an interesting assignment
By daeckardt
@daeckardt (6237)
United States
March 1, 2011 4:10pm CST
I just started a class today (at least it officially started today though I had part of this week's work done by last Friday when the classroom became available). It is about linguistically and culturally diverse learners. What I need to do this week is to write a paper describing language structure and its impact on English learners. I'm not asking anyone to write this paper for me, just wanting to share some of the information I am learning. If anyone wants to make comments about what it is like to learn English, that would be great! I need to choose three areas to elaborate on (phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics,semantics and non-verbal communication). I have observed among my Chinese students some of the problems with some of these areas. I'm just wondering what difficulties you might have had with learning English or if you are a native speaker problems you have observed with those who are learning. I will be doing some research on this subject since I have to cite two sources in addition to the textbook. Have a great day!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@rbenjamin (25)
• United States
8 Mar 11
Hi--I am an ESL teacher..I've been doing it for almost 30 years! My general answer is that "it depends." And what it depends on is the native language of the person who is learning English. It's great that you have observed your Chinese learners so closely. You are well, aware, then, of their problems with the Roman alphabet. I would say that all language groups have trouble with questions beginning with "Do." because many of the Romance and Germanic languages just switch the subject and verb to make a question. That's a quick answer you can use in your paper.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
8 Mar 11
Wow! You have been doing it for almost 30 years? That is great! Where do you teach? I finished the paper last night and turned it in, but didn't use any examples like that. I talked about syntax, pragmatics and non-verbal communication. I used a lot of examples from my time in China. I hope I did ok on it. Thanks for your response!
@rbenjamin (25)
• United States
8 Mar 11
I teach in the U.S. I started out in the Boston area teaching adults when I was in my twenties. Over time I took administrative jobs...family literacy coordinator, alternative high school director...but I always taught ESL some time through the years...then, when my kids were school age, I entered the scary world of K-12--I have taught middle school all that time.
I'm sure your paper is great. I took a lot of courses to get my alternative certification...and then they made me take the Praxis 2 three years ago when I moved to the South. So I had to study it all over again! My youngest is finishing up high school, so I am thinking about going back to teaching adults. In the meantime I have been writing and doing web stuff.
I have a website that has some high interest activities to use in the classroom. Even beginners can navigate it. I don't think I am allowed to post it here, but I will friend you and send you the URL...you can use it with your students. I have gotten great feedback on it because it is so easy for students to use.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
6 Mar 11
I am actually learning/learned Spanish and I know people who are learning English. Some of the words are very much alike but there are missing letters and sounds it seems when comparing the two. I think that translation can be hard too because there are some words that can't be translated. They can only be closely related. Sounds like and interesting class...good luck.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
6 Mar 11
I felt the same way when I was taking both French and Spanish when I was in high school. The words often sounded the same, but they were spelled completely differently. Thanks for the response!
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
1 Mar 11
That could be a very interesting paper when its finished, I have always how someone can teach english when they don't speak the language of the person they are teaching. I had a friend years ago teaching an Italian student to speak english but she didn't speak italian herself...so there must be a few different ways to teach another language..Good luck with your research and paper.
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
1 Mar 11
Thanks! I don't speak Chinese, but in China they don't want you speaking Chinese in class anyway. I know there are times when it is better to explain a concept in the person's native language if they are having trouble comprehending it in English, but sometimes that isn't possible. If you are in a classroom with English language learners from different countries, it would be difficult to have an interpreter for each language so it is easier to explain everything in simple English terms. Hopefully by the end of this degree, I will know more about that topic. Have a great day!
@rposta07 (240)
• United States
2 Mar 11
My fiance is from Jamaica so when he came to America, his teachers could not understand him. He learned English, though. Several years later when I met him, he still had trouble writing papers. He could speak the language just fine, but it did not translate well on paper for him. He had a lot of trouble with grammar and with writing complete sentences. Another interesting thing about him learning the language is that he did not understand certain turns of phrases. He is also still learning certain things about American culture. For instance, he did not know who the Beach Boys were even though he has lived in America for 15 years. It is very interesting to see him still learning culture and language even after all this time!
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
2 Mar 11
I think it is interesting to see people who come here and do adapt. Unfortunately there are many people who don't even try so those that do are actually impressive. I think it is interesting that he didn't know the Beach Boys after 15 years of living here. I'm sure he will learn more about the culture and language as he does things with you over the years. Thanks for the comment!
