Reflection #1
As a foreign language teacher at a secondary school, I faced a unique situation which I believe confronts all other foreign language teachers. Any good reader in the English language will transfer this skill over to another subject area such as Science or math to gain information and to some extent solve problems. Teaching reading and writing in a foreign language however poses a unique challenge as similar groups of words may produce a different sound, and of course most words, with the exception of certain cognates have a different meaning. I as the teacher therefore had to work with the students to break the code of the printed text, and then help them move from that stage to where they could read to learn in the language.
Although decoding had to be taught in the foreign language, I found that generally, the students who were good readers in the English language were able to apply some of these skills while learning to read in the target language. They were also more motivated. After having learnt to read, they often took the initiative to do further reading which often led to independent learning. This was reflected in their level of written and oral expression in class activities. Students who were poor readers in the English language encountered more problems decoding in the foreign language. They were therefore less motivated to read in class and on their own.
Many students, even those who were good readers, approached the language with the expectation that reading or writing activities in that target language would be difficult. As a second language teacher, I found that giving students strategies for decoding in the target language and helping them improve their vocabulary aided in making them gain confidence and perform better in these activities.
Friday, February 13, 2009
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