Entry 3: Interview with Second Language Teacher
Hello, below is my interview and reflection. My interview video is here (16:54).
In her experience with teaching a wide age range of students, she also found that younger students tend to do better with learning a second language. This reflects Ortega’s observation that “younger is better in the long run” (2009) in regards to second language acquisition. The younger students seem to be more attentive and participatory. Ms. Gilmer advises that 6th grade and younger is a really good time for second language acquisition. Students become more resistant to SLA when they move into 7th grade.
A big challenge Ms. Gilmer faces in her classroom is student motivation for SLA. Younger students still have a desire to learn and to please the teacher, so their motivation is still relatively high. Olders students begin getting stuck in their ways and their prime motivation is for their peers rather than the lesson. Generally speaking, the older students lack “personal investment in succeeding in the language people claim for themselves” (Ortega, 2009). Without support at home, students will rarely flourish in second language acquisition. Ms. Gilmer tries to remedy motivation through engaging activities like real-world discussion and teaching applications.
Ortega, L., (2009), Understanding Second Language Acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge
Reflection
The interviewee is Ms. Gilmer a second language teacher who started her education in Ecuador and finished her education at the University of Houston. She has had many years of experience teaching students of all grade levels, from k-12 and university. The majority of her teaching career has been with middle school students. She finds that the population of successful, autonomous learners are small. Most students will have problems with motivation in second language acquisition.In her experience with teaching a wide age range of students, she also found that younger students tend to do better with learning a second language. This reflects Ortega’s observation that “younger is better in the long run” (2009) in regards to second language acquisition. The younger students seem to be more attentive and participatory. Ms. Gilmer advises that 6th grade and younger is a really good time for second language acquisition. Students become more resistant to SLA when they move into 7th grade.
A big challenge Ms. Gilmer faces in her classroom is student motivation for SLA. Younger students still have a desire to learn and to please the teacher, so their motivation is still relatively high. Olders students begin getting stuck in their ways and their prime motivation is for their peers rather than the lesson. Generally speaking, the older students lack “personal investment in succeeding in the language people claim for themselves” (Ortega, 2009). Without support at home, students will rarely flourish in second language acquisition. Ms. Gilmer tries to remedy motivation through engaging activities like real-world discussion and teaching applications.
Ortega, L., (2009), Understanding Second Language Acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching your interview with Ms. Gilmer. I find it interesting for her to mention that it is rare that students, especially in their teenage years, are self-motivated to learn a second language. According to Ortega (2013), the critical learning period actually falls between the teen years. Ortega (2013) goes on to mention that "early starters studying English from the age of eight to 16 were compared to late starters studying English from the age of 11 to 17, the late starters actually maintained an advantage that persisted well after five years of instruction." I wonder how lack of self-motivation can hinder student learning of a second language even during the critical period that Ortega discusses. Ortega (2013, p. 174) claims that "attitudes come from the collective values, beliefs, attitudes and even behaviors that are rewarded and modelled for the learner in the communities in which he or she participates, be it a classroom, the family or the wider environment of neighborhoods and institutions." What Ms. Gilmer says about students attitudes towards learning a second language align directly to what Ortega mentions. Although studies may show that a critical period for learning an L2 exist, there are many other factors that come into play.
ReplyDeleteThere are indeed many factors when it comes to student motivation. Each student will have their own motivations with each school also having a different community to promote those motivations. One factor that could affect their learning is their orientation or reason for learning. Ortega notes, “that orientations for L2 learning are not context free but arise from forces related to ‘who learns what in what milieu’” (2009, p. 173). This quote is similar to your quote about community effect on motivation but focuses on orientation. Students that simply do not a strong will to learn with ultimately lack the motivation for success. Without the proper encouragement, lack of motivation will lead to poor results in L2 learning.
DeleteHi Franklin,
ReplyDeleteI think it is very interesting that your interviewee noted younger children are more attentive and participatory. I think that age is as strong factor in how students pick up second languages; the plasticity of their brains are loss after age 9 (Ortega, 2013, p14). The older the learner is the hard it gets for them to learn a second language, while younger learners acquire second languages quickly. Perhaps this is why Ms. Gilmer noticed that after 6th grade students become more resistant to SLA.
From personal experience, students in adolescent ages tend to become more aware of their education and they like to question the relevancy of the topics they are begin taught; if there is a disconnect between education and relevancy they become less motivated to learn. Ortega states that motivation is measured in 3 ways; effort, enjoyment, and investment (Ortega, 2013, p169). Another factor that may contribute to children becoming less or more invested is their aptitude, which is “a construct that is comprised of many cognitive abilities and helps explain why people differ so greatly in how fast and how well they are likely to learn a second language” (Ortega, 2013, p 168). Perhaps some students shy away from a challenge while others lean towards it. Students all learn in different ways, and with second language acquisition those are a few reason for why they are motivated to learn or not.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Thanks for the comment Lam. You bring up several good reasons that affect motivation. I also like the insight from your personal experience since it is consistent to Ms. Gilmer’s experience and our readings. I think is it interesting to compare motivations between L2 learning in native students and ELLs. Most students, from yours and Ms. Gilmer’s experience, can be said to be extrinsically motivated, if at all. ELLs could be considered more along the lines of introjected or identified regulation because their motivations would be stem from “the human desire to feel we belong to a community, that is, to feel relatedness” (Ortega, 2009, p. 176).
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DeleteHey Franklin! Thanks for replying to my comment. I think you’re right that our ELL students feel the need to fit into their community. It is because of this pressure to assimilate that makes “Most people, therefore, learn additional languages from a mixture of both naturalistic and instructed experiences” (Ortega, 2012, p6). Students often want to make Friends and be able to communicate their needs and wants. This brings them the realization that acquiring their L2 is important, turning their desire to learn into intrinsic motivation.
DeleteOrtega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Hello Franklin,
ReplyDeleteIt was great watching your reflection with Ms. Gilmer and she brings out a lot of good points about learning a second language at different ages. She explains that younger students feel more engaged and motivated to learn a second language than those who came to the United States at an older age. Ortega states in her book, "In terms of L2 learning rate, adults and older children enjoy an initial advantage over younger children... After five years, however, early starters catch up and are better than late starters..." (Ortega, pg. 28) It seems like older students and learners are far easier to start and motivate them to learn than younger ones, but the younger students, once they are motivated, catch up and absorb information quicker than the old ones. This may be because the older ones have a stronger foundation in their L1 and it is harder to break out of their L1 habits.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.