The Language Learning Autobiography - Essay Example

Language Learning Autobiography and Post-Analysis English is not my 1st language; I had to learn English and took ESL es when I came to Canada. I think I would probably know how to teach ESL students better because I also experienced difficulties while I was learning English while continue my other studies in high school. In Korea, teachers only focus on teaching grammar rules or patterns which are known as “part-to-whole instruction” according to Coelho (p.175). I was surprised and unfamiliar with school systems and learning styles in Canada; they focus on all 4 major skills which are reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The instruction focuses on meaning which involves students with speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities to promote real communication; known as “whole-to-part instruction” according to Coelho (p.175). In my opinion, whole-to-part instruction is more helpful than part-to-whole instruction. If there is less emphasis on using language for meaningful communication, students will not be able to produce language fluently. From my experience, I was able to put short sentences in my head because I learned grammar, but was not able to express myself due to lack of practice in real life. Therefore, I would emphasize more on speaking, listening, and writing rather than grammar for future teaching experiences. I had difficulty with recognizing some similar words and sounds such as ‘bed’ and ‘bad’. If students can’t hear or understand differences in the phonics and intonation of a language, then they can’t reproduce those sounds effectively; therefore, it is important to teach pronunciation. Strategies for helping students to assimilate and reproduce correct pronunciation are aimed at helping them distinguish sounds and practice using them correctly. Reading aloud is one of the best strategies for helping students practice pronunciation of newly acquired language skills; not only does it help them with working through fluency and diction issues, but it also helps them to begin patterning language structure by giving them consistent examples to follow in correct sentence structure. I will ask students to read aloud frequently in order to help build their self-confidence in speaking English. When I plan for group activities, I will keep the groups small. If we are doing a whole class reading aloud, I will never criticize or correct the students in front of the class. Instead, I will write unfamiliar words on the whiteboard and go over pronunciation for the whole class to benefit from it. I will include as many examples as possible so that the students can get a clear picture of how to differentiate between the required sounds and those that sound very near it; this practice also helps students to become critical listeners so that their receptive language skills increase. (Coelho, p.62-64) When I was in Korea, I learned only the grammar translation approach. I have noticed that learning grammar is not so important for beginner students. When I studied English grammar in Korea, I used only the grammar book and did the exercises. Although I knew the correct grammar form, I could not produce sentences easily because of we did not go over it orally to reproduce the patterning of the new grammar in the context of sentence formation; I lacked expressive language application skills. I think I will be more focused on receptive and expressive language skills instruction for beginner students. But, if I teach grammar, I would use some strategies to help students to be more adopted. (Coelho, p.86-87) In the past, grammar instruction was thought to be the correct method of teaching new language skills; however, now it is known that teaching grammar exclusively has very little impact on students’ ability to expressively create grammatically correct sentences. More effective grammar approaches include teaching new grammar structures in small blocks and following that instruction with practical applications. It is also important to explain when these new structures change so they can make the adjustments. This allows the students to become familiar with listening and reproducing these patterns, including their variations. I will be supportive of my students’ efforts, while repeating and actively patterning the correct form of the grammar structures. There is a lot of new information and materials that use the integrated grammar approach; I will chose activities that fit our specific theme for the day and give students plenty of opportunities to recognize and reproduce the new grammar structures correctly. I will encourage and support the students in their attempts to master these new concepts. (Coelho, p.86-87) Using cloze activities is helpful for students. It helps to focus the students’ attention on a particular language feature while at the same time including fun and useful information; it’s usually theme based so that students can more easily relate to ways of using the feature in the regular context of listening and speaking. It also helps them to differentiate between their own native language patterns and what they will have to do to adjust their thinking and speaking to the new language. I will focus on the new language feature, helping the students to correctly hear and reproduce it, without focusing on the students, themselves. Students learn more easily when they feel their efforts are objectively examined. (Coelho, p.86-87) Before I came to Canada, I tried to memorize new words daily. Although memorizing English words helped me to express basic daily survival English, I could not remember all the words that I studied. I think it is because I did not practice actually when to use the words. When I was learning English, we did very little reading out loud in class. The total focus was on learning vocabulary independently of grammar. Students learn what they do; according to Stephen Krashen, the very best way to learn and develop new vocabulary in a second language is to read a lot. It helps students to become increasingly aware of correct sentence structure, as well as encouraging a life-long desire to read. Students pick up new vocabulary much faster when they see it in contextual use; it helps them understand the nuances of the language. It also gives them a chance to learn more about the cultural traditions and expectations of the environment represented through the literature. (Coelho, p.100 & 103) An effective reading program has three primary components: extensive reading of student-selected material, explicit instruction and focusing on the vocabulary that occurs within the context of the lessons, and the demonstration and modeling of effective vocabulary acquisition skills. (Coelho, p.100 & 103) I love to read and plan to encourage my students to read also. I will frequently provide opportunities for classroom reading as well as giving my students a chance to choose independent reading articles and books that they can just enjoy reading without worrying about a grade or evaluation of the materials. I will introduce them to the wonderful world of audio books so that they can hear a variety of native speakers express themselves using variations of pronunciation and diction. This was a big help to me as I began to learn English was more than just new words in a certain pattern; it was after I started listening to audio books that I began to also think in English, instead of translating everything I was hearing. It taught me more about how English is related to my own language. (Coelho, p.100 & 103) One approach I used in learning English was that when I would see an unfamiliar word in my reading, I would write it down and look it up in the dictionary; I never sat down to read without my dictionary. I will also encourage my students to do the same thing because it helped me so much. When I introduce new vocabulary in class, I will focus on key words and how to use those words in a variety of situations. (Coelho, p.224) Academic vocabulary, in particular, is difficult to learn unless it is focused on within the context of application to a topic. For example, there are many terms associated with teaching; names of pedagogical processes, which require a non-native speaker to look them up in order to understand what is being communicated. Many times native speakers also have to do the same thing; terminology for professions requires new vocabulary for everyone. Often, learning academic and vocational information is compared to learning a new language. Through the context of learning new material, all speakers, both native and non-native eventually learn what is meant by certain terms and applied conditions in the “new” language. Often, learning academic and vocational information is compared to learning a new language. (Coelho, p.133) There are three main stages to helping students develop effective strategies for independently reading challenging texts. First of all, they need to have a broad view perspective of the topic; some background knowledge that they can use what they already know about it to connect to the new information. Secondly, give students pre-reading questions that focus on the main idea, with visual aids to support the context. After reading, help students to demonstrate their understanding of what’s being read by reviewing the specific content in relation to the main idea. I will help my students develop reading skills that allow them to read for content and then critically analyze and apply what they have read. We will openly discuss topics to ensure that everyone is following the big picture with enough specific information to master the concepts involved. When I feel certain parts of the information are ambiguous, I will do role playing to help clarify exactly what is meant. My own instructors have been so patient with me and helped me to understand using these same strategies; it’s easier to understand when I see something in practice, as opposed to just reading about it. (Coelho, p.220-223) Another area I had difficulty with was writing. This inability to write well was directly related to not being able to understand academic texts. I also had trouble with writing paragraphs or essays because I wasn’t able to comprehend textbooks. My success in school was dependent upon my ability to comprehend complicated texts and also be able to express myself in writing about what I had learned. (Coelho, p.133) Coelho mentions that there are scaffolds or supportive activities that teachers and more proficient peers can use to help learners achieve a higher level of written language expression. These activities such as sentence-completion, sentence-combining, and cloze activities help English learners to use new words and phrases with specific practice of grammatical applications. Journals also encourage students to think out loud on paper in order to express their opinions and feelings. Response journals help students to make the connection between their previous knowledge base and the newly acquired information; helping to create the big picture for them. Learning logs review lessons and learning activities to help develop metacognitive skills by encouraging students to express their understanding in writing. Another Skill that is extremely helpful involves looking at the actual writing process; students can use these five steps when engaging in purposeful writing either factually or creatively. By using the steps of the writing process; pre-writing, writing the first draft, revising, editing, and sharing the final product, they develop a logical process for making sure their information is organized and presented effectively so as to communicate a whole concept. Knowing how to use this process has saved me endless hours of frustrating re-writes only to receive low marks in the past. It took some time for me to learn how to express myself effectively in English. Once my students are at a point that I can begin to develop the writing process, I will show them how to use it. We will do many progressive writing exercises so that they can develop self-confidence in this area. I will show the students how to relate their class notes and handouts so that they can write objectively about what they are learning. (Coelho, p.233) I was frustrated when there was a class or group discussion because I didn’t experience that learning style when I was in Korea. I was a shy student; not able to participate in class discussions due to my lack of English verbal skills. In the article (Interrupted by Silences), Hong-Kong-born Chinese students were reluctant talkers in class discussions because they were fear of being ridiculed for their pronunciation. The article defined these as “silence”. I, too, experienced a silence period. I eventually learned that participation in class was the only way I could improve my skills; teachers and peers were very helpful with this. Therefore, I will provide many activities or small group discussions for my students to help them become comfortable with expressing opinions in English. According to Coelho, learning tasks promote purposeful talk and collaboration. (p.191) I will use small group participation to help less self-confident students gradually get used to expressing themselves in front of others. Maybe at the beginning, I will allow for dual language assignments, in order for the students to develop the self-confidence in speaking before an audience, however, as soon as I see the confidence levels begin to improve, I will start to require more expression in English by encouraging them to say what they already know how to say and think about how to express what they are unfamiliar with. I will let them work in small groups putting together students of the same mother tongue so they can peer teach each other in English; comparing and contrasting their own language to the way English is used. We will do many activities such as brain storming, group rehearsal, three-step review, group projects, and think-pair sharing. I will find as many ways as possible to help them practice using English as opposed to just learning about it. I feel that learning will never be successful without the practical application of what is being learned. (Coelho p.191-193) When I got a written assignment back from science class, I saw that I got really low mark. This was so discouraging for me because although I understand the key concept well, I was not sure how to organize and express myself to explain what I knew. The teacher did not offer me any feedback or helpful suggestions; I did not asked for feedback or approach him either, because I could not speak English very well. According to Miles & Cheung, most teachers determine both achievement and non-achievement when assessing students’ written work. They believe that the most important factor is the evidence of student learning. I also agree with that; I will also supplement written work with discussions to ensure comprehension of curriculum key concepts. I will provide my students with supportive feedback. (Coelho, p.186-188) When we are in class and the students make oral mistakes, I will provide indirect feedback by showing the students how they collectively understood the concept, as well as positively reinforcing certain students who show correct and exceptional understanding of what the topic at hand is. If there seems to be certain constantly occurring errors involving more than a few students, I will address them to the class as a whole. I will have students with exceptional understanding provide correct examples of what we are discussing. When students hand in written assignments, I will read them with an open mind and not capitalize on every little thing, but pick out major concepts to be sure important things aren’t overlooked. I will return the papers to the students and ask them to self-correct, in order for them to recognize and practice the correct form. After all, students learn what they do. (Coelho, p.186-188) I feel I will be an effective and compassionate EAL teacher because I have had so many experiences in my learning process. There are many experiences that I want to prevent my students from ever having to go through; therefore, I will be very organized and conscientious when I create lesson plans to be sure that I am very clear about the concepts I am trying to convey to the class. I will also encourage them to reach beyond what they are learning in class and be innovative about applying their learning process to more than just learning English. For example, students have to write many papers in academic subjects; the writing process can be applied to every subject, not just EAL. I will also be careful that they practice speaking so much more than just learning new concepts. I am very much looking forward to my new role as an EAL teacher. I apologize that I didn’t have time to do any extra research on this paper. You will need to find two sources to support what is written. Read More