As I prepared to conduct this interview I was unaware of all
the many differences from a second language teacher and an ESL teacher. It was
quite interesting to know that the two different teachers used many different strategies
in order to help motivate and encourage their students. Although, things were
dramatically noticeable and different among those two students; things were surprisingly
the same compared to the last interview I conducted on a student learning English
as their second language. The biggest commonality was motivation and
persistence. In this interview I chose,
Dr. Blake, a bilingual and Spanish foreign language teacher at San Marcos High
School, in San Marcos, Texas. Dr. Blake has been teaching Spanish for about
five years now and agrees that motivation and dedication are the two biggest
reasons many of his students succeed in learning a second language. Dr. Blake
first started out teaching college before he moved to teaching and coaching
high school students. Dr. Blake mentions, “Although the dynamic between the two
students is relatively different the methods I use and the teaching doesn’t change….
Because it works.” Ortega states, “Human language manifests itself in spoken,
signed, and written systems across more than 6,500 languages documented to date.”
(Ortega, 2011, Pg. 2) Dr. Blake uses many different teaching strategies in
order to successfully teach his students such as peer interaction, role
playing, flash cards, posters, audios, and projects. Dr. Blake is constantly telling his students practice,
practice, practice! He believes the only way I person can ever be GREAT at
something is because they continued to try and furthermore they practiced at
mastering their craft. Dr. Blake believes the reason why he’s such a relate-able and understanding teacher is primarily because of coaching, it has given him
the discipline he needs for the classroom. According to Ortega, engendered more
personal engagement and afforded many more opportunities to take risks,
enabling these learners to produce longer turns and more complex language.”
(Ortega, 2011, Pg.77) Dr. Blake stresses on his students being open to the
challenges of foreign language and knowing that it isn’t easy but it’s possible
to achieve with help, and dedication. He states, “I don’t ask my students to do
anything I haven’t already done or something that I don’t already do. With
teaching such a complex but very vital subject that I think all students should
know especially living in America I am patient and understanding. There are naturalistic
learners that I don’t have to spend but five minutes giving instructions then
there are my language learners who need that direct instruction; though they
all need me the same in order to pass the class and learn the language the
same.”
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print
To listen to the interview from Dr. Blake and I about teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language click here.
Great video Jolie! I really enjoyed learning more about Dr. Blake's experience while being a foreign language teacher. I really like the way he described and gave an example of the different modifications that he uses in his classroom to help his students learn. "Most people, therefore, learn additional languages from a mixture of both naturalistic and instructed experiences." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 6).I really like that he uses the role playing modification at the beginning of class in a way to get students ready for the class and a way to just get students involved while still learning the language. Just as both your interviewee and my interviewee expressed, it is very important for students let alone all people to learn a second language.
ReplyDeleteHi Jolie. It’s my first time looking at a video of this sort which has a Doctor as an interviewee, and I look forward to its contents. I see that he learned Spanish at age eight from his grandmother, who I guess is a native Spanish speaker. I like that he has a passion for teaching a foreign language, and identifying the obstacles that come about. I see that role playing is a good motivational exercise for the first ten minutes of class, as you get the students in groups to act out in an interactive way. I do agree that getting them started at an early age is beneficial in learning a foreign language, in terms of speaking and writing it. I note carefully that speaking is easier than writing the language, which can become a struggle for the students. I like the idea of using flashcards in teaching the English. For these reasons, I note that as ESL learners are grouped to interact with native English native-speakers, “learning happens through comprehension, and that the more one comprehends, the more one learns” (Ortega, L. 2011. pp. 60). Great job. Nice post.
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ReplyDeleteHi Jolie. I really enjoyed hearing your interview with Dr. Blake. I could tell from listening to him speak that he is very passionate about working with students. I liked that Dr. Blake was talking from a high school perspective since I was mainly spoken with elementary teachers. Dr. Blake mentioned role playing as one of the techniques to help students learn English. I had never heard of this technique before, but after I heard him talk about it, I realized that this technique is definitely one that I want to implement in my own classroom. Ortega states “According to Krashen, the single most important source of L2 learning is comprehensible input, or language which learners process for meaning and which contains something to be learned, that is, linguistic data slightly above their current level (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 53)”. The role playing activity gives students a learn and put what they are learning in to practice.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2011). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge
Almira,
DeleteThank you for your kind words and commenting on my blog! Dr. Blake was truly a joy to interview because his classroom techniques were so different and unique. I really enjoyed listening to the many different ways he interacts with his students in order to help them learn and help them master Spanish as their second language. Dr. Blake strives in his execution to deliver 100% of his time and knowledge to all his students. Researchers say, “there are many factors in acquiring in a new language: attitude, motivation, amplitude, age, and more.” Dr. Blake says, “my job isn’t easy however, it’s my passion and joy therefore I make sure I give it my all” That’s the most admirable thing in my opinion and the reason I want to teach so badly.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print
Jolie,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching your interview video with Dr. Blake. I really thought both teachers always used the same strategies to help their students comprehend many things. However, after watching your video I came to the conclusion that there are many different strategies different teachers are always using with their students. Because not all the students require having the same strategy being used for them. I think the many different strategies Dr. Blake is using with his students are all fun and hands on activities that always encourage students to learn new things in a fun way. Instead of them not being motivated in the learning. Researchers have stated, "Thus, an important general benefit of interactional modifications is their contingency, in that learners are potentially engaging in what educational researchers would call just-in-time learning, or learning at the right point of need." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 62). Dr. Blake uses many engaging strategies which is always beneficial for students in many aspect. Even though they may be having fun in the certain activity they are always continuing to learn new things.
Hey Seemin,
DeletePersonally, I think the use of engaging activities are one of the best methods for students to actually learn. So with that, I would agree with both you and Jolie in Dr. Blake's use of such activities. The variety of activities that you point out really do cause multiple levels of interaction among students. Another effect of these activities is that it also fosters motivation, which was a big point in this weeks topics in our readings.
Hello Jolie ! I have to say Dr.Blake sounds like a terrific bilingual teacher.I really enjoy hearing his different viewpoints that he presented in the interview video. I would not mind being in his class on any given day, maybe, because I enjoy acting things out . I think his strategy of allowing students to act things out in his Spanish course, is very motivating in my opinion. I believe it does not only motivate students but also help them with their communication skills.According to Ortega , “An individual’s communicative confidence in the L2 greatly contributes to her or his willingness to communicate in their second language” (Ortega, 2013). I think Dr.Blake is defiantly building confidence for his students.Unlike Dr.Blake , the teacher I used in my blog entry, uses music to capture students attention and also motivate them. I think both ideas are clever. To wrap things up , I have one quick question for you my future educator , how would you motivate your ESL students in your own classroom ?
ReplyDeleteEmmanuel,
DeleteFirst off thank you for reviewing my blog entry! I completely agree with you saying “Dr. Blake sounds terrific teacher, and how much you would enjoy being in his class”. Honestly, I wish more teachers were like Dr. Blake and took the time to really try and help their students.
I think the way he motivates his students, and encourages them is fantastic because many times students don’t receive that which most times hinders their learning. As I future educator I would incorporate all the many things Dr. Blake does as well some things other teachers do such as music, projects, and hands-on activities. Ortega states, “Most people, therefore learn additional language from a mixture of both naturalistic and instructed experiences.” (Ortega, 2011, Pg.6) I am a firm believer in all students are different and need to be taught differently so with that I will find what works best for my students and teach them accordingly.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print
Hi Jolie,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your interview with Dr. Blake. I think he had a lot of interesting things to say. Also, he answered your questions very well. I found it interesting that your interviewee used motivation and persistence. My teacher as well used a lot of motivation to push his students along to success. According to Ortega, “They had all received considerable amounts of high-quality L2 instruction and they all self reported high levels of motivation and concern to sound native-like. Although her results are less dramatic, Alene Moyer (1999) also found that judges did identify as native the accent of one of 24 advanced L2 German users in the United States, all of whom had begun learning the L2 after the age of 12”. (Ortega, 2011. Pg 23). I think motivation is something that is necessary for all students to succeed, not just ESL students. If a student does not have something to strive for then why strive? Also perseverance and determination are important for success as you mentioned. According to Ortega, “As Vansteenkiste et al. (2006) explain, self-determination theory construes humans as volitional beings who are growth-oriented, that is, predisposed to lifelong learning and development. Essential in meeting a few basic fundamental human needs is a sense of choice and personal causation in everything we humans do” (Ortega, 2011. Pg 174). Both motivation and determination are the reason students have the attitudes they do to move on and learn the second language. Yes learning a second language is hard, as are many different things in life, but if there is a will there is a way.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print
Jessica,
DeleteThank you for taking the time and commenting on my blog! I loved that your interviewee and mines had a lot in common; especially their view on motivating students. I completely agree with you that it takes a lot of hard work to teach these students a second language. Though I have always been a firm believer that anything is possible with dedication and hard work and I believe that’s exactly what Dr. Blake exemplifies which to me makes him an amazing teacher. Ortega mentioned, “foreign language anxiety and communicative self-confidence are also considered key in predicting motivation” (Ortega, 2011, Pg.179). I think that learning any language is difficult but if the right person is teaching you it makes it a little bit easier to learn, wouldn’t you agree?
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print
Jolie,
ReplyDeleteLearning a language is a complex, time-intensive task that requires dedication, persistence, and hard work. I do agree with you that if the right person is teaching then it is easier to learn. When a teacher shows they are motivated, it shows. Therefore, the students will be more motivated and want to learn. According to Ortega, " Specifically, students who perceived their teachers to be controlling showed noticeably less intrinsic motivation" (Ortega, 2011. pg 177). If a teacher is unhappy and does not want to be there, then the learning atmosphere is not pleasant for the students and they do not want to be there as well.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print
Dr. Blake mentions that a way he increases motivation is by trying to impart the necessity of learning Spanish in Texas and how often it can then be used. Ortega also talks about orientation and how motivation to communicate with ones community is a great way to increase motivation (173). He is opening students eyes to the bigger picture so they can see a future with his language.
ReplyDelete