Language Learning

Language Learning

In the community, I communicated with my neighbors in Spanish. This environment continued to sharpen my Spanish skills.

When I was five years old, I left Mexico and moved to China.

I didn't speak Mandarin at all, though I did speak a bit of Cantonese at home because it was the language I spoke with my parents when I lived in Mexico. Now, I lived with my grandparents.

I was scared to attend kindergarten in China because I did not know anything! This brand new setting challenged me to learn a new language and make new friends.

For the first couple of weeks of school, I did not know much about what was going on. But eventually, I made friends and began attempting to speak Mandarin to others. After my kindergarten year, I progressed from beginner to intermediate Mandarin! In my experience, teachers would often force me to speak Mandarin to others, even if I did not feel comfortable at the beginning. Although this literacy practice felt imposed, it did eventually push me out of my comfort zone to speak a new language.

I attended elementary school up to 3rd grade and learned Mandarin fluently. Unfortunately, I had to leave my grandparents and my friends as I moved to the United States at the age of 10.

Upon arriving in the United States, I did not understand anyone around me. I was afraid to attend school. It was a new environment for me again; I had to learn a new language and make new friends.

I was in the ELD program, where I had extra help in developing my English. Ms. Thompson, whom I vividly remember, was one of the nicest teachers I have known. She sat next to me every day in class and helped me improve my English every step of the way. She taught me proper grammar and a lot of vocabulary, such as through vocabulary cards, online games, and lecturing.

In 7th grade, I was finally reclassified. I have realized how important literacy is in the modern world, especially in the social aspect. However, a tension I am currently facing is whether there are other ways of making meaning through reading, even if reading is not my strongest skill.

In high school, I disliked reading books. I only read books when I was assigned to, and I got distracted very easily. I began to develop dominant ideas about language and "proper literacy," such as the idea that only people who read are standard English speakers and are smart enough.

Soon enough, I have come to the realization that reading is only one small aspect of literacy. Throughout high school, I have explored other methods of literacy, such as essay writing, poster making, and financial modeling. An individual may find other ways to be more helpful and more enjoyable than others, and that is completely fine. In the end, we are still growing our knowledge daily.

Connection to Reading #1: Multimodality and Literacy in School Classrooms This reading talks about literacy through interactions with others, as well as social activities and technology, rather than just a physical textbook. I can connect parts of this reading to my experience of learning English through online games. I used to play online games like Typing Club to practice my English typing, which was a necessary part of becoming literate in this language.

Continued: In the reading, it states that "New technologies make different kinds of cultural forms available, such as computer games and websites" (quote). This showcases the role technology plays in an individual's literacy learning process. However, this also makes me question whether technology will take over the education field in the future.

Connection to Reading #2: What Is Literacy Quote: "Think of a discourse as an 'identity kit' which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act and talk so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize."

Continued: This reading reveals literacy as a method of using language and introduces the idea of an uppercase "D"iscourse as an identity kit. This connects to my experience of being in the ELD program as an English learner, which was my "identity kit". For me, I tend to learn English better through vocabulary cards, which included images. The quote showcases that the way in which people learn is an identity kit since people have different preferences of learning, meaning some learn better than others with the same methods.

Connection to Reading #3: Graffiti Quote: "Writing on paper, painting only canvas is something that we are conditioned to do. These forced limitations are not natural to humans. Limiting the surfaces and locations where we can create art is a further attempt on the part of the global imperial society to control us."

Continued: This reading explains that art can be seen beyond just drawings, it can take many forms and communicate ideas. From my experience, I see my mistakes as art. The tribulations I've experienced learning a new language in three different countries all describe a story of adaptation. This continues to showcase that mistakes are part of progressing in literacy, and it teaches me that mistakes can be embraced if they are good mistakes.

Connection to reading #4: Vygotsky Quote: "From this point of view, learning is not development; however, properly organized learning results in mental development and sets in motion a variety of developmental processes that would be impossible apart from learning."

Continued: This reading reveals that literacy learning is fundamentally social, and we acquire knowledge through it. From my experience, making new friends in different countries and pushing myself in a new environment allowed me to learn a new language more efficiently. For instance, I am able to communicate with people to sharpen my language skills.

I did not use AI on this assignment because I believe the readings provide me with enough knowledge to complete this assignment. In addition, I was able to use my notes and the lecture to help me as well. However, I would consider using AI if I could ever edit this for a better grade.