For this blog entry I interviewed my neighbor
Brian Hernandez. The questions I asked were based from readings we have done in
the chapters. I formulated questions based on his experiences with knowing a
second language, the adaptation process he had to go through, the importance of
language revitalization, and his opinion of childhood bilingualism. Brian expressed
to me that it was quite difficult for him to learn the English language when it
was not the dominant language spoken in his household. As Wright states, “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). Although Brian shared his struggles with me, he does feel that knowing
both Spanish and English have been beneficial to his upbringing in the way that
he is able to communicate with a larger population, especially growing up and
currently living in a diverse city like Houston where he is able to be
adaptable to different kinds of people. We also discussed the advantages and
disadvantages that he believes come with integrating another language into
children's cognition at an early age. As Wright explains in the text, "Children
should be able to adapt to the new language and culture without having to
sacrifice their own" (Wright, 2015). Brian was fortunate enough to
receive assistance in elementary school that not only allowed him to keep
his culture, but it made the integration process a smooth transition. He feels
that both Spanish and English extenuate his identity and foundational
traditions, since he grew up with both. When
asking Brian about his views of learning a second language as a child in the
United States public school system, I found many
differences and similarities in comparison to the authors beliefs. You
will have the opportunity to hear about the topics we discussed in the
following video post: CLICK HERE
Hello Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by saying you did a job with the questions you asked your interviewee Brian. It is great that Brian did not lose his first language of Spanish and instead added the language of English to his everyday life. This is what Wright refers to 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) I agree that most schools do a good job with teaching students from other schools English but there could always be improvements. They should still be given aid even if they think the students have acquired English completely. This would have helped me a lot personally if I was still given help throughout the rest of elementary.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Carolina! Thank you for your comment, I was able to find great questions to ask based out of our textbook. I agree with your comment in regard to students still receiving aid although they are for the most part proficient, I think it will account for a deeper more thorough understanding of the language and will expand the child's vocabulary. Wright states, “The more the teacher knows about a student’s experiences, the more he or she can assume about the expertise that student is likely to have” (Wright, 2015). This ties into the understanding of getting to know your students and their individual capabilities.
DeleteHello Jennifer!,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I must say that That interview went so well! I enjoyed watching how the Interview flowed so eloquently. Now, in regards to Brian, it is great to see how there are individuals who like to take initiative, and learn another language but not lose their home language as well, as expressed by Wright this is known as additive bilingualism "...occurs when a student develops proficiency in a new language without losing his or her home language,” (Wright, 2015, p.21) I feel like by one doing this is a much greater advantage because as Brian himself it is much of an advantage because he was able to communicate with a greater population, which is how I personally feel. I know that since I am in the same position as Brian, I grew up learning a second language and did not lose my native language I am able to speak to more people, or even help others by translating.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon publishing
Hi Yadira! Thank you for your reply and feedback in regard to my interview with Brian. I agree with you about how it is such a great capability to be able to communicate with many dual language speakers. This corresponds with what Wright mentions in the text about teachers. He states that “whether you are, or plan to become, a content-are teacher or specialist . . . you are also a language teacher” (Wright, 2015). I feel like this is the kind of mentality you will have as a teachers because you are able to relate to your students in a broader way.
DeleteHi Jennifer! I really liked your interview with Brian, I felt like I could relate to his answers as well! it is important to know and not forget our first language. Just like Brian, I too speak both languages fluently although I feel like I can speak English better since there are more opportunities to speak it. I’m glad that he was able to keep his native language while developing a second one. A program that does this is heritage language programs. “Learning in a heritage language programs gives these students opportunities to maintain and develop their home language after they enter English- medium instruction and helps counter the trend toward subtractive bilingualism… (Wright, 2015, p. 105)” In doing this, we are giving students the chance to develop their native language and their second language that they are learning.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Danna! Thank you for your comment and sharing your ability to speak a second language also. Wright states, that "Although linguistics and language educators recognize that much of what transfers from one language to another is beneficial in some instances, transfer from L1 may cause interference" (Wright, 2015). I think the more verbal language exchange students have in English with their peers and teachers the easier it will be for them to language transfer just like your experiences.
DeleteHey Jennifer, I enjoyed watching your interview with Brian and think that his ELL experience is similar to my interviewee’s ELL experience. You mention that Brian received assistance in school to help him learn English and that he had a smooth transition into learning the new language. You also mention that the way Brian was able to keep his culture throughout school which is similar to what Wright mentions. “Teachers who work with ELLs also need to understand something about bilingualism even when they are teaching in English-medium programs. When teachers look only at English, or only at standard English, they render the students’ other languages invisible and deny the students the opportunity to use their home languages as resources” (Wright, 2015, p.39). I am assuming that Brian still has much of his home language remembered making him bilingual, but I believe it has a lot to do with his ESL teachers growing up who allowed him to use his home language as a recourse to learning English.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Rachel! Thank you for your comment, I agree with what you mentioned about how it is beneficial for ESL teachers to allow their students to build connections with their native language. As Wright mentions, “As students learn new language, they gain knowledge about how to use the language in social-cultural contexts and construct their social identities through their participation in language-mediated activities" (Wright, 2015). This is demonstrated through Brian's ability to adapt and become fully proficient in both English and Spanish by being submerged into the school setting.
ReplyDelete