Reflection
For this interview, I reached out to a 7th grade
Mathematics teacher, Mrs. Tapia, who has English Language Learners in her
classroom. I started off by asking
questions that focused on the different types of motivation that is most common
among her students. According to Mrs. Tapia, most of her students are
extrinsically motivated to learn English and the content, which did not utterly
surprise me because as Mrs. Tapia mentioned, most students around that age will
do something if they get something out of it. In regards to this type of
motivation, “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). For children around this age, Mrs. Tapia states that there are
some students who receive social support that expect them to view learning as a
positive thing. Furthermore, in the video, Stephen Krashen’s 5 Hypotheses of
Second Language Acquisition, he claims that learners with high motivation,
self-confidence and low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in SLA
(14:43). After watching this video, I wanted to include a question that addressed
this idea. In order to make success possible for her ELLs with low motivation,
low self-esteem, and have a high level of anxiety, Mrs. Tapia does her best to
create a safe environment in which students understand that it is acceptable to
make mistakes in the content or when they speak. She encourages her ELLs to
actively participate within the classroom, and creates opportunities for them
to use their voice in a way they will not feel embarrassed or frustrated when
speaking, thus boosting their motivation to learn not only math but English. Another
important point that I would like to touch upon is the idea of memory capacity.
According to Ortega (2013), “Memory capacity has also been related to
differential achievement in L2 listening ability and overall L2 proficiency”
(p. 155). Now while the text states that memory capacity is related to
achievement, when I asked Mrs. Tapia if she agrees, she quickly responded with
no. Mrs. Tapia states that people with higher memory capacities can retain more
information and can possibly memorize things better, but that does not mean
they truly understand what it is they are trying to learn. In regards to her
students learning math, while some can easily memorize formulas and functions,
they still might not be able to produce and show a complete understanding of
the material. Lastly, I felt that it was important to address the final
question. I asked Mrs. Tapia if she thinks her ELLs will be able to achieve
ultimate success in learning English. The reason I asked this question is
because as I was reading Chapter 7, I came across an interesting statement. Many
SLA researchers “posit that adolescents and adults will rarely if ever attain
complete success in learning an L2 because they try to learn the language via
analysis and analogy (that is, explicitly) and in doing so they are using the ‘wrong’
route, as it were” (Ortega, 2013, p. 158). However, as it was heard in the
video, Mrs. Tapia believes that even though it will take a long time, young
children in the 7th grade can in fact learn to speak perfect English
if they continue to be in an English environment. I found this noteworthy to
discuss because Mrs. Tapia did not say anything about learning English through “analysis
and analogy,” but rather through informal opportunities within an English
speaking environment.
Hi, Maggie! Thank you for sharing your interview with Mrs. Tapia with us. I found it extremely interesting that she stated that most of her students are extrinsically motivated to learn English rather than intrinsically motivated. For my own interview, I asked my mentor teacher, who also happens to be the ESL liaison, a similar question, however, she stated in her experience that the ELLs she has worked with are typically intrinsically motivated. According to Ortega (2013), “an L2 learner would be intrinsically motivated” if they studied the L2 “for the ‘high’ [they] feel when hearing/speaking the foreign language (simulation), for the pleasure of ‘surpassing oneself’ and ‘grasping a difficult language concept’ (self-accomplishment), or for the sheer satisfaction to know more (knowledge)” (p. 176). I was expecting her to respond that yes, the ELLs she has work with are motivated by external factors, but her explanation made sense to me and is something I can emphasize with. Because most of the ELLs she has worked with are immigrants or have family who are immigrants, they are driven to learn English in order to be able to help their parents and be better interpreters. As an immigrant and a former ELL myself, I can say that one of my many sources of motivation for learning English was the same.
ReplyDeleteI am curious to know, Thanh, if you were ever extrinsically motivated to learn English. As I mentioned in my reflection, students who are extrinsically motivated are simply learning the L2 because it is what they are supposed to do. From a young child's perspective, he/she may not have any inner motivation for anything. If their parents tell them to go to school, they go to school and due to the exposure to a second language, they happen to learn it. With regard to my interview with Mrs. Tapia, I honestly expected her to say that most of her students are extrinsically motivated. Regardless of age, I think many individuals prefer to do and learn things if they are to get something out of it (i.e. reward, friendship, better job, etc.).
DeleteMaggie, I can definitely say that I've always thought I was extrinsically motivated to learn English as a chid. During my ESL sessions, I read aloud and learned because I was told to and because I would get a reward at the end, typically a sticker or a little treat, not because I wanted to. I was extremely self-conscious and didn't want to seem inadequate to my peers, so I tried my test best to perfect my English and become friends with the children in my class.
DeleteAs a future math teacher, it was very interesting to see how a middle school math teacher works with ELL students in the classroom. As I’ve seen in most interviews, most students are extrinsically motivated as opposed to being motivated intrinsically. There are five orientations for learning an L2 and four out of the five have to do with extrinsic reasons like, getting a better job, to facilitate travel, fostering friendships or to fit in with the rest of L2 group (Ortega, 2013). So, it’s easy to see that most students are motivated extrinsically to learn an L2. Mrs. Tapia mentioned that most students were extrinsically motivated for rewards and in a way, teachers could use this to their advantage. Another thing I got from your interview was how Mrs. Tapia allowed her ELL students to sit with other students who spoke their native language. One of the suggestions Kaboody (2013) makes is for teachers to allow a safe and comfortable environment, and that is exactly what Mrs. Tapia is doing by allowing ELL students to rely on other students instead of only the teacher.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point bringing up the Kaboody article. As teachers, we want to be able to sustain our students' motivation levels, but that can be quite the challenge if we have not first established a classroom atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Especially in regards to our English language learners who may enter our classrooms with feelings of anxiousness because they are still trying to learn the L2 along with the content, and they do not want to feel embarrassed among their peers for not being able to do something in the L2. How do we as math teachers create a non-intimidating teaching environment and motivate students to develop their intrinsic motivation? I agree that we can use rewards to our advantage, but I think there should be a limit and perhaps use them sparingly.
DeleteYou posed such a great question. As a future math teacher, I also wonder how we can keep our ELL students motivated all throughout the year. Through my student teaching, I have seen how most of my ELL students are really competitive with other ELL students. Math is such a universal language and I feel as if ELL students might better understand it when compared to other subjects. I feel as if we can continuously motivate our students by setting high goals for them and pushing them to strive for them.
DeleteI think that it is great that students have found a way to remain motivated even if it is external.Ortega does say that external motivation has little to do with the l2 itself, such as a better salary, high quality job, or because it is expected of the student(p. 176). As long as they have a goal set in mind and strive towards it they can be successful. I feel like creating a feeling of safety and promoting a lot of interactive among students can definitely promote a rich learning environment.
ReplyDeleteI agree that while memory allows you retain knowledge well, it does not aid in your comprehension of an L2. I think it is especially important to motivate students with low motivation and high anxiety because they need it the most to be able to succeed in learning their second language. It may be more difficult to motivate these students, but also the most rewarding. Ortega tells us that higher anxiety expect and receive lower grades in foreign language classes (p.200). We need to build up their confidence and self esteem and reduce their anxiety levels to help unlock their true potential.
ReplyDeleteHigh anxiety and low self esteem surrounding a person's L2 seem to go hand in hand. I wonder what I can do as a teacher to make sure that these students aren't negatively impacted, such as receiving low grades, due to anxiety around learning a new language.
ReplyDelete