Reflection
My interview with Mrs. Corona was rather
interesting because some of her responses related to theories I have learned
this semester, some others, not so much.
One thing that really stuck out to me was that Mrs. Corona thought that
her students learn better without intention.
I also thought this prior to reading the textbook, which Ortega states, “Yes,
incidental learning, or learning without intention, is possible in L2 learning.
The best-known example is the incidental learning of L2 vocabulary while
reading for pleasure. However, people learn faster, more and better when they
learn deliberately or with intention (Ortega, 2012, p. 207).” I really admire that Mrs. Corona tries to
help her students with anxiety because this does directly correlate to grades,
proficiency performances, and learning.
According to Ortega, “Foreign language anxiety is a measurable, L2
specific affective variable that is associated with a number of symptoms,
including lower grades, lower proficiency performances, difficulty with
processing and learning new L2 material, reticence and L2 risk-avoiding
behaviours. Its roots can be found in overall low self-concept regarding general
academic abilities and in unrealistic beliefs about language learning (Ortega,
2012, p. 213).” I also agree with Mrs. Corona that students first must
understand the importance of why they are learning their L2 language. Once they see the purpose and see how useful
their L2 language will be to them, motivation would also increase.
Mrs. Corona encourages her student’s by
trying to use their peers as their biggest motivators. All in all, she believes that at the age of
five, their biggest motivation is to be able to have fun. Because that is the case, she tries to use it
to her biggest advantage and surround her lesson plans around that. In order to be beneficial and provide the
best learning experience for my students, I plan on getting my bilingual
certification before I have my own classroom.
