Blog entry video 1: https://youtu.be/TnqTTeO5e1U
As a monolingual, I sometimes fear how I will be able to best
assist my ELL students in my classroom. An ELL (English Language Learner) is a
student who is learning English as a new language. In other words, English is
not their first language. “Human language manifests itself in spoken, signed
and written systems across more than 6,500 languages documented to date” (Ortega,
2011, p.2). This number was shocking to me. Students can come to school
speaking any one of these 6,500 languages, and it is our job as educators to
assist them in learning academic content area language even though their L1 is
not English. The great thing about this is although there are 6,500 different languages,
acquisition of learning a new language can be taught in the same way regardless
of what the child’s L1 language is.
For me, as someone born and raised in the United States and who comes from a family of all English speakers, it is important for me to understand language on a deeper level to be able to relate to these ELL students. “A different approach to explaining language as a human faculty is to ask not what or how, but whence and why questions: Whence in the evolution of the human species did language originate and why?” (Ortega, 201, p.2). Focusing on the evolution of language first, will help me take steps in moving towards teaching a new language to students. By researching and reading more about the evolution of language I can start to make connections between English and the other languages my students may speak to compare the similarities and differences between the languages which will better prepare me to teach them.
For me, as someone born and raised in the United States and who comes from a family of all English speakers, it is important for me to understand language on a deeper level to be able to relate to these ELL students. “A different approach to explaining language as a human faculty is to ask not what or how, but whence and why questions: Whence in the evolution of the human species did language originate and why?” (Ortega, 201, p.2). Focusing on the evolution of language first, will help me take steps in moving towards teaching a new language to students. By researching and reading more about the evolution of language I can start to make connections between English and the other languages my students may speak to compare the similarities and differences between the languages which will better prepare me to teach them.
Ortega, Lourdes. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge,
2011. Print.
