Jannette You

This semester has taught me a lot about myself as a language learner and cultural explorer. Through the readings and discussions that we had this semester, I was able to figure out that I like to learn the history and culture of different languages. I think knowing more of its purpose development allows me to be more motivated and appreciate the language. Even though I am Korean and have been speaking the language for a long time, I have realized that I might not know a lot about its history and culture as much as I should. Our conversations and lessons have encouraged me to do more research on how the language was developed and start appreciating my language even more. Furthermore, just learning about language like learning how different sounds are formed (IPA) and how they are different from other countries, how grammar works in English and other languages, and different language family trees was interesting. This class has taught me that I really do not pay attention to the languages around me and that I take my bilingual abilities for granted as well. I was a little ashamed of myself when I did not even know the languages that other students were learning. However, it was fascinating to listen to other students’ learning journey and their cultural presentations as well. Especially when my classmates presented their cultural topic presentations, I really enjoyed that they all seemed passionate about the topics. It told me that even though I am not as familiar with other cultures and languages, I should be more exposed and encourage myself to step out of my comfort zone to learn about different cultures because I might find something I like. Even though I enjoyed it, I found it difficult to fully understand the grammar lesson and other discussions on some of the technical topics such as working on the IPA pronunciations. I enjoyed our break-out rooms, class discussions, and presentations. I will continue my learning by watching more YouTube videos, find some biblical examples and customs  like I did for my cultural presentation and learn different phrases, find native Hebrew speakers, or watch movies in Hebrew. I definitely do want to keep learning and become more experienced. I do think it will be helpful for me as I continue to grow in faith as well. The readings and activities that I found most useful were the New York Times articles that we read and the videos we watched. I think I am now more of a visual learner, so listening and watching the videos really helped me to understand the concepts better. It was so interesting to watch the video on how people have different interpretations and understanding of color. I would like to learn more about cultural topics and how they relate to the languages. After doing my cultural presentation, I learned that the language itself had a lot of impact on the culture, and I know we covered it in class, but I thought it would be more beneficial if we all talked about it together in class using our target languages. 

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I have organized my self-directed learning plan based on my background knowledge and skill sets. Since I am a beginner, I wanted to start by learning the basics like the Hebrew alphabet, grammar, etc. My ultimate goal is to learn how to read the Hebrew Bible and translate it in English (will be very hard), but I think I will enjoy it. I have learned that it is important to plan ahead and set realistic goals. If they are not "reachable," it would be difficult to motivate myself to actually learn. I have been looking at YouTube videos, but I have not found a lot of resources. I have always been curious and excited to learn more about Hebrew because my pastors would always refer to Hebrew when they needed to explain many different topics and meanings of the Bible. I thought it would be interesting for me to learn and have that unique experience of being able to understand the "original" version of the Bible. My classmates think it is interesting, and I appreciate my classmates for their support! 

When I first moved to America at the age of 10, I had a difficult time learning English. As a native Korean speaker, it was challenging to translate and understand the syntax and grammar. However, I still enjoyed going to school and making small baby steps. I liked talking to my friends even though I could not understand anything, doing group projects, listening to my teachers talk, and just learning how to communicate. I was especially interested in learning more about grammar, different clauses, and structures. When I became fluent in English, I started learning Spanish in high school.  

In high school, we were required to take a language course for two years, so I chose to take Spanish. It did not go as well as I thought, and I did not like it. The structure of the class did not fit my learning style. The teacher had a strong technical background (he was a computer science teacher), so he made the class very technical as well. For example, instead of incorporating visual learning activities and other discussion-based exercises, we would just have to memorize all the vocabularies, different phrases, and conjugations. After, we would get tested on the materials. His teaching style caused me to dislike the class and the language as well. I am still somewhat conversational today. 

Based on my previous experiences, it seems like I was a "Language" learner, meaning I enjoyed talking, reading out loud, and most importantly, writing and journaling. I am motivated by books, records, and anything that creates opportunities for writing. Additionally, I loved writing reflections and summaries, as well as analyses. Furthermore, I seem to be a visual learner as well. I learn by reading or seeing pictures. I like to see what I am learning. I did not really like group discussions because I was not very confident in myself, so I did not encourage myself to speak out and participate. I knew that talking and practicing my English would enhance my skills, but I was afraid to make mistakes. So I disliked the fact that many of my classes forced me to talk in front of others. Like I have already mentioned, I am more of a "Language" learner, so activities that require reading, writing, and speaking would suit my learning style. For example, keeping a journal, reading then explaining or talking it out, and exploring the meaning of words would be some great exercises.

Based on the FIRE model, I seem to be more rational, insightful, and evaluative. I resonate with a lot of the points mentioned in those three columns, especially row 5. I enjoy being following theoretical frameworks and problem-solving. I do not necessarily think I am the best at it, but I have also been practicing case studies, which I enjoy. However, I also appreciate open-ended questions that create opportunities for intellectual discussions in small group settings. I should expand my learning activities by trying to be more factual like being open to having structured, technical, and detailed activities.