Reflection
During my
interview with Mrs. Benavidez, I learned a lot about how important it is to be
patient as an ESL teacher and also how critical it is for students to be
motivated in their own learning. A lot of Mrs. Benavidez answers to my questions
went back to motivation and how important it is for ESL students to be
successful. Glasser says that “…being motivated nurtures more successful L2
learning, but, conversely, experiencing L2 learning success also boosts
motivation to even higher levels, in a reinforcing cycle. Thus, motivation is
indeed central in explaining L2 learning…(p. 189, 2009). If students are more
motivated to learn their L2 language, then they are more likely to be
successful. Mrs. Benavidez brought up the fact that a lot of times students may
be afraid to speak up in class in fear that they may say something wrong or not
know how to explain their thinking. Being in the classroom, I have been able to
observe, and it is true. My homeroom students are ESL students and they do struggle
with participating because they do not want to say something wrong. But as Mrs.
Benavidez says, it is important to be patient and find ways to help these
students, whether it’s by using more visuals, allowing them to have partners
more often or even providing more audio work for them to work with. By talking
to this ESL teacher, I felt like I learned a lot and she brought up some things
that I hadn’t even thought about before the interview which is why I really
appreciated this assignment.
Hi Asia! I really enjoyed your interview with Mrs. Benavides, she has so much knowledge that can only come from all those years of experience. I agree that motivation plays a crucial role in students learning their L2 language. Ortega mentions intrinsic motivation as a factor in her text book (2013, p.176) and Glasser also mentions that "motivation nurtures more successful L2 learners" (2009, p.189). It is vital for all ESL learners to become motivated whether it be self-initiated or by external factors. Mrs. Benavides approach of immediate feedback, issuing Do-Jo points, and blue tickets can get her students to the next level in their learning.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jessica. I agree! It is very important for students to have motivation to learn. And like you said, whether it is internal or external motivation it is important for them to have it. What I have noticed in the classroom with these group of students is that rewards such as tickets and dojo points work more in getting the students to do work and participate. Ortega says that “L2 motivation is dynamic rather than static, which in turn has resulted in increased attention to time, context and behavior (p. 190, 2013). By being motivated students are more likely to be successful in learning their L2 language.
DeleteHello Asia. While dojo points may lead to more student cooperation to do their work and participate, it also leads to more involved students who are being more attentive to the lesson. I believe that this type of motivation, although purely extrinsic, is helpful because you have the students attention at least to some extent. And just like you mentioned in your reply "L2 motivation is dynamic" and "Motivation is usually referred to the desire to initiate L2 learning and the effort employed to sustain it" (Ortega, 2013, p.189). While these approaches might not be the "ideal" approach it justifies the means in order to get to our end, the acquisition of an L2 amongst our students.
DeleteHi Jessica. I agree that extrinsic motivation is the most efficient way to get students to pay attention and participate in the classoom. In the classroom that i am in right now, I see most students being motivated with tickets and treasure box. Only few students are motivated themselves to learn the L2 language.
DeleteHi Asia, I enjoyed listening to your interview with Mrs. Benavidez! Motivation is an important factor in the success of ESL students. Since Mrs. Benavidez gives the students dojo points and blue tickets, the students are more engaged in their learning. In the interview, Mrs. Benavidez mentioned that vocabulary was one of the biggest struggles for her students. Ortega states that one dimension of volitional action control is commitment, where the students persist in learning vocabulary until they reach the goals they create for themselves (2013, p. 212). Although the students are shy, they are more willing to participate when they receive positive reinforcement. As a result, the students are able to do their best to learn the vocabulary despite their struggles.
ReplyDeleteHi Angela. Motivation in my ESL class seems to be the most efficient factor in my students L2 learning. We use a lot of positive reinforcment in my student teaching class to get them to participate and reach their goals. As far as vocabulary, I can understand how it can be a struggle for ELLs. Gass & Selinker says that “Learning vocabulary is not a one-time affair. In other words, it is unrealistic to believe that a learner hears a word or, in the case of some pedagogical methods, memorizes a word with the consequence being full knowledge of the word (p. 466, 2008).
DeleteHi Asia! I completely agree with you that students who are learning a second language benefit at a higher rate and are more successful if they have an intrinsic motivation for learning that second language. Ortega also states that students motivation is a key factor in learning a second language. In my own interview that I conducted with my mom for this assignment, I learned that students are motivated by things like wanting to fit in with their peers and join in conversations about music, TV shows, and just daily activities. Hearing your own experience with your ESL students has just reinforced what my mom was saying because I do feel like students will speak their second language when they are in a more comfortable setting or when they have a more social motivation for speaking it.
ReplyDeleteHi Marissa! I read that you mentioned intrinsic motivation and I had to add on to your comment! The motivation you brought up where an L2 speaker wants to talk to his/her friends and wants to fit in is what Ortega (2013) describes calls integrativeness. Integrativeness is an attitude were the ELL finds learning a second language genuinely interesting (p.170). One reason for this interest could be because they know that learning the L2 will allow them to interact with the native speakers about similar interests like the ones you mentioned.
DeleteHello Asia, excellent observations from your part on Mrs. Benavidez. I believe that a good balance on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is important to capture the most attention from a student. The Dojo points can absolutely work for some students but might not work for someone else. Each student is motivated by something different, but the important part is to motivate our L2 learners as Glasser mentions, "motivation nurtures more successful L2 learners" (2009, p.189). A great way to encourage students to participate is to create a safe environment in the classroom where student are rewarded for trying and not for saying correct answers. This will motivate students to answer something even if it is incorrect because they know that trying is more important than being right.
ReplyDelete