TESL 3501 Midterm Paper

Matt Altstiel
3/6/07
TESL 3501
TESL 3501 Midterm Paper

Secondary Language Characteristics and Conditions

As a language learner, I have experienced an incredible number of successes and failures at each linguistic progression. Much of these gains or setbacks can be seen through the lens of learning styles and pragmatic realities. Critical periods of language learning have emerged in which a substantial amount was not only learned, but acquired and properly used. However, for each peak, there have been valleys of regression and frustrating plateaus of consistency. Currently I am studying Spanish. I am studying this language in the classroom setting for one of my two majors, but also use the language outside of class on a weekly basis since I teach English to native Spanish speakers. I am currently taking Spanish 3930: The poetry of Pablo Neruda at the U. The bi-weekly class is conducted entirely in Spanish and taught to fellow Gringos by a native speaker from Chile. I have always been interested in Spanish language literature and Latin America’s literary tradition. While I prefer learning and using Spanish in a non-academic setting, I realize the necessity of a more professional sort of language application.

Outside of class, I use more conversational and everyday Spanish. I am teaching English through CLUES, a Minneapolis based Latino help organization. While I only use Spanish sparingly in class, I will usually stay two to three hours after class to talk Spanish and have coffee with my students. Since I teach adult ESL, the bulk of my students and conversation partners are between the ages of 18-40 and have recently immigrated to the United States. During these conversations, I can experiment with new forms in an informal, pressure free authentic linguistic setting.

Learning Style Survey Results

While I view myself almost exclusively as a tactile or kinesthetic learner (21), I also recorded high totals for visual (18) and auditory (14) learning styles. These other totals somewhat surprised me. Upon reflection, I realized that picture dictionaries, in both my native and secondary language had been particularly effective. I often use mnemonic devices in Spanish, some like: this and these have the t’s, that and those don’t, for the using ese or este; have stuck with me for more than ten years. My kinesthetic immersion process in Spain taught me that continued practice and contact produced the most meaningful learning experience. All three styles contribute directly to my physical senses when learning a language.

Part two of this survey reflected my extroverted nature and willingness to take risks. When practicing language skills and obtaining information, I have no problem approaching Spanish speakers and attempting conversation. My extroverted nature is an advantage for speaking and listening, while it could be detrimental to my reading / writing abilities.

Part three: How I handle possibilities, yielded the most interesting answers of the entire survey. A (Random intuitive) and B (Concrete sequential) both earned equal points. I consider myself more future oriented, looking at multiple possibilities and disliking excessive structure. According to the survey, when applied to language learning, how I handle possibilities is highly situational. Part five revealed that I embrace ambiguity and generally reject deadlines. Indeed, I succeed most often through spontaneity and not because of thorough planning. However, for non-academic, long term goals, I require higher degree of planning in order to be successful.

Parts five – seven all refer to information reception and processing. I look at the big picture preferring general fluency to accuracy by skimming and selecting key words in order to maximize efficiency. Global ideas stick whereas minute details and specific information sometimes are quickly forgotten. When I encounter new material I guess meaning beforehand, and revise my ideas afterwards. I prefer to infer meaning and synthesize texts or auditory passages. A global learner such as myself would inherently be more a leveler than a sharpener as part seven reveals. I registered a nine as a leveler compared to a four as a sharpener.

My extroverted, global language learning nature manifested itself when confronted with language rules. I generally disregard specific rules in favor of broader applications. General rules prove to be the most helpful because they allow for the quickest transferability and the most common usage. The type of linguistic environments in which I thrive are more field-dependent language inputs. Placing words, especially idiomatic expressions within a memorable context helps me remember more clearly. Distractions do not greatly hinder my ability to work and learn, but they impact my affective filter.

I am an impulsive learner more willing to act than to reflect, and more inclined to speak than to listen. Even though language misusage may result, taking risks yields the most beneficial learning experiences. I am less analytic, but I often reflect upon the success or failure of my impulsive experiences. Whether I accept something at face value or take time to examine a given concept, like many of these stylistic preferences, varies depending on situation. Tone of voice, speaker personality and linguistic setting all affect how I receive information.

Clearly, I am a more extroverted global learner who is less detail and deadline oriented. However, no category received a 0 and no category earned a maximum rating, revealing that no one strategy is totally neglected nor totally dominant. I should pay more attention to details since continual omission can result in continual linguistic errors. Becoming more analytical and closure oriented with language learning may allow me to progress faster as Spanish learner. Every learning strategy leaves something to be desired and I can see the value of other stylistic options.

Language Strategy Survey Results

Learning styles directly influence the way language is obtained. Therefore, correlation between the results of the Learning Style Survey and the Language Strategy Use Survey is not surprising. While I use the majority of the listed strategies, the survey offered helpful suggestions and new methods of language acquisition. For instance, I could potentially use all the strategies to increase my exposure to the target language. I attend out of class events in my L2; have after class coffee with my students and go to potluck dinner functions for CLUES. When possible, I turn on the TV to watch soccer Spanish language movies. I often go out of my way to speak Spanish, preferring to grab groceries at small Mexican or Ecuadorian owned stores. .

My current strategies used to become more familiar with sounds and prepare to listen to conversation, differs from the proposed inventory strategies of this survey. While I do not actively practice sounds by themselves, I do listen to my overall pronunciation on a global level and try to emulate the tone of native speakers. When in High School, I tried sound and word association, with little success. For me, Spanish, is an easily pronounceable language, so during usage, I tend to neglect additional listening strategies. Overly concentrating on sound formation can distract the nature of the message I am hearing and is simply not effective.

My results from the Learning Style Strategy colors the results of Language Strategy use survey. For example, I use and enjoy global strategies like listening for key words and skim on a daily basis. I deductively focus on the context, watch gestures for additional linguistic clues, and often use speaker’s tone of voice to gain meaning. My risk taking nature dictates that I try to understand what I hear without any direct translation into English. Being an impulsive person, I actively engage the listener and consistently ask for clarification and repetition to obtain new skills. I have used all of the strategies listed under the heading: Listening Strategy Use and would, or already use them.

Learning the vocabulary of any of language is of incredible importance. The broader ones vocabulary, the more likely ones success rate within social and professional settings. Despite my individual desire to always acquire new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, I expressed overall distaste for the strategies presented under vocabulary. I seldom pay attention to the structure of new words. I do not group words according to parts of speech, use flashcards, or practice new words by acting them out. I will, however; make an effort to use new idiomatic expressions and contextualize words. When I realize I have forgotten an important concept or vocabulary, I review and seek to relearn.

I value speaking fluency and ability slightly above reading, writing and listening ability. As such, I frequently practice speaking and seek out interchange opportunities. While I often practice saying new expressions to myself to familiarize myself with the flow of speech, practicing grammatical structures in different situations and thinking about native speaker patterns does not really fit my stylistic preference. I regularly seek out opportunities with native speakers and can maintain conversation with a high degree of fluency even when probing unfamiliar topics. I learn through trial and error, so error correction by native speakers is crucial positive feedback. Overly rehearsed speech does not hold up well in spontaneous conversation; so I avoid directing conversation to familiar topics and planning what I wish to say in advance.

My strategies for when I can’t think of a word or expression have changed over the years, especially during the months I lived in Spain with a host family. Initially during my stay, I kept a dictionary handy, preferring to be accurate in order to avoid embarrassment in front of my family. However, looking up words greatly slowed down interchanges and annoyed my family. When I got stuck, my family would get the gist and offer the word I needed or a closely related synonym. I couldn’t switch back to my native language, but gestures proved to be generally transferable. Therefore, I like asking for help from a conversation partner, using gestures and throwing out synonyms.

Unlike listening, where I can roughly understand everything I hear through auditory or visual clues, reading comprehension is more of a challenge. I become more easily frustrated and less motivated than in either speaking or listening. Therefore, all of the reading strategies were mostly unused or not likely to receive regular usage. I frequently use context to help determine meaning for unfamiliar words, skim and make reading predictions. Target language dictionaries and synonym books greatly enhance readability and I keep one handy while I read. However, I dislike pre-planning a read, paying attention to the organization of the text and re-reading texts.
Reading and writing are weaker segments of my linguistic ability, and I should implement lesser used strategies even though I generally dislike using them. Re-reading and taking notes, especially while reading non-literal, more poetic literature could be extremely helpful.
Related to reading, the act of producing written Spanish is by far the most difficult of the four major linguistic skills. My Spanish tends to informal, slang filled and sometimes grammatically inaccurate. By contrast, writing assumes a much more formal, academic tone. My impulsive, open ended learning priorities dictate that strategies like writing form practice, planning out academic papers or writing different kinds of texts will go mainly unused. Sometimes I find myself translating and taking notes in Spanish for other classes, though it results as an unintentional habit from living abroad. Almost without fail, I will wait to edit my writing until I am completely done, and even then only revise if truly necessary. Although I will occasionally use a dictionary, I dislike using other sources because it distorts my original narrative voice.

At a high-intermediate / advanced level, I avoid direct translation into my native language (English). Translation takes more time, is more mentally taxing and can never be completely accurate. The initial heading, <> all received the worst possible marks. On the opposite end, putting English out of my mind by avoiding transference and using caution when directly translating words and ideas, is a daily skill. In the same way that I remove the crutch of Spanish for my English learners, I try to avoid language transfer and instead prefer total immersion being in Spanish mode). Translation, while especially useful at the beginning or intermediate level is more of a hindrance in higher ability levels.

Culture Learning Strategies Inventory and Index Results

The Language Strategy Use Inventory and Index survey revealed many valuable lessons and strategies for language acquisition and retention. Certain strategies that I already frequently use greatly aid the speed of acquisition but leave something to be desired in terms of retention. Therefore, more long term strategies and planning activities could be successful for these purposes. Regarding reading and writing strategies, I picked up valuable insight into my techniques and have new ways increasing to increase efficiency and understanding of selected material. In order to be an effective language learner and user, the inclusion and usage of many complementing strategies is essential. I feel I have a solid grounding, but improvements can always be made.

The Culture Learning Strategies Inventory forced me to critically examine the pre-departure, in-country and post-study mechanisms and strategies I had used. While reading up on the country of Spain and buying numerous guidebooks helped me plan in advance the places I was to going to visit, it could not ultimately prepare me for the culture shock of a new country nor the experience of living with another family. I did not try any of the strategies mentioned, but knowing what I do now, I would definitely use these strategies in the future. Knowing culture values of my native country and being able to compare them to foreign values will be helpful in avoiding stereotypes on both sides in the future.

The strategies mentioned in the In-Country Strategy section covered a variety of realities including: culture shock, cultural adaptation, making judgments and communicative cultural skills. I used and enjoyed explaining situations to family and friends through phone calls and e-mails. My host dad ran marathons, so sometimes I would go jogging with him which kept me healthy and helped clear my mind. Explaining troubling cultural encounters with my host mom kept things in perspective. I was especially grateful that my host family allowed me to continue making music, like I do here in Minneapolis. Having a variety of American and Spanish friends allowed me to engage a new culture without losing the comfort of familiarity. The coping mechanisms and dealing with difficult strategies mentioned under the In-Country strategy heading were extremely effective and nicely mirrored processes I already use.

The strategies of making judgments and for communicating with people from another culture were initially used that frequently. In the beginning, I had a hard time separating culture and behavior, and sometimes rushed to quick, often negative judgments individual biases from culture. I began to understand my own cultural biases even I didn’t immediately accept the validity of foreign cultural practices. I tried to read local newspapers and watch TV to familiarize myself with local issues. Participating in the inter-cambio program offered contact to native Spaniards my own age and helped me achieve cultural/linguistic competency. These interactions provided forums for discussing cultural differences. While I couldn’t entirely eliminate culture bias or fully understand Spanish culture, I did learn much about it and grew to appreciate it.

I am extremely proud of and amazed by my home stay experience. This is not to say there were not difficult transition periods and awkward situations involving unclear or unmet expectations. Once I grew accustomed to family routines and could better understand my family, I began to help cook meals and do chores like any other family member. I enjoyed helping out because it allowed for greater speaking interaction and cultural exchange. I learned a lot about their family through meeting their friends, cousins and other extended family and was lucky to have my American family come to visit. My host family also told me before I left that they had a better feel for Americans and respected my country more after hosting me.
Almost all the strategies were applicable and frequently used as I had to respect rules and conform to familial norms quickly and consistently. Misunderstandings and concerns were never great enough to require outside help, and that would not really be my style anyways. Although I never got entirely comfortable with some practices (my mom doing my laundry and hanging it up for me, to name one), I did not let them influence my opinions of my family.
Much like the extensive use of In-Country Strategies while in Spain, I have utilized and enjoyed using the majority of Post-Study Abroad strategies. I still keep in contact with many fellow study abroad participants and consider many of them among my good friends. I have led an orientation group for prospective Toledo program students and would like do so again, if asked. While I did give myself time to adjust back to life in the U.S., such a process just took time and did not involve a conscious process. I found attempting to relate my experiences to friends back home not that helpful and would not talk about them that much in the future unless asked. I used many of the strategies listed in this survey, but ultimately most strategies were situational and may not be universally applicable.

Knowing what I do now about traveling abroad, I can employ many of the pre-departure techniques in order to potentially minimize culture shock. Like any new or strange situation, the reliance of close friends and family for moral and culture support is paramount. Actively engaging a new culture and location is something I value and as a result allowed for more meaningful cross cultural interaction and learning. As mentioned previously, total immersion in a secondary linguistic and cultural setting allow for the quickest acquisition and acculturation. Often language and culture go hand in hand and it important to discuss and probe the ramifications of each. If one wished to learn American slang, one could not simply pick up a slang book and hope to use said language correctly. Language is coded in cultural practice, and pragmatics truly cannot be effectively acquired in a class room setting, but rather on site.
Taking My Motivation Temperature on a Language Task Survey Results

In any linguistic or cultural setting, motivation is a key pre-determining factor for success. I tend to be a very positive person, confident in my own abilities as a language learner and confident I will complete a task to the best of my ability whatever that task may be. The survey Taking My Motivational Temperature on a Language Task revealed that nearly every question produced a high degree of motivation. Specifically referencing my secondary language (Spanish), I brought a high level of <> to individual learning tasks, but for the purpose of this survey, that was a good thing. The freedom allowed within the task, that is the level of guidelines or parameters affected my motivational level either positively or negatively. The type of teaching style or personality type of the teacher impacted my motivation much less than I anticipated suggesting that intrinsic motivation was a much stronger factor than extrinsic. Personal gain, especially in the long term trumped desire for short term completion of more measurable, closed goal situations.

Intersecting Analyses

When writing a Spanish response paper to a Neruda poem entitled <> I tried to imagine how the information revealed by the surveys affected my completition of the task and subsequently my motivational drive. Reading the poem, I took additional time to gauge meaning on a more metaphorical level and looked at how parts of speech fit into the whole. Looking at the poem from a less global level provided new meaning and insights which I could then transfer as I roughly summarized the full intent of the poem. Knowing that reading and writing tasks, especially in an academic setting, ranked low on my learning motivation scale, I focused more attention on ways to make said reading more relevant in my day to day life. Reflecting on the poem’s messages as I conceived them confirmed what I had previously though, namely, that Neruda as a poet truly had universal applicability. After incorporating these new strategies, not only I did understand what I was reading more effectively, but that my writing response had improved as well.

In a less formal setting, I talked to my students after class tonight. Once again, I focused less on whole meaning and took apart sentences allowing longer gaps in between responses. Hearing individual parts of speech allowed me to mimic certain forms which they reinforced with positive responses. One student even told me <>. While I like my typical approach to language, incorporating a small variation into my stylistic strategy set did help with meaning and may given students the impression that I was more polite and respectful as a listener. Aware that I did not learn simply by doing, carefully listening and watching the speaker meant I did not miss any part of what they said. New phrases such as <> which I may have quickly forgotten stuck when I asked for multiple contexts for the phrase. When using and learning Spanish, I should be cognizant of a more analytic, bottom up approach to further process information.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while somewhat exhaustive, such an exercise forced me to critically examine the various ways in which I learned and absorbed culture. The majority of my common strategies followed a general trajectory, (although there were a few surprises and outliers) and confirmed many assumptions I had made about myself. However, this is not to say that new strategies can’t and won’t be introduced in the future as I further my quest towards total linguistic fluency. Each survey addressed a different aspect of cultural and linguistic acquisition which helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses as a learner. While I continue to believe speaking to be the most relevant and essential to language usage, each major skill set is highly interrelated and should be treated as such.