Entry 3: Teacher Interview
For this assignment, I interviewed my sister, Ashley, who teaches 6th grade science. She has been ESL certified for 5 years and works with ELL students regularly. Motivation is something that we spent the majority of the interview talking about, and it is a leading factor when working with ELL students. My sister emphasized the fact that many immigrant students that she works with are very intrinsically motivated to learn English. This is because when they come to America, it is important to, “make a better life for yourself, and they know that that avenue for that is education.” They also want to be successful because it is internally important to them to do well. They desire approval from their teachers and peers and want to know that they are making progress.
She also points out that some of the motivation that you see in ELLs can be categorized as extrinsic. These children feel the need to learn the language so that they can assist their parents with communication. Ortega explains that when children are, “learning the L2 for ulterior goals that have little to do with the L2 itself,” that the motivation is extrinsic (2013, p.176). I would not say that extrinsic motivation is a negative thing to have; as long as it is accompanied by intrinsic motivation, students typically perform well.
As teachers, we can play a major role in increasing our ELLs motivation. Ortega tells us that the students, “who expressed more satisfaction towards their teacher and curriculum tended to be those who also reported higher motivation” (2013, p.183). Educators that genuinely invest time and effort in helping their students learn a second language are the ones that impact their ELLs the most. The teacher has control over the amount of interaction that these students are experiencing and can contribute to whether or not they feel a sense of belonging. Establishing a classroom environment that encourages collaboration and team work creates a desire to be a part of something that they can enjoy and prosper from.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Morgan! It is great that you have a sister to help you out when you begin teaching! I'm glad you mentioned motivation because the teacher I interviewed mentioned how much her kindergarteners are motivated to be like their peers and speak English. ELLs seem to have a desire to learn, "which can be generally understood as how much personal investment in succeeding in the language people claim for themselves" (Ortega, 2011, page 170). ELLs also have integrativeness which "is an attitude defined as a genuine interest in learning the second language in order to come closer to the other language community" (Ortega, 2011, page 170). Integrativeness is something I have seen a lot of in my observations due to the fact that students want to get closer to their classmates and peers and in order to do that they have to learn their language.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.
There are many precursors that can give rise to motivation for ELL students. Ortega mentions several other factors aside from integrativeness that contribute to a students desire to learn a second language (2013 p.172). Self-confidence, which pertains to, “communicative competence and willingness to communicate” is something that I feel would impact language capabilities more so than anything else . If a student does not have a positive attitude toward English and they do not feel encouraged to speak the language, they will not be as likely to participate in social interactions.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Morgan, I love that you mention the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. I think that, when Ortega mentions a student's desires for learning another language having to center around the second-language itself, the student cannot have simple or unrefined desires to learn the language (2011).
ReplyDeletePersonally, this seems reminiscent of the argument from a previous topic we discussed concerning students who learn another language in high school as a requirement rather than any internal desire to learn a language other than their native one. Would you say that, by increasing the motivation in our students early on, we can increase the student's overall success rate in academics as a whole? Or would this endeavor undermine a student’s interests? I think we should always try to challenge our students further, push their limits, however I understand that this may not always be an ideal teaching style.
Ila, I too commented on Morgan's blog. After reading everyone's comment, I really was drawn to you stating that you "think we should always try to challenge out students' further and push their limits." I think that this is valuable. We have always been taught to not make it too easy (bored) or too hard (frustrated). Thus, why I agree with Krashen's input regarding the Comprehensible Input Hypothesis. Krashen states that the single most important source of L2 learning is comprehensible input. This is also known as the language which learners process for meaning and which contains something to be learned. Krashen believes the linguistic data should be slightly above their current level (i+1) (Ortega, 2013, p.59). Thus we are pushing ELL's slightly above where they currently are to help them learn but not become overly frustrated.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
I would agree that motivation is something that spirals from one avenue to the next. When students are academically driven, their ambitious behavior will likely follow them throughout their lifetime. However, Ortega provides a different opinion on this matter. He explains that, “L2 motivation not only as a generalized trait, but also as a state trait or a set of goal-directed predispositions to act (or not to act) in a certain way, that is subject to change overtime (2013, p. 184). It is his understanding that overtime, motivation can change based on the subject matter. I think that it is interesting to consider the consistency of motivation and whether it is more influenced by the individual or the topic of interest.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Amanda and Morgan, you two have some of the most insightful comments when discussing motivation this week; I enjoy reading your inputs. On Krashen's theories, I agree that finding such a balance is rewarding for both the students and their teachers (2013). As for motivations changing, this seems more like an inevitability than anything else (2013). I think that, when it comes to motivation, people are the catalysts for such change; after all, one cannot change without first wanting said change to occur.
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ReplyDeleteMorgan, thank you for sharing your interview of you and your sister. Motivation seems to be a key component in life from a general aspect. It was interesting to read your comment about our ELL feeling intrinsically motivated because they want to make a "better life for themselves through education." I also agree with it is okay to have extrinsic motivation as long as it is accompanied with intrinsic motivation. Ortega talks about orientation, or reasons for learning the L2. These reasons contribute to the setting of goals that will propel and sustain motivation of varying intensities and qualities. The 5 orientations for learning a language that L2 learners most commonly report are instrumental, knowledge, travel, friendship, and integrative reasons (Ortega, 2013, p.173). It sounds like the ELL's described above exhibit the instrumental orientation because they want to pursue a higher education that the United States can offer, as well as knowledge orientation. It seems they also exhibit friendship orientation because they are seeking approval of peers and students. In addition the ELL's, exhibit the orientation for integrative reasons. This orientation is related more too identifying oneself with the target culture and a genuine desire to become more like members of the L2 group, thus having integrative motivation (Ortega, 2013, p.173).
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
My last interviewee, for blog entry 2, also showed signs of integrative motivation in that her language learning increased after befriending a native speaker and she was introduced to American music. Ortega tells us that, "positive attitudes towards the L2 speakers and culture, and general high interest in learning foreign languages" helps increase motivation (2013, p.187). This is one reason why it is important for teachers to get to know our students to learn about their interests, and use their passions as a catalyst to helping their language development.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Morgan! I think it is understandable for English Language Learners to struggle with vocabulary, especially when it comes to science. I love that the students are able to help each other and make connections with English and Spanish, such as that student that helped with the understanding of the word 'mushroom'. I find it amazing that the school that she works at is so diverse, this is good because it gives her the opportunity to teach several different types of English Language Learners and helps her learn about different races and cultures.
ReplyDeleteWhile vocabulary is challenging for many language learners, there is an abundant amount of research based strategies to help our students overcome these difficulties. Because students may struggle with vocabulary for differing reasons, Ortega provides us with a variety of coping strategies related to self-regulation. One of the dimensions discussed is emotional control, which is when a student finds ways to "overcome negative moods and affirm emotional stability" (2013, p. 212). I found this domain to be relevant because acquiring a large amount of new knowledge at a time can be stressful and overwhelming for anyone. When I took statistics, this class involved learning a whole new set of procedures and vocabulary that had not been touched on in any other math class I had taken. ELLs are presented with overcoming this challenge on a daily basis as they are constantly being introduced to new words, definitions, and contexts.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
I love your outlook on this topic Morgan! You are right, there are several strategies that can be used to help students overcome any difficulties they may face while learning vocabulary. I think that a second language is something that should be learned at ones own pace, simply because every person learns at a different speed as well as in a different way. One student may be able to pick up on material quickly while another student may struggle.
DeleteHi Morgan, I think your sister has done a great job explaining what motivates ELL students and emphasizing that motivation is the key to learning a new language. I am an ELL and can relate to the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations she mentions. I think your sister is right about how intrinsic motivation is what drives students to want to successfully learn English because Gass states, “Everyone agrees that it has something to do with drive” Gass (2013P.426). Not only are students obligated to learn the language because it because part of their daily life, but they know that it is the only way they will be successful.
ReplyDeleteReference: Gass, S. M. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New York, NY: Routledge.
While motivation appears to be straightforward as far as the results that it produces, there are still many factors involving drive that still puzzles educators and researchers. One important question that Gass poses to his readers is: "Does success lead to better performance?" (2013, p.431). This question is difficult to approach, because all students respond to success in different ways. Learning styles and individual personalities generate complexity in understanding motivation and response to certain methods or approaches. This is why it is important for educators to, "help individual learners find out if they are better at some language learning tasks than others and, if so, in what contexts" (2013, p. 444).
DeleteGass, S. M. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New York, NY: Routledge.