let them go and would respond to them by carrying out the conversation by speaking slower and clearer in hopes of modeling spoken language to them. I never wanted to correct verbal language because I didn’t want to make others feel uncomfortable. I also wanted to try and carry out a conversation rather than having the other person wonder if I was going to analyze everything they were saying. I also applied this to student writing. I quit using red pen when conferencing with students and their writing. I am a believer that marking up papers just turns the writer off to wanting to write. When it comes to student writing, I usually have a conference and will discuss grammatical errors with students. Together we will talk about sentences and discuss ways to say them properly. As we discuss together, I will model what the sentence looks like on the student’s draft. I do not mark up papers and give them back to students to fix. I believe this will just turn students away from writing. I try to provide an environment for students to feel safe and free to take risks in their writing.
Session 6: Lightbown & Spada Chapter 5 In chapter 5, it kind of goes hand-in-hand with what I read in chapter 7 of the other book. I am focusing on the learning and teaching in the second language classroom. Although chapter 7 focuses more on asking the questions about L2 acquisition, chapter 5 does a nice job exploring the background. I enjoyed reading about the differences between natural and instructional settings. I always thought natural would be what the student would come into school already knowing and was surprised to learn that natural instruction is what a student picks up just being in class and having social interactions with peers. Saville-Troike Chapter 7 I really appreciated how chapter 7 got down to the point of L2 learning and teaching and organized it by asking those important questions of L2 acquisition. As I was reading, I interpreted those questions to be the goals of the learner and the teacher. As I teacher, I want to know about my students: WHAT they are coming to know, HOW they are acquiring language, and WHY some of them are going to be more successful than others (social categories?) I believe if I ask myself these questions as teacher, my instruction will be geared towards them and hopefully I will have a better success rate of students acquiring L2 in my class.
After reading chapter five in Lightbown and Spada and looking closer at the charts in the chapter, Compare learning Contexts I could see using in my class. This year my students were grouped with native and L2 students mixed, as well as higher performing and at or below grade level performing students mixed. I find this especially beneficial during word work and writing when students peer edit their work. We do a lot of conversation and discussion in my class, and students are allowed to collaborate, but they are not allowed to just give each other answers and copy. When I explain a question to a student or group of students, and someone else asks the same question, I listen as the student/s I just gave an explanation to now explain it to them. I like this because it forces the students to think about not only what they are saying, but how they are saying it. This also boosts their self-esteem, as they all try to jump in on the explanation and are proud when their classmates learn from them. As I read Study 13: Sociopolitical change and foreign language classroom discourse, it reminded me of my classroom this year, with students learning from each other. I thought Studies 11 and 12, were sad and unfortunate subtractive bilingualism situations. In Study 11 students’ L1 was not valued at all at school, and seems to have been the practice for several years since the parents had negative attitudes about school and questioned its value. This appears to be an unfortunate vicious cycle. Study 12 is similar, with the students’ L1 not valued and even restricted. The teacher in this setting seems to be stifling the students with her negative assumptions, restrictive environment, and misunderstandings of second language learners. The worst part about both of these studies is the injustice the children received in their education due to the ignorance of their teachers. After reading these chapters, I thought about my classroom and how I help my students advance in their education. Correcting students is important, that’s how they learn. I try to do it in a positive manner, letting them know what is wrong and why, and how to correct it. In my class, students are expected to explain their answers; just getting it correct is not enough. I ask a lot of open-ended questions for this reason, to model how to explain thinking and support answers. Many second graders are not used to this, and this is something the Common Core requires, as well as ISATs. This is difficult for some students, which is why I also give them wait time. It does get awkward sometimes as the entire class is waiting for a student to think it out, but I also ask if they want more time or help. If they say help, they get it, but then I go back and ask the student to explain it again to be sure they understand. Chapter 7 summed up this class and all the readings nicely, with what the L2 needs to know; how they acquire L2 knowledge, and why some learners are more successful than others.
While I was reading this chapter, I seemed to focus on the section regarding corrective feedback. Of course, I was critiquing myself, and wondering which of those types of correction I use the most, all the while hoping that I haven’t “damaged” too many students along the way. I actually think I use recast more often than any of the others. I think I try to do this modeling of the correct way to say something as a means of transferring it to the student so that eventually they will repeat what I say. However, depending on the situation I know that I have used each type. Some types of feedback lend themselves to a more formal academic setting, such as explicit, metalinguistic, elicitation and repetition, whereas recast can be used in more social settings, as well as academic.
Saville-Troike – Chapter 7
I like how Chapter 7 wrapped it all up by addressing what the L2 learner comes to know, how the L2 learner acquires knowledge, and finally, why some learners are more successful than others. As a teacher, referring to the bullet points on page 190 will help me better plan and understand my L2 learners.
Chapter 7 in Saville-Troike was a succinct way to wrap up the book. I appreciate the table of the priorities of each discipline. It helps me to see that kind of organization. As an educator of SL learners, this is a section of the book that I will be copying before I have to turn it in. It carries so much good information and basically sums up the learning from the whole book. One of my biggest take-aways is I always thought that learning a second language at a later age was next to impossible. But now I see that age does not have to be the barrier I thought it was. With my own study skills, extensive experience with my own L1, and my better capacity for learning at my age, I am encouraged to REALLY try to speak Spanish. I can read it and understand a lot of it, which I have now come to understand are receptive activities. I am encouraged to work on the productive side of things, the writing and especially speaking. Chapter 5 in Lightbown and Spada also reminded me of the training I have had in different languages during my lifetime. I took two years of Spanish in high school and two years in college, both structure-based instructional settings. But the most Spanish I ever learned was when I took a summer job waiting on tables in an Italian restaurant in Hoffman Estates. All the cooks and busboys spoke nothing but Spanish and if I wanted to get along there, I had to speak it too. I learned more in that “natural acquisition” setting than in four years of formal instruction. I did have one classic misunderstanding that still makes me cringe. At the end of the night, I thought they were all asking me if I was tired. I sighed heavily, tilted my head, folded my hands together, and rested them on my cheek to communicate my sleepiness. Then I said in Spanish, “Yes, I am so tired!” They just laughed and I never thought anything about it until someone explained that I was confusing the two words casada and cansada. Cansada means tired and Casada means married. They were really asking if I was married! And I was replying sleepily, “Yes, I am so married I have learned so much through this class that I can apply to my instruction and I am eager to try out next school year. One will be the different ways of corrective feedback and which ones were most likely to result in real learning [uptake] on the part of the student. I will be more aware of how I correct my students in the future and try to incorporate more elicitations and metalinguistic feedback. I am always looking for ways to boost my student’s retention of subject matter, and this strategy will be applicable to all areas of their learning!
(My first response to this was deleted - after pressing submit, the website reset itself!!!)
Chapter 5 of Lightbown & Spada explored various settings for learning L2. I was intrigued by all of the different natural and instructional contexts, and thought about my own learning and teaching, and they fit in to each type. As a child, I naturally acquired my L2 in Puerto Rico, where I lived and attended primary and intermediate school. I learned through interaction with my peers and instruction from my teachers. My errors were rarely corrected, because the target language was all that was really spoken between us. Lightbown & Spada mention three different types of instructional contexts. During my time in middle and high school, and college, I was in five foreign language classes, most of which were structure-based classes. The focus of our learning was on vocabulary and grammatical rules, as they pertained to native English speakers learning Spanish as a foreign language. Most of it was repeat learning for me, and because I was expected to pass quizzes and tests, I had to be perfect. My other high school course, Spanish for Spanish Speakers, was a communicative, content-based, and task-based course, where we practiced our language through discussion and exploration of topics of interest. I also taught summer school ESL classes at Palatine High School for two summers, where students discussed civil rights, citizenship, politics, health, teen pregnancy, and other topics of interest, and practice their L2 (English) through all of this. This setting seemed to be a safer place to learn, free from judgment, but full of recasting when necessary. The third type of instructional setting is content-based language teaching. In primary and intermediate school, a lot of my instruction was content-based in Spanish. Because of my higher Spanish language developmental level, I took math, science, and social studies classes in Spanish with my more proficient peers. We explored authentic text in Spanish and learned from Spanish-speaking role models in the community. I plan to further explore the “Ethnography” section of the chapter, to see what I can learn from the three studies mentioned, to apply in my coaching and teaching practices.
Chapter 7 of Saville-Troike looked at the three basic questions that are the foundation of this course (ENG344). What exactly does the L2 learner come to know? Obviously, more than one person could ever begin to teach. L2 learners come to know an entire system of knowledge that incorporates L1 background knowledge with new L2-only concepts. They learn patterns of recurrent elements in each part of the language (lexicon, word structure, sound system, grammar, and discourse) and how L2 overlaps with L1. They also learn how to encode specific concepts like past, present, future, how to understand and communicate socially, oral and written channels in the language (sometimes one more than the other), and how to code switch between L1 and L2. Lastly, L2 learners also come to have communicative competence, both socially and culturally. We now understand that L2 learners acquire all of this knowledge through an innate capacity (Chomsky), prior knowledge in L1, language processing, interaction with other native speakers of the target language, mapping of relationships between linguistic function and form, and habit formation (Skinner). In all of this, not everyone will be successful. Why are some more successful than others? It all depends on the social context for learning, the experiences itself in learning L2, the relationship between L1 and L2 (is it Spanish-English or Japanese-Spanish?), age, aptitude, motivation, and instructional method. This chapter did a great job of summarizing the text! I plan to use all of this learning to plan future instruction that meets the needs of ALL my learners. (All means All.)
I really liked to see the three questions summed up. When it comes to each of these questions there is something I will take back to my classroom. From the questions what the students will learn, the patterns of recurrent elements is important to keep in mind. I know that I will need to add more communication or interaction between students to my class because this is how they acquire knowledge. It also helps and to keep building on their prior knowledge, and that interlanguage system changes. The biggest question that was answered for me way why some students have more success than others. This has even answered the questions for me for why I had a hard time learning L2 too. I feel for me it was my linguistic background was not solid and I was not motivated to do it. I now am motivated to learn, but back then I did not see the point as much as a requirement for school. Most important for me as a teacher it is to help my students master their grammatical forms and through positive feedback. Overall the most important part of this chapter is the last part on page 190 the guidelines to help L2 learning and teaching. All of these points are important for me to think about, but for me the most important to keep in mind is I need to approach my teaching through all three levels of linguistic, psychological and social. I have to really pay close attention to social. I see the school district need to look at the fact that there is no one “best” way to learn. I feel they push us to use what they want but don’t pay attention to the fact that there is no “best” way.
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing how important it is to have interactions with peers and well as through instruction with from the teacher. I see that structure based instructional is best when grammar rules are taught explicitly and students learn mainly through repetition and habit formation. Whereas communicative instructional setting is content based instruction and emphasis meaning both between teachers and students in group or pair work. This time I understand more of the corrective feedback. I see that metalinguistic feedback and repetition are the best ways to talk with your students when making corrections. They seem to learn from clarification. This is something that I would like to work on, so that I am really helping my students when making corrections and not giving negative feedback. The other key point to me was the kinds of questioning, and that I see that I am good at. I was evaluated this year from my boss and she said I was good at open ended questions providing a chance for my students to respond, elaborate, and create a group discussion. I am glad that I am doing that right. Although I know I need to work on my wait time. I see that I really do not give them that much time to respond before going to another student. I see that if I would wait it might not be that they do not know the answer, but they are forming a longer more complex answer. That is something I need to work on and not worry so much about time going over in a lesson.
I agree with you Meghan that the guidelines on p. 190 are very helpful. The last chapter in the book is by far the most helpful for the classroom.
DeleteIt is so important for a teacher to be able to observe and ask questions to themselves about the level to what their students are at in their second language development. I think most teachers use the recast method when working with their students in their second language. This method allows the teacher to correct the learner, but not in a way where it is not negative to the learner. The teacher leaves out the errors and redirects the learner to the correct usage of the language without the learner actually knowing that they are being corrected. This is more of a positive feedback for the learner. Allowing students to ask questions with the teacher and their fellow classmates help the second language learners develop their new language. This year I had the fifth grade bilingual class join my fifth grade regular ed. for math and I had the students interact and work together on math problem and projects and I did notice for a lot of my bilingual students their second language improved in both their speaking and reading. Writing we still need to work on that. It is this interaction that reinforces the language and their confidence in their new language.
ReplyDeleteLightbown and Spada Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of this chapter, Lightbown and Spada said that many “believe that learning a second language ‘on the street’ is more effective”. I thought this was interesting because many I know that have learned from an immersion experience believe that it was the best way to learn too. The reality is though, that our students will have a mix of both. They live in Hanover Park but a community that is predominantly Spanish speaking. So while they may live in an area that speaks English and are exposed to English in the school, at stores and homes they can speak Spanish. Our students at our school are either in Dual Language program, TB program or in a monolingual program. Even in the monolingual program the majority of students were in a bilingual program at one time. Their SLA continues in this environment even after they are exited from the program. I found the section on communicative instructional settings very interesting. Finding a balance between what is expected of students to know and teaching them thoughtful practice to emphasize meaning is not easy. I think that looking at how and why errors are made in writing is important in the classroom. Even as kids (and adults) we didn’t care for having our writing edited in red pen, it not only made you feel bad but it didn’t encourage learning how to fix the mistakes. Just as we do with our own children at home, students should learn how to naturally correct errors trough the communicative approach.
Seville Troike Chapter 7
In chapter 7, the most significant thing for me was the section on why some learners are more successful than others? This is a question that all teachers ask, and ask often! Macrosocial factors impact attitude and opportunity which are significant to students. Many of our students are learning a second language but also need to learn this language in a social setting and need to learn specific vocabulary and grammar in an academic setting. While in the classroom we use both, it is important for students to see that switching registers is important in many settings. I particularly like the video clip we saw of the classroom playing the jeopardy game learning how to switch register. Another factor is that many of our students do not have a solid understanding of their L1 reading and writing systems before the begin to acquire language. This is where I tend to see a lot of variation in skills in the classroom. Understanding these factors along with strengthening instruction in the classroom will give students a better environment for acquiring language.
I read Troike chapter 7 first. The section on success of L2 learners over others was interesting. I’ve always heard that younger children are more successful in acquiring second language than adults because of brain plasticity. This is mainly because they have fewer inhibitions and are less analytical. But we learned earlier in the book that as children become older, they have more success in the reading and writing form of a second language. Is it too late for me as an adult? I have not been put in a situation where I have to rely on learning L2, but that time is coming. In order to be a more effective teacher I believe it will be imperative to acquire a second language.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder if I have been successful in how I give corrective feedback. I probably tend to overlook many errors students make because I don’t want them to feel dumb. I also will sometimes joke with them about feedback, but I wonder if this still leaves them feeling dumb. More and more I find myself showing my faults to my students, reminding them that while I make errors, I always strive to get better at getting it correct.
In chapter 5 Lightbown and Spada discussed the different types of questions teachers may use in their classrooms. I could guess that it would be established that the referential questions (and the open-ended questions) would produce the most complex answers. However, I liked how they also stated that the display questions(and closed questions) also had a purpose-basically checking for background knowledge or knowledge of necessary vocabulary. As educators we know we should be utilizing the questioning which requires deep thinking from our students but I know I never really thought about the fact that starting with the simple questions is okay, as long as we delve further.
ReplyDeleteAs far as wait time, I am very conscious of waiting before I call on someone and even once I call on someone, I call it "think time". Some students simply need a little extra time to formulate their response and if we wait we are given the opportunity to call on a greater number of students. Thus more students become engaged in their learning.
Just a reminder for this weeks reading
ReplyDelete, I will be including my reflection in my presentation.
When reading this chapter I thought about how similar natural acquisition settings are very similar to how a child may learn their L1. When I was reading this section I thought about my dad. He was raised speaking only Spanish for the first 8 years of his life, and I found many of these descriptions to fit him. His errors were never corrected, he was rarely exposed to a lot of written materials, or made to write, and he did not (and still doesn’t) know a good portion of academic vocabulary. After reading, this made total sense since a child would learn their language in a natural setting, but I had never really compared the two this way. This would also give more credit to the idea that people do not truly learn a second language until they are forced to use it, or immersed in the language. Again using my dad, he learned English because his family moved to Illinois, and many people here did not speak Spanish. As a result, my dad speaks English natively in my opinion. He does not have an accent because he worked hard to get rid of it because the kids made fun of him. I think that many schools are now moving to a better model of foreign language or dual language systems, but it is hard to believe that it took this long. The whole section on feedback was interesting and made me look back at how I have corrected students in the past. Have I done it in an appropriate way? What can I do to improve it? I think this section really helped me to rethink how I might correct a student. I have always tried to make my students feel comfortable enough to make mistakes or take a chance. I try to make the students feel comfortable by making mistakes myself. For example, there are many bilingual students in my class who speak Spanish and English. In a way to connect with them I have them teach me Spanish words, or phrases. Some I have no problem pronouncing and others I totally butcher. When I say the words the kids laugh, and will try to correct me. I think this helps them to feel more comfortable with me because they can see that I am not perfect and I make mistakes, and therefore they are more willing to take risks especially when they are trying to pronounce words in English.
ReplyDeleteSaville-Troike Chapter 7
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this chapter, I finally understand the importance of learning the various perspectives of linguists, psychologists and social. Without reviewing these various views we simply are unable to answer the following questions: 1. What is being learned? (Linguistic Perspective) 2. How does a learner acquire language? (Psychologist Perspective) 3. Why are some learners more successful than others? (Social Perspective). In addition to realizing the purpose of various perspectives, I also found “near native competence” important. As an L2 learner you find yourself struggling to find some form of identity in a complex realm of languages. To a non-native Spanish speaker I am considered both fluent and competent in Spanish, however to a native speaker I am considered semi-fluent. As I read this chapter I was able to relate with the statement that said L2’s “may not use words with the same probability of occurrence in the same phrasal units”. In addition to this, I can relate with struggling to “recognize connotations and allusions which require cultural information and experience”. As an L2 learner of Spanish, I find myself able to understand some forms of connotations, however only those that apply to Mexican-Americans. Funny thing is I have friends who are native to Mexico that joke about my ability to know my culture because I am unaware of things such as “Dia de los Ninos”.
Chapter 5 Lightbown and Spada
While reading Chapter 5 of Lightbown and Spada, natural acquisition settings really stood out to me. Most of our students get their first experience with English (L2) on the playground. I can agree a great deal with “learners are exposed to a wide variety of vocabulary and structures” and the fact that “learners errors are rarely corrected”. I find this to be true with our students whose L1 is Spanish. Most of their English is learned through media and carried over onto the playground. I find that many students utilize street terminology or slang terms for some of their English words. Interestingly enough our students are not truly taught English through Linguistics. It is common to see a 6th grader enter your classroom without having been taught the consonants and vowels in English. Though they have been taught these concepts in a bilingual classroom, it is usually in L1 (Spanish) and using the Spanish alphabet. It would benefit our students to have some form of structure-based instructional settings where “linguistic items are practiced and presented in isolation”. I also agree with using questions in the classroom. I feel that it’s important for teachers to ask both display and genuine questions. Though display questions might be used more frequently, it’s important to ask genuine questions to show students that we are all learners. This may break the stereotype that teachers know everything.
I liked how chapter 5 from Lightbown and Spada and chapter 7 from Saville-Troike tied together. To me chapter 5 focused more on second language in the classroom setting. The 13 studies in the classroom were interesting and provided insight. Study 2 was cleaver in how recasts (corrections) were made with example but not directed at the one making the error, only later to have the one who made the error correct themselves.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading chapter 7, especially the area in which it discussed how a learner acquires L2 knowledge, and why some learners are more successful than others. I feel that our class has been introducing us all along to processes or avenues in which one most go through when learning a second language. I also really enjoy and continue to relate to why some people learn a second language easier than others.
When it comes to giving English language learners feedback on errors made when speaking, I have been one to correct verbal errors when I hear them. When errors are made I have often let them go and would respond to them by carrying out the conversation by speaking slower and clearer in hopes of modeling spoken language to them. I never wanted to correct verbal language because I didn’t want to make others feel uncomfortable. I also wanted to try and carry out a conversation rather than having the other person wonder if I was going to analyze everything they were saying.
ReplyDeleteI also applied this to student writing. I quit using red pen when conferencing with students and their writing. I am a believer that marking up papers just turns the writer off to wanting to write. When it comes to student writing, I usually have a conference and will discuss grammatical errors with students. Together we will talk about sentences and discuss ways to say them properly. As we discuss together, I will model what the sentence looks like on the student’s draft. I do not mark up papers and give them back to students to fix. I believe this will just turn students away from writing. I try to provide an environment for students to feel safe and free to take risks in their writing.
Session 6: Lightbown & Spada Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 5, it kind of goes hand-in-hand with what I read in chapter 7 of the other book. I am focusing on the learning and teaching in the second language classroom. Although chapter 7 focuses more on asking the questions about L2 acquisition, chapter 5 does a nice job exploring the background. I enjoyed reading about the differences between natural and instructional settings. I always thought natural would be what the student would come into school already knowing and was surprised to learn that natural instruction is what a student picks up just being in class and having social interactions with peers.
Saville-Troike Chapter 7
I really appreciated how chapter 7 got down to the point of L2 learning and teaching and organized it by asking those important questions of L2 acquisition. As I was reading, I interpreted those questions to be the goals of the learner and the teacher. As I teacher, I want to know about my students: WHAT they are coming to know, HOW they are acquiring language, and WHY some of them are going to be more successful than others (social categories?) I believe if I ask myself these questions as teacher, my instruction will be geared towards them and hopefully I will have a better success rate of students acquiring L2 in my class.
After reading chapter five in Lightbown and Spada and looking closer at the charts in the chapter, Compare learning Contexts I could see using in my class. This year my students were grouped with native and L2 students mixed, as well as higher performing and at or below grade level performing students mixed. I find this especially beneficial during word work and writing when students peer edit their work. We do a lot of conversation and discussion in my class, and students are allowed to collaborate, but they are not allowed to just give each other answers and copy. When I explain a question to a student or group of students, and someone else asks the same question, I listen as the student/s I just gave an explanation to now explain it to them. I like this because it forces the students to think about not only what they are saying, but how they are saying it. This also boosts their self-esteem, as they all try to jump in on the explanation and are proud when their classmates learn from them. As I read Study 13: Sociopolitical change and foreign language classroom discourse, it reminded me of my classroom this year, with students learning from each other. I thought Studies 11 and 12, were sad and unfortunate subtractive bilingualism situations. In Study 11 students’ L1 was not valued at all at school, and seems to have been the practice for several years since the parents had negative attitudes about school and questioned its value. This appears to be an unfortunate vicious cycle. Study 12 is similar, with the students’ L1 not valued and even restricted. The teacher in this setting seems to be stifling the students with her negative assumptions, restrictive environment, and misunderstandings of second language learners. The worst part about both of these studies is the injustice the children received in their education due to the ignorance of their teachers.
DeleteAfter reading these chapters, I thought about my classroom and how I help my students advance in their education. Correcting students is important, that’s how they learn. I try to do it in a positive manner, letting them know what is wrong and why, and how to correct it. In my class, students are expected to explain their answers; just getting it correct is not enough. I ask a lot of open-ended questions for this reason, to model how to explain thinking and support answers. Many second graders are not used to this, and this is something the Common Core requires, as well as ISATs. This is difficult for some students, which is why I also give them wait time. It does get awkward sometimes as the entire class is waiting for a student to think it out, but I also ask if they want more time or help. If they say help, they get it, but then I go back and ask the student to explain it again to be sure they understand. Chapter 7 summed up this class and all the readings nicely, with what the L2 needs to know; how they acquire L2 knowledge, and why some learners are more successful than others.
Lightbown and Spada – Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this chapter, I seemed to focus on the section regarding corrective feedback. Of course, I was critiquing myself, and wondering which of those types of correction I use the most, all the while hoping that I haven’t “damaged” too many students along the way. I actually think I use recast more often than any of the others. I think I try to do this modeling of the correct way to say something as a means of transferring it to the student so that eventually they will repeat what I say. However, depending on the situation I know that I have used each type. Some types of feedback lend themselves to a more formal academic setting, such as explicit, metalinguistic, elicitation and repetition, whereas recast can be used in more social settings, as well as academic.
Saville-Troike – Chapter 7
I like how Chapter 7 wrapped it all up by addressing what the L2 learner comes to know, how the L2 learner acquires knowledge, and finally, why some learners are more successful than others. As a teacher, referring to the bullet points on page 190 will help me better plan and understand my L2 learners.
Chapter 7 in Saville-Troike was a succinct way to wrap up the book. I appreciate the table of the priorities of each discipline. It helps me to see that kind of organization. As an educator of SL learners, this is a section of the book that I will be copying before I have to turn it in. It carries so much good information and basically sums up the learning from the whole book. One of my biggest take-aways is I always thought that learning a second language at a later age was next to impossible. But now I see that age does not have to be the barrier I thought it was. With my own study skills, extensive experience with my own L1, and my better capacity for learning at my age, I am encouraged to REALLY try to speak Spanish. I can read it and understand a lot of it, which I have now come to understand are receptive activities. I am encouraged to work on the productive side of things, the writing and especially speaking.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 in Lightbown and Spada also reminded me of the training I have had in different languages during my lifetime. I took two years of Spanish in high school and two years in college, both structure-based instructional settings. But the most Spanish I ever learned was when I took a summer job waiting on tables in an Italian restaurant in Hoffman Estates. All the cooks and busboys spoke nothing but Spanish and if I wanted to get along there, I had to speak it too. I learned more in that “natural acquisition” setting than in four years of formal instruction. I did have one classic misunderstanding that still makes me cringe. At the end of the night, I thought they were all asking me if I was tired. I sighed heavily, tilted my head, folded my hands together, and rested them on my cheek to communicate my sleepiness. Then I said in Spanish, “Yes, I am so tired!” They just laughed and I never thought anything about it until someone explained that I was confusing the two words casada and cansada. Cansada means tired and Casada means married. They were really asking if I was married! And I was replying sleepily, “Yes, I am so married
I have learned so much through this class that I can apply to my instruction and I am eager to try out next school year. One will be the different ways of corrective feedback and which ones were most likely to result in real learning [uptake] on the part of the student. I will be more aware of how I correct my students in the future and try to incorporate more elicitations and metalinguistic feedback. I am always looking for ways to boost my student’s retention of subject matter, and this strategy will be applicable to all areas of their learning!
(My first response to this was deleted - after pressing submit, the website reset itself!!!)
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 of Lightbown & Spada explored various settings for learning L2. I was intrigued by all of the different natural and instructional contexts, and thought about my own learning and teaching, and they fit in to each type. As a child, I naturally acquired my L2 in Puerto Rico, where I lived and attended primary and intermediate school. I learned through interaction with my peers and instruction from my teachers. My errors were rarely corrected, because the target language was all that was really spoken between us. Lightbown & Spada mention three different types of instructional contexts. During my time in middle and high school, and college, I was in five foreign language classes, most of which were structure-based classes. The focus of our learning was on vocabulary and grammatical rules, as they pertained to native English speakers learning Spanish as a foreign language. Most of it was repeat learning for me, and because I was expected to pass quizzes and tests, I had to be perfect. My other high school course, Spanish for Spanish Speakers, was a communicative, content-based, and task-based course, where we practiced our language through discussion and exploration of topics of interest. I also taught summer school ESL classes at Palatine High School for two summers, where students discussed civil rights, citizenship, politics, health, teen pregnancy, and other topics of interest, and practice their L2 (English) through all of this. This setting seemed to be a safer place to learn, free from judgment, but full of recasting when necessary. The third type of instructional setting is content-based language teaching. In primary and intermediate school, a lot of my instruction was content-based in Spanish. Because of my higher Spanish language developmental level, I took math, science, and social studies classes in Spanish with my more proficient peers. We explored authentic text in Spanish and learned from Spanish-speaking role models in the community. I plan to further explore the “Ethnography” section of the chapter, to see what I can learn from the three studies mentioned, to apply in my coaching and teaching practices.
Chapter 7 of Saville-Troike looked at the three basic questions that are the foundation of this course (ENG344). What exactly does the L2 learner come to know? Obviously, more than one person could ever begin to teach. L2 learners come to know an entire system of knowledge that incorporates L1 background knowledge with new L2-only concepts. They learn patterns of recurrent elements in each part of the language (lexicon, word structure, sound system, grammar, and discourse) and how L2 overlaps with L1. They also learn how to encode specific concepts like past, present, future, how to understand and communicate socially, oral and written channels in the language (sometimes one more than the other), and how to code switch between L1 and L2. Lastly, L2 learners also come to have communicative competence, both socially and culturally. We now understand that L2 learners acquire all of this knowledge through an innate capacity (Chomsky), prior knowledge in L1, language processing, interaction with other native speakers of the target language, mapping of relationships between linguistic function and form, and habit formation (Skinner). In all of this, not everyone will be successful. Why are some more successful than others? It all depends on the social context for learning, the experiences itself in learning L2, the relationship between L1 and L2 (is it Spanish-English or Japanese-Spanish?), age, aptitude, motivation, and instructional method. This chapter did a great job of summarizing the text! I plan to use all of this learning to plan future instruction that meets the needs of ALL my learners. (All means All.)