Entry 1: Course Introduction
Hi everyone! My name is Carina Alcantara. I am currently a senior at the University of Houston, I am very excited to graduate this May. Hope you enjoy watching my video!
Click HERE to watch my first vlog!
Hi Carina, I think it is great that your parents wanted you to be able to read and write in Spanish and English which is why they wanted you in bilingual classes considering you were able to speak both languages. According to Ortega (2013), “most children grow up speaking two or more languages simultaneously” (p. 4). This was the case for you since your parents spoke both languages to you which allowed for you to learn the languages simultaneously when you were young. As you stated, being bilingual is not only important, but beneficial as well because knowing more than one language makes you more desirable for jobs and allows for you to communicate with more people.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Routledge.
Hi Melissa! I consider myself blessed to have parents that pushed me to not only speak two languages but also read and write. One of the main reasons why I did not struggle learning the languages is because I was exposed to both at a young age. Therefore, it came fairly natural to me. Once I got to 5th grade, I was in an English only classroom and it was actually odd to me to only learn in one language. I appreciate you watching my video!
DeleteHi Carina, thank you for sharing your blog. I think it is great that your parents not only speak two languages but motivated you to do the same. By speaking two languages you can encourage it in your future classroom with both reading and writing and of course speaking it. This also allows you to relate to many students and parents who may have similar experiences. Ortega states “In some parts of our world, most children grow up speaking one language only. It should be underscored that this case is truly the minority in the large picture of humanity” (Ortega, p. 3). I think not being part of the minority is great because you can bring a lot of different approaches to language to your class.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Victoria! Thank you for watching my video. I am glad I had my parents there to motivate me to become bilingual. Now that I am older, I see that it is beneficial because it makes me more qualified for jobs. I actually plan to become bilingual certified once I graduate because I want to be that person for students who seem to be struggling in learning a new language.
DeleteHello Carina, thanks for sharing your video. I see you were born in Houston, just as I was. I also went to school in HISD. I started at S.C. Red Elementary, then Pershing Middle School for 6th grade, Pin Oak Middle School for 7th and 8th grade, and graduated from Bellaire in 2008. Yeah, I'm old. I too come from a bilingual household, but the English took precedence over the Vietnamese. My dad is White and my mom is Vietnamese and Indian. I think my brother and I lost the Vietnamese because we didn't really speak it before the age of four, which Ortega explains, "the process of learning two (or more) languages relatively simultaneously during early childhood - that is, before the age of four" (Ortega p.4). I know it's never to late to learn a new language, which I will honor, and strive to learn Vietnamese and Spanish (not simultaneously).
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned you grew up in a house that was bilingual speaking, and that you have nine siblings...Did you speak mostly Spanish at home with them, or English? Perhaps a mix, but I have one brother, and we never spoke Vietnamese to each other. So I was curious as to how you communicate with your siblings at home.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Routledge
Hi Chris! Thank you for watching my video. I do have a total of 9 siblings, but I only live with 3 of them and they are all younger than I. Around the house we speak a mixture of Spanish and English. We always mix the two languages into one sentence. The rest of my siblings are also younger than I, I have two-year twin sisters who actually prefer to speak English. We can speak to them in Spanish, and they will respond in English. I am not sure why, but we’re trying to teach them to speak both.
DeleteNine siblings sounds like a nightmare, but who am I to say? I have one sibling, and we only speak English. I couldn't imagine speaking Vietnamese to him because it just wouldn't work. We would probably end up laughing at each other on how bad we sound. I wish we started young so that it would be more natural to us. As for your sisters still mastering Spanish, Ortega supports "that language attainment differences can be expected, but they are probably a consequence of experience and socialization, and not biological or insurmountable in nature" (p. 24). I can predict in the near future that eventually you will all be speaking Spanish to each other, and not Spanish/English replies. This is just my hypothesis; you have to be the judge when it comes to that experiment and conclusion.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Routledge
Hey Carina, I really enjoyed your video. I can definitely relate to your enjoyment of teaching fourth grade students. I have had the opportunity of doing my observations for this grade; however, I have been assigned to student teach eighth graders. If I could have chosen it definitely would have been fourth grade due to my love for writing. I understand that this is fundamental for that grade. Hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity to teach the younger students when I graduate in December. Also, I thought it was really cool how your parents encouraged you to speak and write in both languages. If I could have experienced multilingual acquisition during my early childhood (Ortega, 2013, 21) it would have been beneficial to me in more ways than one. So you’re truly lucky to have that experience.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hi Eboni, I am currently doing my student teaching for eighth graders and wonder what it would be like to teach fourth graders because they seem to be at such a great age to absorb information. Do you think if you grew up multilingual that you would encourage your future classes to do the same? How does this look in a younger class as I am always curious how younger students respond to being introduced or learning about new languages.
DeleteHi Eboni! At first, I wasn’t sure whether I was going to like working with the older kids. One semester into it and I love it! I love that you don’t have to repeat yourself so many times and they are so well behaved. They are like tiny grown-ups, I think it’s so cute. I bet teaching middle school is a great experience for you. What subject are you teaching? Also, I am very thankful for my parents pushing me to learn two languages. Thank you so much for watching my video!
DeleteHi Carina! I really enjoyed watching your video on your experience of learning two languages as you grew up! I think it is awesome that your parents recognized the value in you not only being fluent verbally but that they also had you reading and writing in Spanish! This is going to be a skill that will help you a lot in life, and I think especially when looking for a job in the Houston area since we are so diverse and also heavily Hispanic! It sounds like you are in the category that Ortega talks about in your text book of when “We use the term ‘bilingual acquisition’ or ‘multilingual acquisition’ to refer to the process of learning two or more languages relatively simultaneously during early childhood – that is, before the age of four.” (Ortega 2013). I think it’s awesome you were able to start you bilingual acquisition so young!
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