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After going through these readings, I was reminded of the psychology class that I took during my freshman year, during which I learned about how different parts of the brain serve different functions. Although I cannot recall many of the anatomical terms, I do remember learning about how language is closely tied to the function of the brain. Based on the readings, it seems like our brains are hardwired for language. Broca’s area controls the ability to speak, while Wernicke’s area controls the ability to comprehend speech. I thought it was interesting how damage to one area doesn’t necessarily affect the ability of the other, even though production and comprehension of speech are commonly viewed to go hand in hand with each other.

When I originally considered what the meaning of a word is, I used to think it was simple– it’s just whatever I associate with that particular word. However, learning about the distinction in semantics through sense and reference made me realize that language is not that simple. Sense is the meaning of the word in a language, and reference is what the word refers to in reality. Since I grew up speaking Korean, there are some words that my brain “speak” in Korean when I look at certain objects or people. On the other hand, this also made me realize how languages differ immensely from each other; there are many words in the Korean language that don’t have a corresponding English word. For advancing my language studies, I think the best method is to influence my brain to associate words directly with its Korean meaning, as opposed to understanding words in English and then translating them into Korean.

I am looking forward to continuing my studies of Korean this semester. Last semester I laid a foundation in Korean, learning things like Hangul, basic phrases and words, as well as learning very basic grammar. I think that this coming semester, I will be able to build upon the things I’ve learned so far and greatly improve upon my Korean.

In order to practice the Korean, I learned last semester over winter break, I did several activities. One activity I did was practice some vocabulary using things like Quizlet and language apps like Memrise and Drops. This allowed me to brush up on some of the vocabulary that I learned last semester, as well as learn some new vocabulary that I can use this upcoming semester. I also practiced speaking Korean with my Korean speaking friends. Even though it was small phrases here and there, and not a full-on conversation, it was good to be able to practice and reinforce what I’ve learned so far.

This week I hoped to accomplish reviewing the stuff I learned last semester, such as Hangul and basic words and phrases. I think that I was able to accomplish these learning goals.

I was able to meet up with my language partner, Jannette. Since I hadn’t had much practice over the break, I thought that this would be a good way to refresh my memory and remember the things that I’ve learned so far. First, we went over Hangul. I have made flashcards, so we just went through those and practiced. When she showed me a character, I would make the sound, as well as the name of the character. Remembering Hangul was surprisingly pretty easy for me. The hard part about that activity was remembering the name for each character. After going over Hangul, and brushing up on my pronunciation, we then went into basic vocabulary. I had worksheets from last semester with vocabulary that we’ve learned, so we went over that. It was harder to remember some of the words, but I think I remembered a lot more than I expected. Lastly, we went over basic grammar that I learned last semester, such as conjugating verbs in the present formal tense. Naturally, this was the most difficult part to remember, so it was really helpful to go over it with Jannette.

As a final wrap up of review, we had a small conversation using the phrases that I learned last semester. Although it was a very basic conversation, such as saying greetings and asking how I was, it was nice to speak Korean again.

I think that reviewing was very effective. I was able to solidify the stuff that I learned last semester. After a whole winter break without thinking much about Korean, I was afraid that I would’ve forgotten everything. Surprisingly, I remembered a lot more than I expected, which was a good feeling.

In order to build on what I’ve learned about Korean so far, I hope to continue building my vocabulary, and learning new grammar. I think after last semester, I’ve formed a decent foundation to continue to improve my Korean. Last semester, I was able to get the most basic ideas down. Hopefully, that will prepare me for this upcoming semester, as I learn more of the complex stuff. I really hope to be able to work on having conversations in Korean, as well as improving my reading and writing skills. I think I’ll make more of an effort to expose myself to the Korean language and culture by listening to Korean music, watching Korean dramas, and watching Korean movies.

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   The only previous language that I have truly “learned” was Spanish. While at a semi-immersion program in Spain I enjoyed living in a foreign country and being independent. I was part of an incredible program and formed great friendships and relationships. While in the program, I enjoyed “conversation classes” with my professors because they did not correct anything, but simply talked to me. We would meet at a local coffee shop and talk for 2 hours. My favorite part about these classes were hearing about their families, friends, and places they had traveled before. I did not feel as self-conscious because it was not focused on grammar, but rather building the confidence to be able to speak the language. I disliked the classroom learning because it made me realize how little of the language I actually knew. I could barely conjugate verbs correctly in a way that made sense, and I often left feeling disappointed in my progress.

   When taking the quiz about learning styles, my results showed that I was a visual learner, and while I think that is accurate, I know that I have to combine different learning styles to learn effectively. According to my answers, I was 40% visual, 35% auditory, and 25% tactile. This does not surprise me considering my learning disability (dyslexia) necessitates that I combine different senses to learn in an efficient manner. For example, when I read an assigned book, I read the book while listening to the audio book. This helps me understand the material better. If there is some way that I could practice signing while also hearing the word I think it could help. When looking at the FIRE model, I feel similarly about my multi-faceted learning style. I do not see my learning attitudes as stretchy factual, insightful, rational, or evaluative but rather a mix of all of them combined, and I know that I am not alone in that. For example, I like to think of “what if” questions, but also prefer objective tests. It has taken a long time for me to learn what learning process works best for me, but I am so proud of how far I have come in finding this answer. I hope the process of learning a new language will give me more insight on helpful techniques for learning.

   Based on the results of my other surveys, it seems that social activities will help my learning process, and I am excited to implement them. This makes sense considering my enjoyment for conversational classes. Talking to others has always come very natural to me. I enjoy connecting with others in any way that I can. Conversations put me at ease, because unlike writing, I am able to describe and illustrate my emotions through hand movement, body language, and other visual forms. However, when I am in a classroom situation I feel more nervous and uptight. In the classroom with language practice there seems to be always a “right” or “wrong” answer, and the idea of being “wrong” has always caused a little fear. 

   I think a balance between social conversational interactions and more strict grammar lessons will have to be implemented in my curriculum. I have to get over the fear of “bad grammar” and “being wrong” to be successful in my ASL learning process. This comes back to the idea of scaffolding which we discussed in class. If I am able to start this process with less fear, I will be able to build a great foundation. With that being said, I think that I should research more into ASL Champs to find more social ways to learn the language. I also enjoy working with kids, and think a great way to expand my learning activities would be to somehow volunteer with deaf children. If not this semester, I think that should be a long-term goal of mine.  

At a very young age, I was required to learn how to read Arabic. Learning how to read Arabic was not to speak the language but rather to read and rehearse verses from the Quran. I would spend at least three hours each day going to the masjid where I was thought by a sheikh Quranic suras (verse). The sheikh would read a phrase out loud, and I would repeat after him. Once we got to the bottom of the verse, I had to take about 30 minutes repeating what I had just learned out loud. At the end of the class, I was asked to read the sura out loud to the sheikh. He would correct the phrases that I would say wrong. My homework for the next day was to have the whole verse memorized by heart. So once, I got home, I would take an hour or so to memorize the verse by repeating it to myself out loud. I would continue repeating the verse before sleep and the first thing when I woke up. What I enjoyed about this method of teaching was the requirement for repetition. As much as I disliked memorizing the verses at that time, it made me a better learner. Today, I find it easy to remember information without too much effort. What I disliked about this method of teaching was that I was not taught to learn the meaning of the verses. To this day, I can read and write Arabic, but I find it challenging to understand the language. The interesting part is that I still remember those Quranic verses that I had learned when I was young.

On the other hand, when I started learning English, I was put in an environment where everyone spoke English but for me. I knew the basic greetings in English, but that was about it. I was about 12 years old when I started going to an international school where the primary language was English. I did not speak to my teacher or classmates for about two months. I found it intimidating to speak in another language. During those two first months, I learned how to write by copying other people's homework. I tried reading books but found it too difficult due to having the reading level of an American 1st grader when I was actually in 5th grade. However, after those two months, I committed myself to start conversing in English. While my grammar and sentences were out of order and awkward, hearing myself gave me the confidence that I needed to keep working on my speaking ability. In two years, I was able to bring up my reading level and do well academically. What I enjoyed the most about this experience was the pressure to speak English because other languages were not allowed to be expressed at the school. I think being surrounded by native and fluent English speakers helped me to pick up on phrases and learn the language quickly. What I did not like about this experience was learning grammar. Every time the topic was on grammar, I would get super stressed and would not enjoy the language at all.

Based on the Fire model, I am an evaluative learner. I excel when I am required to share a personal story or experience in class. I also like hearing other people's thoughts and opinions about the matter being discussed. I always find myself learning from other people and enjoy small group discussions. Based on the surveys I took, my learning style is visual. I like imagining what a word means and then memorizing it. When I don't know how to spell a word, I usually find myself closing my eyes and tracing the letters with my finger. I also really like to see what I am learning. Just by hearing information, I don't do an excellent job of storing that information. I have to spend some time alone to visualize and repeat that information.

The kinds of language learning activities that suit my learning style include seeing images, hearing the words, understanding its meaning and repeating what I learn. As much as I enjoy collaborative work, I need to take time alone to excel in what I am learning because I take a lot of time memorizing new information. However, to be successful in retaining information, it would help to know its meaning. I also don't enjoy sitting in one place for a long time and need to incorporate some body movement within my learning experience. The movements can be as simple as tracing the letters in the air or taking a walk to reflect on what I have learned.

I think I can expand my learning activities by keeping a journal solely dedicated to the language I am learning. In this journal, I can reflect on the language that I am learning by taking the time to write down about my day. I can also spend some time reading news articles in my language and discuss the topic with my instructor. I think having the opportunity to explain to another individual about what I read would help me to retain the information better and longer. Furthermore, learning how to type in that language on the computer would also help me memorize words, learn the grammar and be able to write short discussion reflections. Lastly, reading poetry in that language would also be fun and helpful because I love poetry.

            My journey with a foreign language started in elementary school. I had just entered a new school district, and with such a placement, I was introduced to a range of new students, teachers, buildings, and classes - one of which was a French course. Having had no previous exposure to the French language, I found the course extremely difficult. I could not understand, nor could I infer what the teacher was saying. During my first few weeks of the course, I remember feeling overwhelmed with anxiousness and confusion. I felt as though I was just thrown into the middle of the ocean and told to find land. I was lost and I was struggling.

            Prior to this new school, I had received extra assistance with reading and writing for English. I had a lot of difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words, spelling, and reading. The black ink seemed to vibrate and shift against the white pages as I read. Soon after I expressed these issues to my family, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I started receiving the extra assistance and was ultimately exempted from having to take the foreign language at my new school due to the IEP that I was assigned. I was beyond grateful for being exempt from French class.  I had a hard enough time learning my own language that to learn a different language seemed impossible. If I was having so much trouble with English, how was I supposed to learn a language that had entirely different sounds and rules?

                        So, for the following six school years, I did not take a foreign language course. Instead, I had one-on-one reading and writing tutoring. Looking back on my experiences now, I wish I had tried to pursue another language during my early years of education; however, I do believe that I needed to receive additional aid to strengthen my reading and writing abilities.  Nevertheless, once I arrived in high school, I decided I wanted to try learning a language once again. With my reading and writing skills being much stronger, I felt as though I was ready to tackle the process of learning a new language, but I wanted to try a language that seemed entirely different than English as English was hard for me. So, I chose Mandarin.

          Originally, I had thought that Mandarin would be a language that I just dabble in and complete for the 2-year high school language requirement. It seemed interesting as it had a symbolically based writing system, and it being the most popular language in the world, I thought it could be useful in the long-run. So, I took Mandarin and I fell in love with the language.

            One of the greatest parts of learning Mandarin was my professor, Professor Lin. She spoke very little English, so the entire course, even at the most basic level, was entirely in Mandarin. The first month of the course was challenging as, once again, I found myself in a position of discomfort and confusion. I could not understand what was discussed in class, so I would sit in the classroom slightly. But after about a month,  a sort of switch went off in my head. I understood what the teacher was saying, and I knew how to respond. It was as if I had suddenly just gained this translational ability It was an incredible feeling!

                        Mandarin became a greater part of my life than just a high school course. I would practice it at home by myself. I would watch movies in Mandarin or with Mandarin subtitles. I read about Chinese culture and beliefs and I passionately shared any information with my peers and family. I fully immersed myself within the subject. When I arrived in college, my experiences with Mandarin changed. The classes were heavily focused on grammar, reading, and writing, and although these skills increased, my listening and speaking skills started to weaken. Not only were my college courses not entirely in mandarin, but during class, there were very few opportunities to practice conversing the material recently had learned.

            I believe one of the best ways to learn a language is through the application! I can study hundreds of flashcards and sentence structures, but simply learning words from a textbook is an entirely different skill set than constructing sentences in a grammatically correct fashion. I am a tactile and visual learner. I like to observe and process the information I learn, but then apply it in a way that promotes the usage and increases my understanding of it. In high school, I loved having one-on-one classroom discussions with my peers in Mandarin. Not only were we practicing our Mandarin, but we were doing it in a fun, engaging way. By simply conversing with another student, my speaking, recall, sentence construction, and listening abilities all simultaneously strengthen. Having to actually apply what you learn, I believe, is a great tool for moving information from short-term to long term memory.

            During college, I have not done much outside of the classroom to enhance my Mandarin skills. I would study for the exams and complete homework, but nothing to the same extent and commitment that I had in high school. It is difficult to find time and others to practice Mandarin with, especially after academically long days. However, with American Sign Language being a language that is represented through actions, I have an exciting method of studying the material in a way that compliments my own learning. I plan to go about my day to day without any major changes, except for when conversing. During conversations, any words or phrases that I know in sign, I will simultaneously sign and speak to enforce the action of the sign and its’ meaning. I also hope to converse with the other student in the ASL course to optimize my usage of sign langue and possibly even joining ASL Champs for the additional practice.

Reflection Paper 1:

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I was born in South Korea and grew up learning Korean as my first language. I moved to the States at 3 years old, so I hadn’t had the chance to learn how to read and write in a school setting. Growing up my family would still speak in Korean since my parents had difficulty learning the new language. My mom would sit me down and give me small lessons on how to read and write so that I wouldn’t forget my first language. In school in America, I was a fast learner and began to pick up the English language quickly with my peers. By spring of kindergarten, I had “graduated” from ELL and began helping other Korean students in the ELL program. From 4^th grade to 8^th grade, I attended Korean school at my church and further learned reading and writing. Afterwards, I stopped attending the school, but still had many Korean friends so I continuously learned many vocabulary words in Korean. During middle school and the beginning of high school, I took French classes as my third language. I wasn’t particularly interested in French- because I wanted to take Latin, but they cancelled it last minute- so it was more difficult for me to learn it. I liked the environment where I wasn’t afraid to mess up because I knew that all of us were nervous to start learning. I liked that name roots and words in French were cognates, so it was easier to understand. I also liked that our teacher encouraged us to not only study, but to practice speaking it with other students. Even though I enjoyed being in a class with my friends, I disliked that the language was being taught with so many kids in the class. I preferred the one on one lessons with my parents much better.

From the surveys I completed, my learning style is fairly even with visual and tactile (tactile being only 5% higher). I need to be able to see and touch to successfully learn the material. My way of understanding topics is to break everything apart then putting it all together. I learn and remember through physical movement. In my anatomy class, I had to memorize some of the bones of the body; to remember them, I would say the part out loud while also touching it on my own body so that. My highest intelligences were social, self, then body movement so I enjoy talking with others to develop ideas and learn from them, enjoy learning about myself, and like to move myself around frequently. From the FIRE model, I believe that I have a mix of insightful and evaluative thinking. I excel in classes that provides a comfortable environment where discussions are encouraged and where we can find new ways to approach a problem. I learn languages best when I first study by reviewing notes and watching videos, then coming together with other students and applying what I’ve learned. I believe that even if you work hard to study a new language, the best way to learn is to start speaking it with a peer even if you make mistakes.

The only language I learned at school is Mandarin Chinese. I really enjoyed being able to learn in a class setting with a native Chinese speaking teacher who planned an engaging curriculum. I think the advantages and enjoyment of learning a new language are being able to express something in another language and therefore learning about a new culture. I personally loved my Mandarin class from high school. The teacher used Tom and Jerry as characters to create simple one-page stories for each unit. The story would introduce new vocabulary in addition to a new grammar/sentence structure. This format of learning a new lesson was innovative and engaging. On the first day of a unit, the teacher would read it out loud before the class recited it back together. Following the reading of the passage, the teacher would explain the new grammar and list of important key terms like most language courses. For assignments and projects, I would have to rewrite the story or compile multiple units into one story, with our own personal or fictional details. Sometimes, I would act out the story in skit-form with classmates, which aided in a higher retainment level of information. I think the incorporation of a short story really helped me with understanding the context of certain grammar and usage of words. It also gave the class a lot of practice with speaking and reading comprehension. The reason behind why I enjoyed this style of language learning, I believe, comes from my learning style. From the surveys I completed and from the FIRE model, I am a visual learner with high musical, social, and language intelligence who learn best with an evaluative and factual mix. I learn the best when I am able to not only hear content but see content through a picture, graph, and even PowerPoint slides. I excel more in classes that take time to create a safe and comfortable learning environment that allows for group discussion after a detailed lecture on the facts and content of the subject. Being able to learn through or with music, discuss with others to learn from each other, and write down what I learned are all ways I learn best. When studying for assessments, I always practice similar questions because I like going through the motions of something. I also need to practice saying things out loud while writing it. On the other hand, I disliked learning the same language with a curriculum that was less engaging. For two years, I took an online course for Mandarin. I was lucky enough to study through an online platform with a real-life teacher. However, the course was much unstimulating and therefore felt more tedious. I really think I learn better when I have other classmates to talk to or work with. Not having someone else made the class less inviting. In addition, I was only given worksheet papers for reading, writing and speaking straight from a textbook. Because this class lacked an engaging aspect to it, I never felt as happy or self-satisfied with my work and progress. Looking back, I think about my favorite ways of learning a new language and truly appreciate the components of being able to read through a story, recreate the story, and draw out a storyboard. I hope I can create a course for myself that incorporates the parts of language learning I enjoyed from past experiences to expand my learning activities.

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Although I was born in the United States, I grew up learning Korean as my first language and was an ELL student until the second grade. However, as I became more integrated into American culture, I began to lose my ability to speak, read, and write Korean well. At home, I still speak Korean with my family but I would not consider myself as fluent. In elementary school, I took a few hangul classes at a Korean school, which was mostly to learn how to read and write, as well as some basic vocabulary and phrases. In 2017, I took one semester of a 200-level Korean class during my first year of college at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Before transferring to the University of Richmond, I was actually a Korean Flagship major. In addition to learning Korean, I took three years of French in high school, but have mostly forgotten everything that I learned, aside from a few basic terms.

In my past language learning experiences, I enjoyed learning through textbooks and workbooks. Since I have always been an avid reader, I can easily pick up things such as spelling and grammar simply by seeing the words in front of me. Although language is difficult to learn for anyone, I was able to avoid any struggles in reading and writing through constant repetition. However, I did have a hard time with speaking any foreign language. I have never been confident in my ability to speak either of the languages that I learned previously, even though I was perfectly capable of doing so. It is one aspect of my language learning experience that I acknowledge to have neglected in comparison to the amount of effort I committed to reading and writing. Even speaking Korean to family members beside my immediate family makes me uncomfortable because I am aware of any mistakes I make.

Through the learning style survey, I learned that I am a Visual/Tactile learner– I scored 35% for both the Visual and Tactile categories, and 30% for Auditory. This seems fairly accurate because I like to see and directly interact with what I am learning. Furthermore, I learn and study well in environments that are free of distracting sounds. Through the multiple intelligences survey, I learned that my top three intelligences are Musical– 4.29, Self– 4, and Language– 3.43. Because I am a very independent learner and as I mentioned before, I enjoy working with words, I agree strongly with the two latter intelligences. However, I was pretty surprised by the Musical intelligence because I do not consider myself to be an Auditory learner. On the other hand, I grew up learning piano at a young age and have played clarinet for the past nine years so I can understand how my musical background impacts my learning. Based on the FIRE model, I seem to be more Factual and Insightful, and occasionally Rational.

My main goal for learning Korean is to be able to converse with native speakers. I especially want to be able to communicate easily with my mother and grandmother, both who primarily use Korean with me. To improve my abilities, I know that I should place greater importance on practicing my speaking, even if it makes me uncomfortable. Otherwise, I will never become a fluent speaker. As for reading and writing, I know that I had no difficulties in the past so it will just be a matter of continuing my past performance.

Hebrew mas much of the same basic sounds as in English but pairs the sounds differently it also has many sounds that do not appear in English and there are sounds that appear in English that do not appear in Hebrew. For example the equivalent to the letter ‘a’ (aleph) in Hebrew does make the same sound as the letter ‘a’ in English and is sometimes silent. The same is for the letters dalet, hei, and teit to give a few examples. The sounds that are the hardest to me to reproduce are the ones that don’t exist in English or at least not in the same context. The sound that comes to mind is cheit in Hebrew which makes a ‘ch’ sound. In English it’s the start of the word cherry but in Hebrew it tends to be at the end of words and I have yet to determine if it is a cultural marker or how the language functions, but it always when pronounced comes from the back of the throat almost harsh. Another sound that does not exist in English is tzadei which is meant to make a ‘tz’ sound. This sound alone does not exist in English and I thought it  strange sound to specify but then realized how often it comes up, at least in conversations surround specific topics like prayer.  Specifically for Hebrew I think one of the hardest things to learn or get past is the fact that some letters when at the front or end of a word make different sounds, sometimes having a role in the word and sometimes silent. Additionally I think this is where parroting comes in handy for me because replicating the sounds is what makes them easier to make the issue for me lies in being able to hear  the differences between sounds that are similar to give an example kahf ‘kh’ sound and qof ‘q’ sound the same to me, I physically cannot hear a difference and I think in that instance understanding the different is going to have to come as I learn more and understand differences in spelling.