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Week 13: Growth Mindset and Language Learning

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Week 13: Growth Mindset and Language Learning

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According to Cummin’s Theory of BICS and CALP, CALP can take 7-10 years to develop, so as teachers we really must encourage our language learners to develop a growth mindset. How do you do this while not ignoring institutional barriers that make achieving fluency difficult?

I think in order to help language learners to develop a growth mindset is to first set an example as a teacher on how to model those characteristics/thought processes in the classroom. Have small posters around the classroom of positive affirmations/quotes, compliment each student on their accomplishments in order to motivate them and to let them know they’re on track, have students establish one learning goal at the beginning of each week, develop a sense of trust and comfort in the classroom, let students know that is perfectly okay to make mistakes, encourage engagement, etc. But overall I think the most important factor is how, we as the teacher, word our statements towards our students. An example would be instead of saying “You tried your best!”, you could say, “I can tell you put in a lot of effort, what are other ways we can approach this problem?!” There are various amounts of strategies that could be used to help students develop a growth mindset.

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Week 13 Growth Mindset and Language Learning

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Week 12: More Culture and Language Learning

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Week 12: More Culture and Language Learning

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Linguistic Determinism (Whorfian Hypothesis)

Based on to what extent we allow our language to influence how we see think

Strong linguistic determinism: completely determines thought

Weak linguistic determinism: makes it easier to think in certain ways

Linguistic Relativity

Language can shape and or influence our thoughts either broadly or specifically

Universalism, Piaget, Vygotsky, Linguistic Determinism

SPEAKING

S= setting and place, P= participants, E= ends, A= act sequence, K= key, I= instrumentalities, N= norms, G= genre

This model is based on how cross-cultural communication can be approached. The factors are all important in how to navigate a conversation and be an effective communicator.

If a student doesn't have a word in their L1, are they able to express the idea if it exists in the L2?  How might you help a student understand concepts that they didn't have words for?

If a student doesn’t have a specific word in their L1, I think they would be able to explain/express the idea if it exists in their L2. Because they would be able to elaborate on what they are trying to say. Like an example for me would be trying to explain a Spanish word/phrase that doesn’t have a direct translation in English to someone who doesn’t understand Spanish. I would need to figure out similar words or explain it to them in a way where they will understand my translation of L1 to L2. If I have a student who needs help with trying to understand concepts that they don’t have words for, I would help by asking them how it works in their L1 and review why it’s different in L2. And if they can’t explain it, maybe drawing a picture or diagram could help so I could visualize what they are wanting to describe to me.

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I think it’s important to factor in all of these concepts when it comes to students and the overall classroom environment. Every student might be different. An example would be a student who maybe isn’t used to being encouraged to speak because of their culture vs a student who loves to raise their hand because their culture encourages them to. It’s necessary to be mindful of those specific cultural traits because it helps us to further understand our students. Something that would be helpful for students would be to create a poster that has your top 5-10 ideas/rules/quotes that you want your students and the classroom environment to model. Another important factor to apply to your classroom is to be equal and fair to everyone. Kids definitely are able to tell when their teacher is biased so it’s necessary to have open communication with everyone and be culturally inclusive. One thing that would help with students who come from an individualistic or a collectivist culture would be to lesson plan with individual and collaborative work because I know there are people who prefer to work alone but it’s also good to talk to other students and listen to their ideas but it’s also necessary to complete individual work as well. So it’s a balance between the two!

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Week 10: Personality and Language Learning

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Week 10: Personality and Language Learning

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This week’s concepts made me think more in-depth about how different everyone can be when it comes to personalities. I think as future educators, it is important for us to be super observant of our students and to be open-minded. If we are able to figure out what areas are their strong points and what areas they might need help developing, we would be able to help them in their growth not only as a learner but as a person as well. In K-12, I would notice how teachers would focus more on students who misbehaved or who wouldn’t be on-task which is only natural, I get it. But I feel like it’s also important to give positive feedback to all your students. For example, small phrases like “Thank you, everyone, for being patient or on task” can really impact or shift the way students view the teacher and the environment of the classroom. Giving those small, positive affirmations to students will make them feel more comfortable in the classroom which in return will create more trust and communication. When I was an after-school leader, I placed an emphasis on getting to know everyone and learning small things about them. I believe they appreciated knowing that someone was actively listening to them.

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Week 9: Affective Factors in Language Learning 

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Week 9: Affective Factors in Language Learning 

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How can we help encourage risk-taking in the classroom and help students realize that mistakes and errors are opportunities to learn? / How can you help students develop healthy self-efficacy?
I think we can encourage risk-taking and develop self-efficacy in the classroom by creating an environment where students are reminded that it is perfectly okay to make mistakes, to problem-solve, asking questions is key, and giving up is not the solution. I think having small motivational quote posters around the classroom aids in the reinforcement of being in a positive environment.
Do you ever fear making a mistake and find yourself not learning?
Yes, I experienced this recently with a math assignment I had two weeks ago. I was not understanding at all and I did even want to try to do my homework because I felt like I was doing it all wrong. If I’m confused and I get overwhelmed, I definitely feel a block where I do not feel like I can learn the material.  After watching a few videos and going over the lecture, I somewhat got it and I did submit my homework.
How would you help a student overcome these feelings?
I think what I would do to help a student overcome feelings is to first, take a brain break, whether it be by going for a walk as a class, having quiet downtime, completing a fun activity. It’s important to take breaks because it reduces stress and helps to distract. Secondly, I would engage with my student and have a conversation about what’s going on and how they are feeling about their progress, from there I could remind them how far they’ve come along and give them solutions to manage their stress.
Do you even expect perfection from yourself while learning? What do you think the long-term effect is on you as a life-long learner?
This was something I struggled with more when I was younger, I would grow frustrated if I did not understand something right away. Over the years, I have learned that it’s fine to take my time to understand something and to re-write notes in a way that I can comprehend the concepts more easily.
How do you attribute your success as a student and what do you think the effect is?
What has attributed to my success as a student is essentially staying motivated to reach my academic goals. I think it’s always worked for me because if I tell myself I am going to do something, I HAVE to do it. Even if I failed at it or it didn’t work out for me, I tried and that’s all that I can ask of myself.

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Week 9 Affective Factors in Language Learning

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What strategies do you think are more effective for you as a learner?
The reflective, inductive, and metacognitive strategies are the most effective for me as a learner. I do the best when I have someone teaching me concepts through a lecture. Hearing someone explaining while I am taking notes really helps me to actively listen, focus, and helps me retain information better. I am more of a reflective learner, I can’t have a question be thrown at me without me letting it soak in and thinking about an answer in my head. Usually, it takes me a little time to form an answer.
How can you help students use a strategy that they are not as comfortable with?
I think giving them options is a good way to help them. An example would be with the cognitive strategy, if they are more right-brained, maybe they would like to sketch their notes in the way they understand the concepts. Another example would be as a teacher facilitating a discussion, I could say “Think about your answer for a minute”, that way a student who has an impulsive style will learn to slow down and reflect.
How can you help students use a compensatory strategy instead of a communication strategy?
One way to help students would be to have a schedule somewhere in the classroom with the time slots so they know what our daily routine is. I think having them keep daily logs of homework so they are organized would help so they do not get overwhelmed. Another strategy would be to take small breaks in between the subjects. A helpful tip is to have a cubby for each student so they don’t lose important information or papers.
Think about the list of traits for good language learners. How can you as a teacher help students develop these traits?
I could help students develop those traits by encouraging them to keep actively learning, to ask questions, remind them that it is okay to make mistakes, and develop a positive growth mindset!

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Week 7: Cognitive Considerations and Learning

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Week 7: Cognitive Considerations and Learning

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1) It reinforces what they just learned through the use of activities or visuals. It helps them review and serves as a study guide in a way, they are able to ask questions if they didn’t understand or catch something. I think group projects would be more beneficial for ELs and other students because they will learn from each other and work together to come up with one cohesive answer. They could also ask each other questions for clarification.
2) I do believe in the critical age hypothesis because children have quicker cognitive processes and are more flexible at absorbing new information. For example, they learn about 3-4 subjects a day, 5 days a week so they’re able to quickly go back to back learning new information. If I were teaching a grade above sixth grade that needed help in their language learning, I would always make sure to have written instructions on my assignments or to read it aloud and incorporate more class discussions and small group projects in my lessons. I would also make sure to place them next to a student who I know is responsible and helpful. I would check on them and ask how they are doing so far and if possible, incorporate after-school tutoring if I notice they are struggling more.
3) This is something that I didn’t take into consideration when doing my first lesson plan so I will make a note to incorporate the hook information to prior knowledge in my lesson plans. I do think it’s important for students to recognize that new knowledge does correlate with prior knowledge they have learned. So the material doesn’t seem as difficult or intimidating to them.
4) I do see scaffolding in my classes. In the sense that usually, the lesson is taught and then there is an activity to do afterward and then homework follows along. This method usually works for me because I am able to understand the lesson as the professor explains the theories or math equations, the activity reinforces the learning that occurred and it’s extra practice, and then the homework is more practice and comprehension.
5) With my lesson plans, I would always want to try to incorporate something that has to do with pulling their personality or interests out. Giving them more creative freedom to write about what they would like, read books that interest them, allow them to complete specific assignments in however way they would like. I would also put an effort to correlate life lessons or real-life scenarios from each lesson so that they could understand that each lesson has a purpose and it’s not solely restricted to school learning.
6) I believe one key thing that will help students become lifelong learners is to help them understand which learning style they have. For example, if they are more visual learners, Youtube is a great resource for them. If they are auditory learners, podcasts are perfect. I also would encourage a growth mindset: challenges can be overcome, what are other strategies I could use to understand, mistakes are perfectly okay, I am still learning, etc. This way students do not become frustrated or discouraged!

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Week 7 Cognitive Considerations + Learning

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This week's concepts made me have further empathy for language learners. Learning a new language is stressful and it's overwhelming. As a future ESL teacher, I would handle the transfers with both direct and indirect corrections because I feel as though there needs to be a good balance of self-teaching and assisting. Like for example, let's say I noticed a student made a mistake, and I would say "We have a slight oops right here." That way they do not get discouraged and feel like they failed compared to if I say "That's wrong." Following a polite direct correction, I would continue with an indirect correction. I would ask them if they can identify the error, I could read their sentence out loud to them and ask them if it sounds right or if we could simplify the sentence down. If they seem lost, I will guide them and go over what we have learned so far in regards to what kind of mistake they have made. But definitely, I would lean more towards indirect corrections because I didn't enjoy when I had mistakes on my papers and my teacher wouldn't identify why it was wrong, they would just mark it down. If I had a student who had stabilized, I would encourage them by reminding them how much they have accomplished, reassure them that it's normal and it happens to other language learners, implement their favorite things into the lesson plan (ex: movies, tv shows, video games, etc.) so they maintain interest in learning, etc.

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Week 5: The History of Language Teaching in the United States

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Week 5: The History of Language Teaching in the United States

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This week's concepts helped me understand and learn the various programs there are for language learners. I wasn't aware there was this many different ones! I had just known of the pull out program one because that's what I had to do in elementary school. But it's good to be conscious of all the different types since some have more pros than cons compared to others. I think there should be more dual immersions schools available at all K-12 levels. I would've loved to have been enrolled in one! It helps students retain their native language/learn a new language. It's really beneficial because bilingualism helps develop more complex cognitive skills with critical thinking, problem solving, etc. in two different languages.

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Week 5 The History of Language Teaching in the United States

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1st Assignment for Lesson Plan Portfolio

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1st Assignment for Lesson Plan Portfolio

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My concentration is TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) so my ultimate goal is to be an ESL teacher. I would like to teach at an elementary school level because kids are in the critical stages of cognitive development. As of now, I would like to stay in the Central Valley. On the Modesto City Schools website, it says that their school population is 25% English Learners, so there is a need for ESL teachers here. I also would like to stay in this area because I was an EL student myself so it would make me happy that I would be able to relate with my students! Specifically, in 3rd grade, I remember that I would get pulled out from my normal classroom and meet with 5-6 other students and an ESL teacher who would give us lessons on sentence structure and spelling. She was really nice and I enjoyed being in a small group setting. That was one moment that sparked my interest in becoming a teacher. Also with teaching at an elementary school level, I believe it’s easier to incorporate fun activities with lesson planning and reading storybooks are always a plus!

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Week 4: Theories of Second Language Acquisition

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Week 4: Theories of Second Language Acquisition

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This week's lecture terms made me think more about how I would want to develop my lesson plans as a future ESL teacher. I did get a little overwhelmed thinking about it because there are so many methods to choose from! But I think what is also important to factor in is what kind of learning styles my future students have. If it varies, it's necessary to incorporate a little bit of each during the lesson plan. For example, if some students rely on visuals, I'll have picture cards. If I have a mix of auditory and visual learners, a video pertaining to the lesson will be great to use! If there are kinesthetic learners, a hands-on game or activity is best suited for them. With all this in mind and all the different methods we learned, I will definitely try to incorporate a bit of everything to keep all my students engaged and excited to learn!

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Week 4 Theories of Second Language Acquistion

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Please click on the pdf above to view my study guide! :)
This week's lecture and terms definitely helped me further understand the theories and knowledge of language learning. As a future educator, it's important to know how exactly students are able to comprehend your lessons whether it be through spoken or written sentences. I think something that is a minor detail that could be forgotten but is very important to do as a future educator is to state out loud the instructions and objective but also have it typed onto the assignment itself. Students will be able to connect your spoken words and written words together and comprehend how to complete the assignment.

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Please click on the presentation above to view my slideshow! I chose to do a slideshow with this fun theme to keep things organized and bright. I also enjoy presentations because the material has to be kept at a minimum so it's not a dense or heavy learning process! Hope you enjoy :)

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Unit 2: Intro to Linguistics - Presentation (16:9) by Priscilla M

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Hello! My name is Priscilla Martinez. I am in my fourth year at Stan and my major is Liberal Studies with a concentration in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language). I chose my major with this specific concentration because, in elementary school, I was an English learner. I would want to help students who were in the same position as I was! I am looking forward to learning new material this semester because I am not too familiar with the science of learning a new language. I would say what I enjoy most is learning about various cultures whether it be through music, shows, youtube, interacting with others, and most importantly, food!!! Other things I enjoy are being around my family, cooking, graphic design, and kickboxing.