https://www.wevideo.com/view/1308942107
For my interview, I chose Jennifer Rivera. Her family moved to the
United States after the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s. Jennifer
first began to learn her second language, English, when she entered the
public-school system in Houston in pre-kindergarten. According to
Wright, she is referred to as a sequential bilingual because this term
refers to, “… newcomer ELL’s who already speak the language or languages
of their home country but then start to learn English as a new language
at school,” (Wright, 2015, p. 5). She was in an ESL classroom in the
first semester. The class was taught in Spanish by a bilingual teacher.
The second semester the classes were taught in English.
Jennifer was able to practice speaking English with her older sister
at home because she too was learning English in public school at this
time. Their younger brother learned English from his two older sisters
at home by listening to them practice. When Jennifer move to
kindergarten, the class was taught in English and she said it was a
pretty easy transition for her. The kinder teacher was bilingual and
the class was still an ESL class which included bilingual students. For
the students who needed more help, there was a pull-out ESL teacher.
Jennifer said the instruction was all in English. The teacher would
present the lesson and then check for language understanding along the
way by asking questions to make sure the English words were understood,
if not she would explain in Spanish.
Jennifer said the
techniques that she remembered helping her most were picture cards that
her teacher used and the fact that the teacher used so much repetition
to help them understand. She also said the class was a good learning
environment because the students were allowed to use their language to
communicate and help each other. This teacher, knowing it or not, was
practicing the interaction hypothesis in that she believed as Long
(2015) did that, “…interaction is essential for SLA to occur…” (Wright,
2015, p.53). The teacher gave them the opportunity to practice their
English with each other in a nonthreatening environment and this made
the students more willing to want to practice with each other.
In my interview, Jennifer, said she wished she would have
learned English at a younger age so that she would have had an easier
time communicating when she began school. At the time she was learning
English, at school their household still spoke Spanish. Even though her
parents did learn English, they did not want her and her siblings to
lose their first language. In chapter one, Wright refers to this as
additive bilingualism because it, “...occurs when a student develops
proficiency in a new language without losing his or her home language,”
(Wright, 2015, p.21). The hardest concept for her being an ELL was
grammar and spelling. Even though speaking came easily the written
language mechanics took more practice to master. Her favorite memory of
learning English in pre-kindergarten was when her teacher read the
story Rainbow Fish by Markus Pfister. She said the teacher would stop
and have them repeat the nouns from the story in English to help them
learn English and comprehend the story. To this date, that book is
still a favorite of hers.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI want to begin by telling you how much i love the way you have included every detail about Jennifer's background. This allows me to better understand Jennifer's transition into the English language, which by the looks of it required a lot of assistance by the teacher until she fully made it into a full on English classroom. I can only imagine how hard it must have been , having to change the whole seeing from El Salvador to the United States. as Wright stated “The effort to maintain or develop a home culture while learning and adjusting to American culture is neither a simple nor straightforward process” (Wright, 2015)I feel like it must have been a bit stressful because she had to worry about being comfortable here and learning a new language so she can successfully the school material.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon publishing
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, and yes Jennifer’s story was very interesting. She was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to use her native language when she began public school in pre-kindergarten. Her teacher began introducing English in the second semester and gave them a safe environment in which to practice their new language. This is spot on, because Wright mentions in chapter 3,” Learners learn language through using it to communicate,” (Wright, 2015, p.62). Her second language instruction was successful in that she had very little trouble once she went to kindergarten and was in a predominantly English-speaking classroom environment.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Indeed, I have always wondered which method would have been more beneficial her being in the classroom and just getting assistance or getting pulled out,because during her pull outs that means she misses classwork. Does the teacher help with work, or exempted her . Although I understand that “…interaction is essential for SLA to occur…” (Wright, 2015, p.53), It is still an important piece of information to know because I never got pulled out, I had to stay in class and just learn.
DeleteWright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Hi,
DeleteI can see how in-class english as a second language instruction benefited you. Luckily for my students, they get pulled-out but its during the 30 minute instruction where every student is getting enrichment activities. This way no student is actually missing out on academic learning. "To provide effective ESL instruction, classroom teachers must be trained and certified..." (Wright, 2015, p. 108) My mentor teacher is also ESL certified and I can honestly say my students get to double dip and have twice as much support as Language learners.
Hey Stacey,
ReplyDeleteAfter watching your interview with Jennifer, I wonder if she is able to read and write in Spanish. According to Wright, “Manny ELLs are unable to read and write in their home language because they have received literacy instruction only in English” (2015, p.129). If you really think about it, Jennifer said she started school in pre-k and was immediately placed in an ESL class. So, starting at the age of 4 she was introduced to English and how to write it. “Even if they are literate in their home language, they may not be familiar with discipline-specific vocabulary if most of their instruction has been in English” (Wright, 2015, p.129). Just being curious, I wonder if this applies to Jennifer and my interviewee. Their parents would have had to been teaching them to write in Spanish alongside them also learning how to write in English at school.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good question about wondering if Jennifer can also read and write in her native language. I asked her and she can. She said even though she learned to speak English quickly learning to write and read both of the languages took more time. Wright says, “Students may attempt for example to apply their knowledge of the syntax of their L1 to the English,” (Wright, 2015, p.55). This can be confusing if the rules between languages are not entirely the same.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you asked that question! I was wondering the same thing because sadly enough, this does tend to happen to children. In my current classroom, I have a student who speaks Spanish in his home, but when I asked him if he could write his answers in Spanish, he told me he couldn't because he doesn't know how. My mentor teacher told me he has been placed in English only classrooms, so he didn't grow up practicing Spanish writings, this is a perfect example of what Wright expressed “Many ELLs are unable to read and write in their home language because they have received literacy instruction only in English” (2015, p.129).I feel it is=t is very important for children to get practice at home in their writing skills.