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Blog Entry 4: Course Reflection

The Course         This course thus far has surprised me in many ways. Prior to starting this course, I was not  sure of what to expect. However, once I begin the course, my insight into second language acquisition grew immensely. I was not aware of the countless research that goes into how people acquire a second language or various languages. This course has better equipped me with knowledge pertaining to how to relate to my future ELL students. As a future educator, I want to provide my students with the best education possible, and that means relating and meeting their needs. By using skills such as motivation, to initiate a child's learning of L2 or second language,  their efforts to sustain the language learned would be heighten (Ortega, 2011). I also believe that the content taught in this course has widen my perspective in ways  to better prepare myself for when I enter the classroom. Ortega states,  an individual’s communicative c...
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Blog Entry 3: Interview an Instructor

As I was conducting this interview, I realized that it differed drastically from my last interview with an ELL student. Dr. Monica Gonzalez is an University of Houston instructor who teaches an educational course of Mathematics for future teachers. In the interview, she discussed methods that she utilized as an college instructor but also shared tools that she used during her elementary and principal days. She stated that motivation plays a key role when teaching her students and she always as to keep in mind the various entities in which each one learns. She believes that it is important to showcase various methods of motivation, whether visual, auditory, or physical. Many students who come into the classroom have different levels of English proficiency. Some students are able to capture the language more if it’s spoken while others may gravitate to the language in a written or signed form. According to Ortega, “Human language manifests itself in spoken, signed and written systems acr...
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Entry 2: Interview With......

           While conducting my interview with Jennifer, who is a native Spanish speaker, I realize there were a few things that I was not aware of. As a child, Jennifer faced a difficult time picking up the language. Around the second grade, she began to start learning the English language. Since her household only spoke English, Jennifer found it difficult to fully grasp the language since her family only spoke Spanish at home. Jennifer felt that if she had the opportunity to practice the language at home and at school, her educational journey would have went more smoothly.  She also mentioned the severity of maintain her Spanish language meant the preserving of her heritage and ethnicity. According to Lourdes Ortega, “..Newcomers to their societies allegedly refuse to learn the language of the majority and persist in settling for rudimentary survival language skills only, even after decades of living in their new country.” (Ortega, 2011 Pg. 8). As J...
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Entry 1: Self Introduction

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Hello Everyone, My name is Celester Horton and I am currently a junior at the University of Houston (Sugar Land Campus). I am majoring in Teaching and Learning in hopes to becoming a 2nd grade teacher. I hope taking this class aids me in understanding my future ESL students and accommodating ways to assist them in their learning. Click here to learn more about me. -Celester Horton
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