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            I have been a language learner for a very long time. I started learning Spanish in middle school and learned until sophomore year of high school. Then I started to take German until my second year in college. I started taking Mandarin simultaneously with German and college and I am finally wrapping it all up with Korean. As a result, I would like to say that I have quite a few experiences and know how I learn language. I enjoyed learning about a culture different than my own and learning words and phrases that were different from my own. I would always grow tired of speaking English so I always preferred to be learning and speaking a language other than my own. Simply learning vocabulary in another language made me happy. As a result, I tend to learn language quickly and can grasp certain concepts in short periods of time. Things I did not enjoy, however, were learning complicated grammar and not being able to speak the language efficiently. The basic grammar of a language is fine with me and I usually enjoy learning it, but when it gets to the complicated grammar such as the subcategories of the future tense it begins to get a little frustrating. I also tend to get frustrated with myself because I can quickly learn to read, write and understand properly, but my speaking skills never amount to my other skills. This will just be something I have to work on.

            After taking these learning surveys I learned a bit about myself. Using the FIRE model, I found that I am mostly factual with some evaluative tendencies. I tend to prefer things that are straightforward and don’t involve any extra thinking or analysis. This is probably why I like learning languages, because it is precise. The learning styles survey said that I am a kinesthetic learner, which makes a lot of sense because I am always moving. The multiple intelligences survey said I had 90% musical intelligence, which also makes sense because I am always listening to music or dancing. Almost all of my language interests have spawned from discovering music in that language so this explains a lot. The only thing I’m not sure about is how to incorporate my musical intelligence into language learning, except listening to music to keen my language skills. Maybe I could take song lyrics and try to translate them myself to practice or listen to the song to hone my listening skills. The surveys also said that I could also be a visual learner and have logistic/mathematical and verbal/linguistic intelligences. This could probably explain I learned the Korean alphabet. It took me about an hour to learn the Korean alphabet just from watching the Korean subtitles of a television show and matching repeated sounds to the typed text. Just by staring at the subtitles and listening to the dialogue I was able to figure out which sounds belonged to each “character” and combinations of “characters”. These learning styles and intelligences have explained a lot about how I have learned language up until now, but it will be interesting to see how they will help me further.

Experiences of a Language Learner:

Maddie Philips

SDLC 5

8/24/16

                  My only proficient language other than my native English, French is a skill I have been learning since I was born. It began with the “bleu, blanc, et rouge” of the flag, and has since become the focus of my minor now in my second year of university. Although I’ve been hearing French (and Basque)  in its native country every summer since I was three years old, I did not become a serious learner until my first year of middle school. Before then, all I knew were words to help me understand and play with my cousins and my other French friends, like the basic ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye,’ but also words for ‘come,’ ‘look, and ’ what,’ to name a few. For a young child, life is all about understanding the physical world, and so those were the words that stuck with me.

                  Because of my history of learning a language through what was most relevant to my life as it currently was, I think my learning style is based off of things that I can understand in the present. For example, talking about my friends, my classes, my job and my family are all things that I would do on a daily basis while speaking English, so I think they would also come most easily to me when attempting to learn another language. I used to enjoy playing games to learn new vocabulary, because they would bring out my competitive side, and I also think that conversing with people who are comfortable with the language is another surefire way to help me to improve both my comprehension and my general speaking. I absolutely hated being given homework to complete certain grammatical sentences, etc. and then being expected to research how to solve the problem myself. I was never motivated enough to go the extra mile, and so grammatically I was often left behind the rest of my class, even though my confidence in speaking was miles ahead of my other classmates.

                  In terms of the FIRE model, I believe that I am an insightful and evaluative learner. It is extremely hard for me to learn without detailed thought by thought instructions for me to follow, which are often most helpful when spoken out loud as opposed to being written in a book. I like to think through abstract problems, but when faced with issues that I see as redundant or commonly repeating, which is often the case with language learning, I have a difficult time staying focused long enough to learn the material.

                  I can conclude by noting that the best way for me to learn is to find a way to motivate myself through finding patterns. One of the best ways for me to remember vocabulary, at the very least, is to see a word in one situation and then see it in another in order to connect the word to both situations and therefore remember the best context for it to be used in. A part of this system of patterning is through learning and memorizing songs, which is another goal of mine on my language learning journery.

Timaj Yusuf

SDLC 105

08/29/16

Reflection Paper #1

My language learning experience began in seventh grade when I enrolled in beginning Spanish. One thing I really enjoyed about learning new languages was the ability to apply it to new situations outside of the classroom. I remember when I went to the hair salon owned by a Spanish speaker, and how accomplished I felt when I caught on to words and phrases that were used in discussion between the hair stylists. Although I did not fully understand the context of their discussion, I was able to pick out certain words that sounded familiar and have a vague understanding about the topic of conversation.

There was not much that I disliked about learning Spanish aside from the frustration I felt when trying to construct sentences and making mistakes (which I soon learned was nothing to be ashamed of). One of my favorite parts of the class were the weekly oral exams, where I was able to test out my speaking skills in different scenarios and have a discussion with my teacher. I liked that my teacher was able to give me instant feedback, and I was able to gauge whether or not I used correct grammar or vocabulary based on my teacher’s facial expressions or body language. Unlike taking written tests, oral exams showed me what it was like to converse with a Spanish speaker, and I was better able to assess myself on what I knew already and what I needed to work on, whether it was expanding my vocabulary or improving pronunciation.

After taking the Multiple Intelligences survey (the learning styles survey link did not work), I discovered that I my highest level of intelligence is intrapersonal (85%) with verbal/linguistic following closely behind (75%).  I’m not very surprised with the results, since I work best alone, am introverted, and very introspective. In addition, my favorite class in high school was English, and I have always been drawn to words and books ever since I was a child. Even though I wasn’t able to take the learning styles survey, based on the FIRE model, I assume that I am a rational learner. Although I sometimes like to follow rules and patterns when learning new things, I learn best when introduced to larger concepts and given concrete examples that display that concept. In return, I can generate my own examples that fit the same concept. When working with Minkyung, we played creative open-ended games to practice sentence structure. One of the games we played was bingo where we worked on constructing sentences using 16 verbs in a 4 by 4 bingo board. I generated my own sentences, asking Minkyung questions using descriptive verbs  about what was in the room. In this way of learning, I was able to be flexible and the freedom to come up with my own ideas. I was also able to use cause-and-effect thinking when, recognizing certain patterns in the sentence structure. For example, if Minkyung posted a question to me in the formal tone, I would know that I have to respond accordingly. In addition, games like bingo allowed me to think outside of the box instead of merely completing worksheets, like a primarily factual learner would prefer. In the future, I should expand my learning activities with more fun games that encompass other skills (for example, listening) such as guess the verb, where Minkyung will describe a verb in Korean without stating it explicitly. This will allow me the same creative freedom to come up with my own ideas and analysis, while at the same time becoming familiar with verbs I can pull out and use in conversation.  

When my family and I immigrated to the United States, I had my first experience as a language learner. I enjoyed the fact that I was put into a situation where I had to learn a new language (in this case, English). I love challenges where I have to learn something new and adapt to a new environment. However, it was very difficult in the beginning as I was just a beginner at the English language, having to communicate and interact with numerous individuals who were already experts in the language. Despite the difficulties, I managed to get out of ESL at an early age and began to speak to friends and peers who only spoke the English language. Putting myself in groups of people who only spoke that language helped me a lot.

                  I am definitely an audible learner. I have very sensitive ears and I am very experienced in analyzing and absorbing different sounds, tunes, and languages. I am very musical and listening is a great skill of mine. I am also very talented in learning new accents and imitating other languages that I have never heard of before. This definitely helped me get used to a completely new language. However, it also caused me to get worse at my native language, Korean. Although I am still a good speaker, writer, and listener of the Korean language, my fluency, knowledge of difficult vocabulary, and listening skills has slightly decreased.

                  I want to be able to speak and understand Korean conversations, writings, and audio that contain difficult vocabulary and complex topics. The learning activities that best suit my learning style, especially for learning new languages, is listening to others speak it and interacting with individuals by having conversations with them in that language. I have experience with these learning activities as I have utilized them when I learned English and Spanish. With Korean, I have not had many experiences using the language in a conversation with others, excluding my parents. As a result, my proficiency in Korean has significantly decreased. I plan on relearning Korean by speaking it to my Korean friends, conversing even more with my parents, and trying to use Korean as my primary language for certain daily tasks. In addition, I am planning on watching and listening to Korean shows, podcasts, and videos that will further familiarize myself with the language and teach me about the Korean culture. I believe that having a strong interest in the country significantly helps one learn the language of that nation. As an Americanized Korean, I lost interest in my home country’s culture and lifestyle. I plan on getting back the love and fascination of my country as I have had before. Lastly, I am going to learn a new vocabulary word every day to educate myself on utilizing intellectual and difficult words that every Korean adult should be using when speaking or writing in that language. Expanding my learning activities will help me achieve the goal of speaking, listening, understanding, writing, and even translating the Korean language at a high level. 

I am a both a native English and Mandarin speaker. I lived in Taiwan and went to an international school where I received an American education. It really helped being integrated into both the American and Asian culture simultaneously in learning both languages. However, my English is definitely better than my Mandarin because my primary education was all taught in English.

What I enjoyed most about learning both languages were mainly learning and experiencing both cultures. I love being able to enjoy the food, traditions, and customs of each culture. However, what I struggled the most with was the grammar aspect translating English to Mandarin. Also, specifically to Mandarin was remembering all the strokes and how to write each word.

According the survey, I am 90% Bodily/Kinesthetic and 85% Interpersonal learner. This suggested me doing activities where I physically put myself in the situation. For example, learning Korean from going shopping at the market instead of just reading a textbook of words. I am a person who needs to in the right situation to learn the language and not just a classroom. For the interpersonal aspect they recommended me integrating myself in social events where there could be a lot of people speaking Korean. This activity will really help me in real situations if I were to go to Korea.

Reflection Paper 1

            Born and raised in South Korea, I grew up speaking only Korean. However, after I moved to America when I was 8 years old, I started to slowly lose my fluency in Korean. Coming to America posed a great challenge on me. I had to start learning the native language, which was English. My brother did not have a hard time adjusting to speaking only English because of his numerous tutoring sessions that he had learning English in Korea. However, I did not have such a luxury.

            When I arrived in America, I was shocked at how different everything was, especially the spoken language. When I went to my first class in the 2^nd grade, I was paired with another Korean speaking student that translated for me. However, my grades of D’s and F’s showed that this was ineffective. After the 2^nd grade, I started to understand a few of the sentences and what other people were saying. By the start of 4^th grade, I was able to understand everything and speak somewhat fluently. This was in part, due to being indulged into the culture and having multiple ways of learning English. I heard it, saw it, read it, and had to speak it.

            However, learning English and being only exposed to English had its drawbacks. I was slowly starting to forget Korean. I was having a harder time understanding and speaking fluently. I did speak Korean with my parents, but I started to stutter more.

            In high school, I took three Spanish classes. I had a hard time keeping up in those Spanish classes, barely managing to get a B in those classes. I did enjoy learning a new language and speaking the language with my friends who were also enrolled in the same course. I found out that the best way I learned the language was through flash cards, seeing and speaking the words in both English and Spanish. This was only effective with learning vocabulary words. To actually formulate sentences, I had to practice by speaking to my friends. This proved very effective and I still have some of the skills to speak Spanish today. My teacher in high school also utilized many games to try and teach us Spanish in a fun way. This was somewhat effective due to the execution. During the games, only two people went at a time in a span of 50 minutes. This would only give a few times for the students to actually play the game. During the tests, I was getting low grades. This was due to the fact that the test was all spoken and I had a hard time understanding the professor. My weakest aspect of learning Spanish was the listening side. I performed better when the test was written down and I could go at my own pace. During this Korean learning session; however, I would like to learn how to write more proficiently, which allows me to communicate with my grandparents. 

Jeffrey Choi

Professor Scinicariello

SDLC 105-01

29 August 2016

Reflection Paper #1

I learned Spanish for three years in high school and I remember that just being able to understand and speak another language was enjoyable for me. I come from Southern California and there is a large Mexican influence in terms of culture. By learning Spanish I felt as though I was becoming a bigger part of the cultures that surrounded me. What I disliked about my experience, as a language learner, was that I felt as though I did not develop the skills to actually interact comfortably in Spanish. I went on a missions trip to Mexico and I realized how little I actually knew when I was speaking with the locals. When I was put in a non-classroom setting, I realized how difficult it was to speak fluently. I understood the different parts of the Spanish language such as the vocabulary and grammar, but I had trouble when I had to speak it in a conversation. I realized how much trouble I was having when I had to decipher and think about every word the locals were saying. By the time I had figured out what they were saying, the fluidity of the conversation would be nonexistent. The speed of interacting in Spanish was vastly different when compared to speaking in Spanish with my classmates in school. It was frustrating and I felt as though everything I had learned in class was for nothing because I could not apply it to simple conversations with a native speaker.

By reflecting back on my years of learning Spanish in high school, I can conclude that I learned best using a step-by-step process. I am used to the traditional ways of learning so this method is the most comfortable for me. I learn best when I am provided concrete information that I have to memorize.  It seems as though I fit in the factual category in the fire model for integrative thinking. The kinds of language learning activities that suit my learning style tend to be worksheets, drills, and task-oriented activities that build skill competency. I learned best when I did group activities as well. I enjoyed having to apply what I learned by interacting with my other classmates. It was great because the classmate and I were learning together and there was no intimidation of not understanding each other. I want to expand my learning activities by placing myself in more practical settings where I am forced to apply what I learn into my daily interactions. I want to be able to speak Korean fluently and not have to constantly think about what I am hearing and what I am going to say. I think that by constantly surrounding myself with the Korean language, I would become more comfortable with the words I hear. One way I could accomplish this is by forcing myself to speak in only Korean with my Korean friends so that the language can come out more freely. With this class, I hope to expand my way of learning through non-traditional methods and become a better speaker of my native language.