Blog Reflection 2 (MAIT 402)

Blog Reflection: Session 1

1. My outside-school experiences relating to my content area (Spanish) have had a profound effect on both my content knowledge and the way in which I teach it. In Foreign Language, it is especially important to have a variety of culturally and linguistically diverse experience outside of formal schooling. There are so many opportunities (study abroad, travel, cultural events, art exhibits, concerts, etc.) for foreign language teachers to expand their knowledge beyond the classroom, and I have tried to take full advantage of these opportunities.

My love for all things Spanish began one summer in high school when I went on an immersion trip to a small village in El Salvador, and on a service trip to Tijuana, México that same summer. Both trips allowed me to discover two very different cultures, and I fell in love with both. When I came back, all I wanted to do was study about different Spanish-speaking countries—their culture, their food, their art, and their music.

These trips led me to eventually study abroad for one year in college—6 months in Cuernavaca, Mexico and 6 months in Madrid, Spain. Study abroad completely changed my perspective on and definition of “Spanish.” Learning Spanish in high school, I viewed the language as “whole,” static—without much variation. After studying abroad in both Spain and Mexico—two countries in which the language is hardly the same—I became fascinated with the linguistic differences and similarities among different Spanish-speaking countries. I started to study cultural phrases, idioms, phonetics, and morphology of the Spanish spoken within and among Spanish speaking countries. Study abroad hugely contributed to both my linguistic and cultural knowledge of Spanish, and enabled me to better understand the connection between language and culture.  

Study abroad also influenced my decision to teach English abroad in Granada, Spain after receiving my credential. This outside-school experience was by the most influential in deepening my knowledge of both the Spanish language and culture. Because I was fluent in the language and had taught for one year, I actively participated in and researched experiences that I could use in the classroom in some way upon returning to the U.S.  I spent the year “researching” the Andalucían language, culture, and food, collecting newspapers, magazines, music, and other authentic materials along the way. ­­­My outside-school experiences have shaped, defined, and refined my knowledge of Spanish. 

2.   After the seminar on Ball’s “The Subject Matter Preparation of Teachers,” I felt a little frustrated. I was not frustrated with the discussion, though. Rather, I was frustrated with the apparent lack of solution by Ball.

In class, many of us expressed our doubts about the idea of having to be “experts” in our content in order to be good teachers. This is a question that I had not considered before our in-class discussion. How deeply do teachers need to know the content to be effective in teaching it? I believe that over time (as we all discussed in class), you gain knowledge about your content through the experience of teaching it. It would be nearly impossible, I think, to learn the amount and depth of content you needed to know for teaching before actually doing it, even if your teaching assignments were given to you in advance. I also recognize the importance of continuing to expand our knowledge outside of the classroom.

Another issue brought up in our discussion relating to the above topic was the problematic expectations placed upon teachers to be well-versed in both content area and pedagogy with-in the first few years of teaching. Is this truly practical though with the current emphasis of our credential programs (pedagogy)? Is it fair for legislators, administrators, and parents to expect us to learn more knowledgeable in our content areas and use that knowledge in the classroom when the focus currently seems to be on standardized testing?

I feel as though we as a nation much decide what we really want our students to know. Do want them to know how to memorize and perform certain broad skills, or do we want them to become curious learners, learning to think critically, analyze, question, and explain? While standardized testing is in effect, the expectation the nation is imposing on our students is that they need only know the basics, and that knowing the basics is enough to be successful in this world. Standardized testing has become the end goal of “knowledge” in and of itself, but testing does not allow for true content knowledge to be taught or learned.

3. For the moment, my inquiry question is as follows: What is the relationship between music and second language acquisition? How does music affect the phonological acquisition of a foreign language, specifically Spanish? Does music affect the acquisition of the semantic and syntactic aspects of the foreign language? I am also considering studying how we learn second languages and how does the idea of “language transfer” effect second language acquisition. What are some of the specific aspects of psycholinguistics (oral production of certain sounds, orthography, semantics, syntax, etc.) that are especially difficult for English learners of Spain?

I am not yet satisfied with my topic because I know it needs to be much more specific. I am also having trouble deciding which topic I want to explore more. There is an abundance of research on both topics, although there is more research available on the later topic. I have several ideas for experiential learning sources. One of the ideas that I am most looking forward to is attending the Día de los Muertos festivities in Oakland and in San Jose. I also plan on going to SF MOMA in the next week or so to see the Photography in Mexico exhibit. 

4. Here are a few of my favorite quotes that have inspired my studies and travels. There is a link, also, to some pictures from my experiences abroad. 

"Cuando hay gente unida que cree en algo firmamente, ya religion, politica, o sindicato, aglo sucede." -Cesar Chavez (“When there is a united people who believe firmly in something, whether it be religion, politics, or unions, something happens.”) 

“Poco a poco…” –This is something that the Spanish say in times of hardship to get them through. It means “little by little” and it’s a part of Spain’s cultural expression through language.

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." –- Miriam Beard. I love this quote. It expresses it means to travel, learn a language, and step outside ourselves and into the worlds and cultures of those around us.

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." –- Henry Miller. This Henry Miller quote captures the essence of why we learn foreign languages.

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”—Paulo Coelho. A great quote from one of my favorite authors.

http://lifeinspanish.shutterfly.com/pictures

*See my responses to colleagues:
Yadira Zapata
Alana Scott

Final Project Guiding Questions

1. How has the Spanish language evolved in Spain from it's Latin roots until now? In what ways do the different dialects vary?

2. How do we learn foreign languages? What parts of the brain are involved in the different functions (speaking, listening, reading, writing) of languages? How, neurologically and psychologically) does one become fluent in a second language?

3. How has "Spanglish" developed as a new language in the U.S. border states overs the past two decades? What influence has it had on the Spanish and English languages?

4. How is Chicano culture/history represented and film and literature? How can students of Mexican heritage identify with Chicano culture and history in California/the U.S.?

5. How does music effect memory and phonetics in second language acquisition? Is it effective in teaching some of the more difficult functions of a language, like accent and comprehension?

6. What are the effects of language transfer on second language acquisition? How does it effect the ability to learn semantics, syntax, lexicon, phonetics, phonology, morphology, and pragmatics in the foreign language?

7. What are some of the specific difficulties of second language learners of Spain (production of certain allophones, syntax, pragmatics, etc.)? What causes these difficulties, and how can students be helped in becoming more fluent in these aspects of the language?