The interview that I conducted was interesting because the
interviewee began learning English as a second language in Houston from
Kindergarten through first grade, and then moved overseas for the rest of his
education. He then moved back to Houston to continue his education at a public
university, and again took part in the university level ESL classes. It was so
interesting to see the way that the different times of learning English
throughout his life and the different ways impacted him. I think the most
interesting thing that I learned was that through the use of naturalistic
rather than instructed learning (Ortega, 2014, p.6) Ismail learned English
faster. He demonstrated this by saying that he learned more through conversing
with his sisters at home as a child, and even now at the university level by
casually conversing with his peers. It was also interesting that he noted on
the severe underuse (Ortega, 2014, p.41) of his second language when he
traveled abroad for a few years which showed the importance of being able to
practice the second language on a regular basis in order to not lose it. In
this instance, I feel like the “use it or lose it” mindset came into play a
huge amount. It was also interesting to hear Ismail say that he feels as though
his willingness to learn came into play greatly when it came to his language
development, but according to Ortega “…not all things that go wrong in
interactions can be blamed on the non-native speaker and their level of
interest…or willingness to learn…” (2014, p.78). This interview really allowed
me to understand the huge ways that language development can impact the entire
life of the English Language Learner.
Click here to watch my interview!
Hi Noor! I found your interview very intriguing as your interviewee learned his L2 through spread out and distinct periods his life. He mentioned that he began learning English as a young child, yet when he moved away he lost much of the English he learned, but then when he returned to the United States, he began instructed learning of English again. He also noted that he spoke his native language, Arabic, at home, though at school, he was practicing English. This may have influenced his proficiency level in English as a child. Nevertheless, Ortega points out that “there are too many variables that can affect the amount of L1 transfer that materializes for a given learner” (2013, p. 51).
ReplyDeleteHi Krystal, I find this very intriguing also. One could probably say that English wouldn’t have been easy to forget but it makes sense because he is not being exposed constantly or not enough practice is being done. The reason why I thought he would retain the information is because Ortega stated, that the “rate advantage for adults dissipates after a little more than a year, because children eventually always catch up and surpass late starters” but I can see why this can’t be applicable because he eventually stopped learning English therefore there was no practice.
DeleteHi Krystal and Cesia! I love how you pointed out that there are so many variables that can affect the amount of L1 transfer (Ortega, 2013, p.51) because his primary languages changed throughout his life. He did stop learning English when he moved overseas, but then began practicing it again when he moved back at the university level, so it was interesting to see that growth. He also was able to practice with his sisters which impacted his L2 growth.
DeleteHi, Noor! Wow this was a great interview. I feel like Ishmael probably experienced a lot of cultural shock. He learned his second language in kindergarten and then when he went to high school, he moved back to his country and then had to touch base with his first language. Ishmael then came back to the U.S. for college and had to re-learn English and was place in ESL classes. He must of felt very overwhelm and stress as a young child and an adult having to learn his second language twice. I feel that Ismael was motivated to learn English the second time because his education depended on it. In (Gass, 2013, p 429 ) it talks about Postactional stage which refers to the evaluation of how the activity went and feeds into future activities that might be pursued in the future.
ReplyDeleteI did too think this was a great interview. You made some very valid points already but I wanted to emphasize the shock he experienced twice. One big thing that I take away from the video is that even though he graduated from ESL classes, he believes he should have stayed there longer to really master the language. I wonder if him sharing this piece of advice could drive individuals currently in ESL classes.
DeleteHi Damaris and Anicia! I definitely agree that it is great that he finds he should have stayed in ESL classes longer. Because he came and moved back permanently, it would have been more beneficial to him to have had a longer experience in the classroom getting a formal education. I also find that a huge part of his motivation to learn was because he had to due to the fact that he was living here permanently and had to (Ortega, 2013, p.142).
DeleteNoor,
ReplyDeleteYour interview was quite unique! It's very interesting how Ismail was learning his second language at a young age when he came to the states to return to his homeland and continue his education and language there, to then return to the states for further his education and resume learning English. I cannot even begin to imagine how challenging that was. However, I think back to what I read in chapter three how there are positive influences in L1 that shed light to the L2 learning rate, especially in the grammar category (Ortega, 2013, p. 43). After watching this, I gained a lot of insight of what his experience was like. I also thought it was interesting when he said that although he graduated from the ESL classes, that he wished he had stayed to continue his learning. Overall, nice video!
Hi Anicia! Thanks for your insight and opinions. I agree that his L1 definitely impacted his L2 development (Ortega, 2013, p.43). I also found it interesting that that he wanted to continue his ESL classes after he graduated from them. He found that he needed more help, and that there was more room to improve. I also think that it was an interesting situation to have to leave and come back to the states and resume his education when he returned.
DeleteHello Noor, from watching your video I realized that your interviewee Ismail did what was best for him and his second language proficiency. Although he left at a small age, he was able to come back and to continue. I was completely unaware about the college ESL classes there are to offer to those individuals requiring just a bit more practice. Ortega states, young starters who do not live up to expectations of complete success in L2 pronunciation may present low L2-use profiles and spend much of their time using the L1. (pg 26) Since Ismail went back to his native country and used much of his L1 there, he had to practice L2 at school. As you stated Noor,It was also interesting that he noted on the severe underuse (Ortega, 2014, p.41) of his second language when he traveled abroad for a few years which showed the importance of being able to practice the second language on a regular basis in order to not lose it. Good for Ismail to keep progressing and keep looking forward.
ReplyDeleteHi Bianca! I love that you pointed out Ismail’s underuse of his L2 when he traveled abroad to his home country (Ortega, 2013, p.41). His situation was an eye opener to the fact that if you don’t use it, you lose it. This was clearly true for him because he had to return to America for college and relearn everything that he had previously learned. I also think that it was great of him to keep moving forward and learning to improve.
DeleteHello Noor, I completely agree with you. The fact that he moved back probably impeded his ability to further his L2 knowledge. This is the part where I can relate back to the interview I did and my own personal life. My interviewee Karla has her husband who came here much after puberty and this could have been where Ismail gained knowledge. He learned it in his childhood so the root of L2 was there unlike my interviewee's husband. There was no english classes for him to take like Ismail had to continue with the English L2 knowledge or even start his own root. Ortega states, "a child learning an L2 language only has a small window of opportunity in which they can learn a second language with ease before reaching puberty: (2013, pg. 13). Ismail had that which let him continue when he came back. Unlike Karla's husband who will have to learn much more of English now as an adult.
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