VBlog #2
For this vblog I interviewed someone who learned English as a second language mainly through the help of the education system. Her first interaction with English began at home since she had older siblings that spoke it but her actual learning journey initiated once she entered school. My interviewee's native language is Spanish and she expressed that when she started to learn the English language she needed the help of her teachers in order for her to understand what she needed to do. "When teachers make space for translanguaging, they purposefully leverage students bilingualism for learning" (Wright, 2019, p.99). I think this is a very important quote that emphasizes the idea of providing support to bilingual students regardless of whether or not we are ELL teachers. When telling me how she learned English, she mentioned that her teachers would give her books to read and then she would have to write about what she had just read. Her teachers would use this as a way to measure her English and how it was progressing over time. Chapter 8 says that "reading is an excellent source of comprehensible input that enhances English language development" (Wright, 2019, p.196). I myself learned English in a very similar way so I can identify myself with her and believe that this is a successful method teachers should imply. Reading is one of the most complex things for ELL's to do but at the same time it allows them to learn much more and build up their English in all the other areas such as writing and speaking.
My interviewee also talked to me about some of the obstacles she faced when learning English such as her stuttering, having an accent, and needing to learn to do everything in her native language first. "Research has revealed also that students with home language literacy skills can transfer many of these skills to English writing" (Wright, 2019, p.270). I think this goes to show how necessary it is to acknowledge our students native language & allow them to use it when trying to learn English instead of focusing only on English itself. Although my interviewee faced some challenges, she also recognizes how powerful knowing English is and how it has benefited her in her daily life as well as how rewarding it is to be bilingual.
Hi Jaquelin,
ReplyDeleteAfter watching your interview, I feel like many kids feel like being an English language learner is looked down upon or even labeled as different. I can tell your interviewee is very proud of speaking two languages. She felt very encouraged and recognized as a student and even now as an adult. “School programs should encourage ELLs to create new, positive sociocultural identities that can help them negotiate the dynamic new world in which they are living, rather than encourage them to assimilate to mainstream norms.” (Wright, 2019, p22) As educators, we must remind students of the power of knowledge. The way your interviewee describes using both languages to benefit her is amazing. Your interview was great!
Thank you Beatrice for your comment, I agree with you and do think that sometimes ELL students feel labeled. Being able to interview someone who learned English as their second language made me realize this and it opened up my eyes as a teacher. I feel as if now I am a bit more aware of what ELL's go through in their learning journey & it has made me want to do more research to not make my students feel like this. "Teachers can help students draw on all their linguistic resources as they work to communicate and engage in academic tasks in the classroom" (Wright, 2019, p.94).
DeleteHey Jaquelin!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching your interview and reading your response, I saw many similarity's in our thought processes. In my interview, my mom stated that she is not very proficient in reading and writing in English as she be began learning how to when she was a young adult. As Wright states, "language minority students who cannot read and write proficiently in English cannot participate fully in American schools, workplaces, or society" proving how important it is to be able to read and write in English for ELLs. Though my mom is very well versed in speaking and she is decent at reading in writing, I know she wishes she had begin learning the latter as it is so crucial for ELLs.
You made a really good point in your comment that I didn't really think about before Adelaide. It makes perfect sense how someone who learns English by speaking it first will later have difficulties reading and writing it. I believe this could be because speaking the language is more useful or needed than writing/reading it, but it doesn't take away the importance of it. "Writing is one of the most important skills students learn in school, and like reading, it is crucial for ELL's academic success because it is one of the principle means by which they self-reflect and display their knowledge" (Wright, 2019, p.233).
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