Blog Entry 3: Interview
I interviewed a second-year bilingual math teacher for my blog 3
entry. When I asked about what motivated her students in the classroom. She
talked about how making the content easily relatable to their lives, made it
more interesting to them. In the text, Orientation refers to reasons for wanting
to learn the second language. One of the reasons is knowledge; so, the language
learner wants to become a more knowledgeable person. I think that this could apply
to Ms. Ramirez’s students because they want to become better in their second language
so that they can become more knowledgeable in math. Also for the students who
are new arrivals Ms. Ramirez told me outside of the interview that they tend to
be self-conscious for themselves and push to learn English because they want to
be able to fit in with the rest of the students who speak English (Ortega, .
This also fits with the other orientation of Integrativeness, which is where
the second language learner has a genuine desire to become more like the
members of the second language group, and to create friendships with the other
members of the target language.
Academic Language in math is very important. Not only is
mathematical vocabulary difficult for students whose first language is English,
for those who are learning English It can be even more difficult. Ms. Ramirez
says that she tries to front load them with all the definitions first. This way
the students can increase their use of lexical density (Ortega, 235) . As
students increase their lexical density it could be a way for them to grow
their use of academic language.
Hi Devin!
ReplyDeleteI found your interview with Ms. Ramirez brings to light the fact that even bilingual teachers face challenges with instructing ELL students. Ms. Ramirez indicated that her L1 Spanish speakers often have problems trying to differentiate Spanish words from their English translations. Ortega (2009) indicates this type of cross-lingual influence can be different (negative or positive) for L2 learners, depending on their backgrounds. I really like that she introduces new vocabulary to her students with different strategies at the beginning of each class. This should help to eliminate the potential for ineffective use of time during the lesson. However, I wonder whether or not her forcing students to speak English (as she indicated she sometimes does), even if they don’t want to, can potentially facilitate more harm than good. (Kaboody, 2013) stated that teachers should be aware of their actions and behaviors in classroom because it is very likely that teachers’ actions can demotivate some ELL learners. What do you think are some ways that Ms. Ramirez might fine-tune her teaching style to accommodate ELL students who are quiet or withdrawn?
Susie, looking at Ms. Ramirez's teaching style, I feel like she should use some sort of motivation to engage the students who are quiet and withdrawn. She knows that motivation is something that can strongly influence her students. I think the way she does it is of they show some sort of growth she allows them to play a fun review game to enjoy learning.
DeleteOne of the most commonly reported orientations for learning a language is to “foster friendship with members of the target language” (Ortega, 2013, p. 173). From your reflection it seems to me that this could be one motivating factor in these students lives to learn the English language. I believe children, especially English Language learners, want to be able to communicate with their peers since they spent a good amount of their time in school with people who may speak a language that is not their native tongue. Furthermore, I wonder what is the most preponderant type of motivation among Ms. Ramirez's students. Based on her responses, it personally sounds like her students are mostly extrinsically motivated to speak English. According to Ortega (2013), “When individuals engage in behavior that they understand as self-initiated by choice and largely sustained by inherent enjoyment in the activity, they are said to be intrinsically motivated” (p. 176). In Ms. Ramirez's case, she mentioned that she forces her students to speak to her in English. In fact, according to our text, “learners who are extrinsically motivated may say, for example, that they are learning the L2… simply because it is expected of them” (Ortega, 2013, p. 176). Therefore, we can infer that her students are mostly extrinsically motivated to learn and speak English because it is expected of them.
ReplyDeleteMaggie, I would definitely agree with you that her students are extrinsically motivated to speak English. While there may be some intrinsic motivation, I feel like in the classroom its mostly extrinsic. It is expected of them to use English in the classroom, and because that is what is expected of them, that is what they do.
DeleteHi Devin,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way you conducted this interview. You had some really great questions that built off of each other and Ms. Ramirez had great answers for you. I think it is awesome that Ms. Ramirez really does make sure all her students are understanding the subject and she accommodates them as needed. Ms. Ramirez spoke about how she front loads the students so that they can associate the word with an image and understand what things look like. However, I do think there could be some negative effects to her making her students speak in English. According to Ortega, “When individuals construe their behavior as structured by a means–end, pragmatic–instrumental causation that is imposed from the outside, their sense of self-causation and autonomy is low” (P. 176). I think in some cases the students could be less willing to learn because they feel as though they don’t truly have a choice and are basically only learning the language to pass a class.
Karina, I would definitely agree with you. I feel like intrinsic motivation really drives students to want to learn and succeed. The main motivation in that classroom is extrinsic and that can lower the students drive to want to learn and master their second language. I also agree with how you said the students may feel like they don't have a choice, and many students may struggle with that.
DeleteHi Devin,
ReplyDeleteYour interview with Ms. Ramirez brought a lot of insight about teaching ELL students of differing levels. There are some strategies she uses with advanced speakers than she does not use with her ‘new arrivals.’ It is conclusive that Ms. Ramirez knows a lot about Krashen’s comprehensible input. According to Krashen, “The single important source of L2 learning is comprehensible input [which includes] [..] linguistic data slightly above their current level” (Ortega, 2013, p.59). Ms. Ramirez provides activities where the students are allowed to use their native language but then also creates activities where they are intended to struggle a little to challenge their learning. This not only helps the students rise a greater potential but it also provides a gradual increase in comfortability with the language. Another strategy Ms. Ramirez offers is frontloading with definitions and graphic organizers. The products she creates are tools for self-exploration, which comes with motivation. I really enjoyed listening to Ms. Ramirez’s strategies and want to incorporate them in my teaching. Great interview!
Jordyn, I also like how Ms. Ramirez gives her students multiple ways to engage with the math materials. I think they play a large part in how her students feel engaged in the classroom and how they learn their second language. I think especially for students who are learning a second language, it is important for them to use visuals in supplement their learning.
DeleteIt is so cool that Ms. Ramirez tries to relate her content to her students’ lives. It seems that Ms. Ramirez takes the time to get to know her students and then uses what she knows about them to construct her lessons. Kaboody (2013), mentions how important it is for teachers to provide a comfortable environment and Ms. Ramirez is a great example of how to do that.
ReplyDeleteAngelica, you're absolutely right about how having a comfortable environment in conducive to a positive learning experience. I also think that the way she gets to know her students can play a part in how motivated they are to learn. No one want to learn from someone they feel doesn't care about them.
DeleteHey Devin,
ReplyDeleteI think it is very challenging for teachers to discover or bring out the orientation of ELL's. It seems apparent that a good amount of students are motivated to acquire English as their second language to fit in with their peers and classmates. However, Ms. Ramirez shared that many of her students are genuinely interested in acquiring English, to help benefit their math skills. According to Ortega, this example of orientation refers to the desire of an ELL to acquire another language to strive further in their education (2013, p. 173). Ms. Ramirez uses a strong orientation of making the math relatable to the students' lives and in order for them to do so, they need develop their English if they desire to strengthen their math skills. Since her students make a connection with their math content, they become more engaged and motivated to acquire their L2. As a future math teacher, I look to take these same strategies of making the content meaningful to my students and implement them into my technique. I know you are planning to teach as well, so I am curious of how you would instruct your ELL students.
Cody, to be honest instructing ELL students is something that I only know in theory. In my classroom right now, none of our students are English language learners. In my own classroom I would make sure to supplement my classwork with multiple sources outside of the textbook (if its being used). I would also make sure to have multiple graphic organizers and visuals, as well as relating the math to the students' lives.
DeleteHi, Devin! I loved how Ms. Ramirez mentioned that in order to get students engaged and motivated to learn, you must make the lesson relatable and interesting to them. I believe that most of the times, classroom behavior issues are rooted in whether or not the students are bored, are able to understand the material, or find it meaningful to them. This is especially important for ELLs since typically, they are learning in their L2.
ReplyDeleteThanh, I agree that engaging your students is a great way to get them motivated to learn. Especially in math, if you can relate the subject to their life then they see the math everywhere and are hungry to learn more. Boredom can be dangerous when it comes to student learning, and we as teachers have to be sure to motivate our students to want to continue and learn.
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