2 - Inteview with a Second Language Learner

    I had the opportunity to interview Karin Frazier who was born in Germany and raised in the United States. She initially learned English and German at the same time when she was young classifying her as a simultaneous bilingual learner. She was exposed to English more so than German because of her schooling on military bases but at home she would speak German. Therefore her heritage language began suffering because the dominant language, English, is what she was exposed to more. She moved to the United States at the age of five and immediately transitioned into an English only environment.

     Off camera she made a comment about regretting not being able to still speak German and regretting not taking additional classes when she was younger. In the YouTube video “How Do Kids Learn a Second Language? Part 1” by EducationRoundTable is hosted by Aggie Sung Tang. One of the speakers Dr. Alejandro Brice states that “50-80 percent of most populations are bilingual.” He goes on saying that having enough input in both languages and incorporating the same amount of time learning the language is key to bilingualism. I still do not understand why in the United States some people believe only English should be spoken when a good majority of the world speaks multiple languages. As if knowing another language is a bad thing. In order to really have bilingual or multilingual students thrive we need to encourage not only learning English but also taking the time to nurture a student’s heritage language.   

     A good amount of students in the US would be categorized as sequential bilingual learners because they usually speak a language at home until they start school and then learn English. This is not always the case but is prominent. Dr. Mahchid Namazi from the YouTube video “How Do Kids Learn a Second Language? Part 1” by EducationRoundTable states that “sequential bilingualism is different from simultaneous bilingualism because the exposure is different to the two languages.” Which makes sense, a person learning in naturalistic setting is going to have more exposure and in a more meaningful way to the person. As oppose to learning in a more rigid instructed environment like a classroom.

    I actually found it a little sad that Karin had lost her ability to speak German. Even though she lives in a society where it is not necessary for her to know German it is not like knowing another language is a bad thing.  

Reference:



EducationRoundTable. "How Do Kids Learn a Second Language? Part 1". Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 14 Aug. 2012. Web. 13 Jun. 2018.

1 - Introduction

I will say that I have had a considerable amount of experience with non-native English speakers. They ranged from individuals who knew absolutely no English to individuals who were efficient speakers. With teaching I believe that Math is probably the easiest to teach to English Language Learners because numbers are universal and Math concepts are universal. I plan on teaching Science which does involve a lot of reading and vocabulary comprehension. This will be a challenge for non-native speakers because there are going to be a lot of Science terms that are unfamiliar.

I think  a critical part of teaching science to ELL students is ensuring that I am able to present the information in as many ways as possible. For example providing visual, audititory and kinetic activities that ensure that even if the ELL students are not able to capture all the information, they have a few other means of different ways to learn. I look forward to really ensuring that my lessons cater to all of my students and being that we are in a huge ELL community this will make me challenge myself in creating appropriate instructional plans.

Ortega (2011) mentions that it is hotly debated whether students should be taught grammar and vocabulary directly or approximate in the “natural language meaning-making process” (p. 8) while in the classroom. I had ELL students in my Student Teaching 1 semester and noticed that all of them are different in their learning. I had the luxury of having an aide specifically for special needs and ELL students which really helped when I was going over more complex concepts. When I would engage with the ELL students and explain to them a concept, I would use the appropriate vocabulary in English but also ask them what the equivalent was in their language. This not only gives them a mental recognition of the vocabulary but also shows them I am trying to meet them halfway which will encourage them to progress. I have dealt with a good amount of non-English speakers so I am very patient with ELL students and speak slowly so they have time to translate in their heads. I look forward to sharpening these skills through this course.