This class has greatly helped me in being able to understand the process of second language acquisition. I was able to clearly see the different areas where students may struggle at times, and where it can help to take an extra minute to aide your students in the process of language acquisition. Not all students learn the same way, and this class has helped me to see that that also applies to language acquisition capabilities. If you are not able to cater to individual student needs, it is more likely that they will struggle. You have to be able to understand that all students learn in different ways and that is a huge part of the process. This class currently has and will in the future impact my professional practices because I am much more aware of the different components of what comes into play in what it takes to learn a second language. The motivation of a student is something that stood out to me greatly in this course. If you are not able to see language from the learner’s ...
Click here to watch my interview! Upon reflection, this was probably my favorite Vlog entry to date. I was able to interview my cousin, Leila Khansa, an ESL teacher at the high school level. The program at her school is interesting because it is still possible to have newcomers at her campus, Seven Lakes High School, and teach ESL as its own class to newcomers and intermediate English learners. One of the biggest things that I noticed in talking to Leila was the fact that we discussed that her instruction is a combination of instructed and naturalistic learning. I think it’s interesting to have noted that, because as we all know naturalistic learning is a great way to develop day to day skills, but instructed learners progress at a faster rate, are likely to develop more elaborate language repertoires, and typically become more accurate in the language they are learning (Ortega, 2013, p.139). I think that with the way that Leila teaches her class, the students are getting the most ...