Morgan's CUIN Vlog 1
Hi I am Morgan Harrington, Welcome to my first CUIN Vlog!! Hope you all enjoy learning a little bit about me.
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Link: https://youtu.be/qjeATddITg0?si=cPVIe7VmW-3eVVLL
I enjoyed making this vlog because it had me thinking about how learning a second language could significantly enhance both your intellectual and personal life in various ways. Now, some languages are easier to learn than others, such as Spanish or Italian is easier than learning Chinese or Arabic. One of the things I realized while making this video is that regularly practicing a new language improves your memory, mental adaptability, and enhances your problem solving skills. Speaking another language forces you to think outside the box such as improving your ability to approach situations, leaving you with a broader perspective on understanding different cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking. Although I think that age does not factor into learning a second language, it is easier for younger people to learn a new language due to having better memory than someone who is older because it is easier to pick up on new things faster. Learning or knowing a second language also gives you a key skill that sets you apart from others that only know one language, while this creates more opportunities for personal and professional growth. To me learning a second language gives me a sense of achievement and expands my communication skills, such as being able to speak to a deaf person that comes into the place I work and giving them a better experience. It's not just about communication but opening yourself up to a whole new world, cultures, and traditions. At the end of the video, I thought about how being bilingual could allow you to have a better ability to regulate emotions that you feel or that other people may feel by understanding what they are saying and the tone they communicate in.
Hello Morgan! I also plan on becoming a high school teacher and am currently in Sign Language at University of Houston. I fully agree that broadening your language skills allows you to both understand people as well as immerse yourself in the culture. In terms of languages in a classroom, I believe the author states well that any form of inclusivism is better than none. In the textbook they state, “any mechanism that served to make the input comprehensible…was of value.” (Gass and Mackney, 2012). I personally believe that age does play a factor in how one learns a new language, but hearing and reading your reasoning behind your belief that it does not is interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi! I think it's awesome that we both have plans on becoming high school teachers, and that you’re studying sign language as well! I completely agree with your point on language broadening understanding and cultural immersion. I like how you highlighted the importance of inclusivity in the classroom, especially when it comes to language input. There's definitely a balance between age related factors and individual experiences, so it’s interesting to consider both perspectives!
DeleteHi Morgan! I think, especially in more recent times, logging history is so important with everything that has happened since COVID came around, so being a history teacher to help narrate such crazy world events is a blessing for future students. Learning a second language can be difficult, for both young and older learners, but I can definitely see where you're coming from when you say younger learners are able to pick up on new things faster. Learning a second language really forces your brain to think critically of what you think and say, as different scenarios call for different words and tones to convey the expression and emotion appropriate for the situation. I also agree with your take on second languages and opportunities. For younger people, this kind of thinking may inherently come quicker, as their brains are taking lots of information already in comparison to older learners, who may be surrounded by the business of life and don't have the luxury of time. You mentioned how speaking a second language can improve your memory and problem-solving skills, and these are critical in the realm of teaching. In the book, Gass and Mackey, say that foreign media sources "can be used in the classroom to provide input on adolescent varieties, the language of popular culture, the language of sports, etc., and promote discussion of different types of language and their appropriateness to particular situations." As a history teacher, incorporating the use of other languages from different countries can help generate educational discussion as well as interest of the foreign language in general.
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