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from Week 1 Questions and Graded Discussion

Jan 27, 2021 8:51PM

Maria Camila Mejia

1.What have been your experiences with second language acquisition/learning, either
personally or professionally? How successful were you as a language learner?
My experience with second language acquisition on a personal level has been easy in
an academic setting.   I began acquiring my second language as a young child. I am
an English Learner, I was born and lived in Colombia for the first 13 years of my life.
So my first language is Spanish, however, I began learning English as a young child
because my mother is bilingual and she often sang and read to me in English.  I also
attended a bilingual school while in Colombia. So when I moved to the United States I
was never in any ESL classes and never had any difficulty with the language, I
always excelled academically and English was never something that made things
more challenging for me. However, I did experience and continue to experience
difficulty with slang and the cultural components of language.  I have been living in
the United States for 20 years now and even though I moved here as a teenager I still
fail to understand many expressions, jokes, pop culture references, and slang. I have
an accent, although relatively mild which I think is because I started learning English
at a very young age.  
Professionally, I am a dual immersion teacher in fourth grade, so I teach both English
and Spanish.  Through my job, I am witnessing how quickly and easily a child can
learn a second language. It takes 8 years to master a second language at an
academic level so the language acquisition that I witness is developing, but it is very
inspiring to see how much the human brain can learn so quickly. 
2.What insights can you give in terms of how someone can best learn a second
language? What are the classroom implications for your current beliefs about how
someone learns a second language?
Based on my experience professionally and personally, the best way for someone to
learn a second language is to be immersed in it.  The way that I create an immersion
experience in my classroom is by staying in the target language during the time
designated for that language.  I also teach language through visuals, realia,
discussions, sentence frames, cognates, explicitly teaching academic vocabulary,
and connecting subjects through thematic planning.  I do not translate. If I need
something to be translated I give my students an opportunity to translate for each
other.   
from Week 1 Questions and Graded Discussion
Jan 27, 2021 9:04PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Yolanda and Luis,
 I completely agree with you about how Spanish/other languages haven't always been
valued which has made bilingualism a challenge for many people in this country.  As
a classroom teacher, I experience how vulnerable Spanish is in comparison to
English and how easily it can be devalued. I work in a dual immersion school 90-10
program and a way in which we address this loss of value for Spanish is by
representing Spanish in what we post in the classroom.  So if in my grade I am
supposed to be teaching Spanish 70% of the time and English 30%, then that means
that 70% of what is on my walls has to be in Spanish and 30% in English.
Nonetheless, it is a challenge for students to choose to communicate in Spanish as
opposed to English, and even as an adult I often choose to speak in English even
with people that speak Spanish.  
from Week 1 Questions and Graded Discussion
Jan 27, 2021 9:56PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Luis,
I agree that language instruction should ideally include Prescriptive and Descriptive
Grammar.  In the elementary setting, we teach Descriptive Grammar through
figurative language and cultural expressions to help students understand parts of the
culture, the literature, and to help them develop their second language acquisition. 
However, as an English Learner, it feels almost impossible to fully teach and learn the
Descriptive Grammar of a language.  Language is shaped by culture and in order to
learn it, we have to be fully immersed in the culture.  However, even when we are
technically immersed it is still challenging to fully learn Descriptive Grammar.  
I think of my dad, who moved to the US in his 40s. He didn't know English when he
moved to the States, but he quickly started taking English classes and got his
Master's degree and now has a professional job in which he only uses English to
communicate, he has been living in the US for 20 years and is fully immersed in the
language, he learned the Prescriptive Grammar.  Yet when people hear him speak
they often stop engaging with him because he has such a strong accent, which
makes it difficult for him to learn the Descriptive Grammar of the language.  In
addition, his way of joking is culturally different and therefore there is always a lack of
connection with the American Culture. So even after 20 years of living in the US, my
dad still does not know the Descriptive Grammar of English and has no connection to
the American Culture.  As for me, my experience with Descriptive Grammar hasn't
been as difficult as my dad's since I moved here as a teenager.  But I still don't feel
like the American Culture is mine.  I still continue to learn slang and expressions and
when it comes to cultural references I still often fail to understand what people are
talking about. When I visit my country I also feel like I don't know the Descriptive
Grammar there and don't understand some of the colloquialism because I haven't
lived there in twenty years and the language has changed since I left. 
I think it is important to teach and learn the Prescriptive and Descriptive Grammar of a
language. However, we also have to acknowledge that the experience of an
immigrant will always be incredibly unique and that Descriptive Grammar is learned
from the mutual interaction of all the cultures involved.      
The submissions for this assignment are posts in the assignment's discussion. Below are the
discussion posts for Maria Camila Mejia (She/Her/Hers), or you can view the full discussion.

from Week 2 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 1, 2021 12:38PM

Maria Camila Mejia

1. What are the differences between first and second language acquisition? How
does first language acquisition influence second language learning?

First language acquisition is a natural process that happens through our interactions with the
culture in which we are submerged.  However, second language acquisition is something that
happens by choice and that we have to study and practice in order to acquire it.  In addition,
acquiring a second language also depends on factors, such as the “Critical Period” and
personal inhibitions/language ego.

The experiences we had with our first language acquisition influences how we acquire our
second language. For example, if you were exposed to language through books and you
were given the opportunity to learn a variety of vocabulary then when you begin learning a
new language, comprehension will be easier because you already have the foundation of it
through your first language.  But, if you weren’t read to and you don't have the vocabulary in
your first language, then it’ll be more difficult to learn it in your second language. 

1. How can the knowledge of first language acquisition help a second/foreign

language teacher?

Knowing how first language acquisition is developed can help a second/foreign language
teacher because a teacher can identify the language stage in which the learner is at and
provide support at the learners’ Zone of Proximal Development. The understanding of L1
acquisition can help the teacher design appropriate instruction to meet the needs of the
learner at the level that they are at.  

from Week 2 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 4, 2021 2:03PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Hi Yolanda,

I appreciate the way you explained this.  It is so true that first language acquisition is "strongly
correlated with the caretakers' well-being." That's why in schools we often see that the
students who come from more affluent households tend to have a more extensive vocabulary
and tend to develop their literacy skills more quickly than students who come from less
affluent households. Students from affluent households were exposed to a lot of language
because parents often spoke to them and read to them.  In addition, you said "Our first
 language experiences contribute to learning a second language or even a third language"
definitely knowing our L1 at an academic level facilitates L2 acquisition.

Camila    

from Week 2 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 5, 2021 2:28PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Hi Colleen,
I like the points you made. It is definitely important to remember as a teacher that
there isn't one theory in which we should base our entire practice, but we should take
something from all the different theories.  I like the theories that you plan to implement
in your practice.  The silent period is something that we often forget, but it is so
important to allow our students to be in the silent period without pressuring them to
move along.  Also, using frequently used phrases or high-frequency words is such a
great strategy in teaching literacy.  Additionally, "level-appropriate interactions
between teach-student and student-student" is so crucial in acquiring a second
language.  Through Zoom is so difficult to facilitate pair-share time, but it is truly one
of the main ways that students learn.\
Camila
 

The submissions for this assignment are posts in the assignment's discussion. Below
are the discussion posts for Maria Camila Mejia (She/Her/Hers), or you can view the
full discussion.

from Week 3 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 7, 2021 10:32AM

Maria Camila Mejia

1. How can the knowledge of morphology help in teaching ESL/EFL? How
can the knowledge of morphology help students in studying English?

Morphology is different in every language, therefore, the knowledge of morphology in

teaching English Learners is helpful because it will help teachers design lessons in
which we study the meaning of bound morphemes and how these change the
meaning of words when added to a free morpheme.  In addition, knowledge of
morphology helps students studying English because it will help them comprehend a
text when they encounter bound morphemes and it can also help students improve
their spelling.  
 
2.Below are listed some words followed by incorrect definitions:
 Choose three of these incorrect definitions to give some possible reasons why the
students made the guesses they did. Where you can exemplify by reference to other
words or morphemes, giving their meanings, do so.
 
Stalemate:  “husband or wife no longer interested”
This student has knowledge of the meanings of the words “stale” and “mate.”  They
know that stale means stagnant and mate is a partner.  However, they made this
mistake because they thought that “stale” was a prefix that altered the meaning of the
morpheme “mate.”  However, “stale” and “mate” are two free morphemes that when
combined make a compound word with an entirely new meaning. 
 
Ingenious: “not very smart”
A reason why this student may have made this mistake is that this student doesn’t
know that the prefix -in- has multiple meanings.  It can mean “not,” which is why they
thought that the meaning of ingenious is “not smart.”  But -in- can also mean “in”
which means that it comes from within. 
 
Dermatology:  “a study of derms”
This student understands that the suffix “logy” means “the study of something.” 
However, they don’t know the meaning of the morpheme “Derma,” which means
“skin.”
from Week 3 Questions and Graded Discussion
Feb 9, 2021 2:09PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Hi Kelly, 
I agree, about how having some basic knowledge of morphology can help our
students make educated guesses.  If they can identify when a word is using a prefix
or suffix that can help them guess the correct meaning of the word.    
 
Camila
from Week 3 Questions and Graded Discussion
Feb 9, 2021 2:23PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Hi Patricia,
I like how you are teaching morphology through adverbs.  And definitely, as it has
already been mentioned, sentence frames are a great tool to use in the classroom.  I
know my students participate so much more and feel so much more confident when
sentence frames are incorporated. 
 
Camila

The submissions for this assignment are posts in the assignment's discussion. Below are the
discussion posts for Maria Camila Mejia (She/Her/Hers), or you can view the full discussion.
 from Week 4 Questions and Graded Discussion
Feb 15, 2021 1:31PM

Maria Camila Mejia

1. If you are a proficient speaker of another language (or have studied another
language), describe what would be typical difficulties in pronouncing English
sounds for the speakers of that language.

I am a proficient Spanish speaker.  I think some of the typical difficulties in pronouncing

English sounds for Spanish speakers are pronouncing words with "r" like "rabbit" because the
r in Spanish rolls more and it might be difficult to make less of a roll for English Learners.
Another sound that might be difficult for Spanish speakers learning English is the sound “th”
as in thumb because the sound “th” doesn’t exist in Spanish. 

1. What are the best strategies to teach English pronunciation to English learners?
What are some factors to keep in mind?

Some of the best strategies to teach English pronunciation to English Learners are to first,
model how a sound is supposed to sound and help students identify those sounds in short
words.  In addition, a good strategy to teach phonics is to teach it in context through literature
or the content that is being studied. Another strategy is to write for sound, in which the
teacher speaks a sentence and the student writes what they heard, this will help them identify
the sounds. Furthermore, making connections to the student’s first language and giving them
many opportunities to practice.  

Camila

from Week 4 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 15, 2021 1:33PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Colleen,

I am very impressed, I tried answering question two and quickly gave up after I could only
think of two sh sounds.  Makes me wonder how much my inability to think of more spellings
has to do with English being my second language.

Camila

from Week 4 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 15, 2021 1:37PM

Maria Camila Mejia

 Patricia,
I agree that one of the best ways to practice pronunciation is by having many
opportunities to speak.  I love using sentence frames in my classroom and ever since
I've begun using them throughout every class discussion that I facilitate, I have seen
how much more my students speak and it is helping their pronunciation. 
Camila
 

The submissions for this assignment are posts in the assignment's discussion. Below
are the discussion posts for Maria Camila Mejia (She/Her/Hers), or you can view the
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from Week 5 Questions and Graded Discussion

Feb 21, 2021 6:07PM

Maria Camila Mejia

1. How has studying grammar helped your language learning? How was
grammar taught in the classes you’ve taken? Do you believe it was
effective? What is the best way to teach grammar?

Grammar is important to learn in order to learn a language at an academic level.  We

have to know when to use correct grammar and when it is okay to use more colloquial
language.  I believe that learning grammar has helped my language learning be more
academic and allowed me to study in a university in my second language. I have
received specific and targeted grammar lessons throughout my language learning
experience, but it was always taught in context and it was never the main lesson.  I
believe that the way I learned grammar was effective and also believe it is the best
way to teach grammar.  Grammar should be taught based on the errors we see our
students are making and it should be connected to the content that we are teaching.
 

1. Specify a grammatical principle that you believe you follow in your own
speech and writing, and whose violation sounds wrong to you in the
speech and writing of others. For example, some people feel very strongly
about the use of “can” to ask for permission, or the use of “real” as an
adverb etc.?

A grammatical principle that I follow in my speech and writing, and that sounds wrong
to me when not used correctly is “verb tenses.”  I can easily conjugate verbs and use
the correct tense in my speech and writing.
 
 
from Week 5 Questions and Graded Discussion
Feb 26, 2021 12:50PM

Maria Camila Mejia

 Colleen,
I know exactly what you mean about your grammar pet peeve.  I see that error often
and it baffles me how people didn't learn this in school.  But, understanding language
development helps me have a little more compassion when I see those errors.  This
is something I want all my students to learn, but interestingly it is not an error I've
seen my elementary students make. 
Camila
from Week 5 Questions and Graded Discussion
Feb 26, 2021 12:54PM

Maria Camila Mejia

Jessica,
I see those grammar violations all the time. When I've seen them in my student's
writing, I always follow up with a mini-lesson around the correct way to use those
words.  
Camila