Les First Few Jours en France

I have been speaking French since I was 6 years old and I even learned to read and write in French before I learned in English. I still remember a reading test in grade 12 where I read a passage at random to my teacher. The main feedback I received? You mispronounced some words as if they were French.

And yet, after 4 years living in Korea, I landed in France to find I speak a weird mixture of Korean and French. Would that be Korench? or Corançais..?

When people asked me questions, I'd answer yes or no... in Korean. My inclination when saying thank you was '감사합니다' instead of 'Merci.' And apparently 그 (pronounced like the French 'que') has become my place holder. (Let's not forget that I pass objects with two hands and bow slightly when saying hello/goodbye).

After a couple of days, the language has gotten better, but I still find my brain jumping to the Korean translations of some words before going underneath to the French. From a psychological point of view, I find it fascinating. From a functional point of view, more annoying. How do multilinguals ever manage to keep their languages straight?

Although, on a plus, based on my accent, no one has questioned where I'm from so far!

Love & Hugs

Language Learning and Free Practice

I would like to think that I've improved in my Korean language ability, and maybe I have, but honestly, I feel like I'm at a bit of a plateau.

I started a new Korean class (level 4!) recently and eagerly picked up my new textbook. I really like how this class ties the vocabulary to the grammar points. Sometimes there is an overwhelming number of new vocabulary words, but at least it gives me a goal (whereas some of my other books introduce very few new words and I feel like the examples are repetitive, despite the new grammar structures). And yet, in compared to the previous book in this series, I was struct by the number of "free practice" exercises. What do I mean by free practice? When the instructions give you a picture or prompt and then tell you to talk about it with a buddy.

In level 3, there were more scaffolds in place that helped guide the conversation. I didn't realize how much I relied on those scaffolds until they were gone. Now, I stare blankly at the prompt. It's a lot more difficult and I'm of two minds.

Scaffolded Speaking Exercises (Level 3) 

Level 4 Speaking Exercises

A part of me knows that if I take the time, I could do it. I could create sentences--perhaps broken sentences--and answer the question or describe the situation. I recognize the value of these exercises as they push me to practice more skills. I know that as I take the time to create these complex sentences, it will become easier and I will be able to better receive and generate language.

But, right now, it's hard.

Level 4 Writing Exercise

It takes a lot more brain power than the scaffolded exercises and it's more frustrating. Where I once felt like I knew what I was doing, I now feel more tongue-tied and stupid. I stare at the page and I can't think of where to start. Where are all the vocabulary words I know? How do they all fit together again? The exercises that ask me to generate a longer block of text? I'll come back to those later. Eventually. Maybe. Probably not...

Thinking back to my classroom and my English Language Learners, I think I understand more what my students go through when we ask them to generate writing. Following a prompt in another language can be challenging. And I would have thought free writing is easier, but it is overwhelming and it can be hard to decide where to start. Especially when you are used to following prompts. I construct basic sentences over and over in my head but am never sure how to build off of them or connect my ideas together. And what I want to say is beyond my level of vocabulary and grammar. Ugh.

With practice, yes it will be easier, but how do I convince my students when right now it just makes some of them feel incompetent and stressed out? Many of them are resistant to anything that requires them to use their brain (shocker), but now I wonder, too, if it's because we've used too many prompts in the past and thus they choose not to try, hoping more prompts will come later... Right now, the effort that they need doesn't seem to outweigh the ultimate reward of becoming more proficient.

So then... how do I inspire that desire? And how do I ensure that I'm not over using my scaffolds like a crutch instead of  support?

...

The jury's still out.

Love and Hugs.

Language Learning, The Inner Battle

Learning Korean is making me a better English Teacher.

This might seem like a strange statement if you've never tried to learn an additional language, but if you're familiar with the feeling of helplessness that comes from the early stages of trying to communicate when you know nothing, then you probably know what I'm taking about.

The many books I have collected (so far) to teach me Korean things...

As I work to improve my Korean, I think I'm understanding what some of my students feel when they are sitting in the classroom and the teacher expects them to speak English. When I encounter situations where I have to listen and speak, I get anxious and nervous and fumbling through the simple sentences and words that I know I know. I've read that listening and speaking are generally the first skills picked up when learning a new language, but for me I'm more comfortable reading and writing. I have more time to think it through.

A foreign block of text can be overwhelming.

I must have gone through a similar process when learning French in elementary school, but I don't remember what it was like anymore. As a 6 or 7 year old, I doubt I analyzed my use of French vocabulary and grammar. Ha! The transition from non-speaking to speaking is all a blur... I do, however, remember not knowing the words and at times French-ifying an English word so that it sounded like it belonged in my sentences... Alas, that only got me so far.

As an adult learning a new language, I now find myself questioning how I managed to learn both English and French in the first place... Past-me, why do you make it seem so easy? Le sigh.

Here's a brief glimpse of the thoughts that swirl through my head when I encounter a situation in Korean.

My Inner Thought Battle:

• There is that moment when someone says something to me and my brain scrambles to make sense of it. 
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• If I manage to understand, I feel a brief moment of elation--YES!--and then I realize they want a response. 
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• My brain stalls. Which words do I use? What grammar do I use? If I say it this way will it make sense?
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• Wait. How much time has passed now? Ahhhhh! They're staring at me. I think they've waited too long... they probably think I don't know. 
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• If I answer now, will it be awkward? What was I going to say again? 

Following these thoughts, I either freeze up or fumble through a sentence, feeling slightly defeated. The worst part is that despite the fact that I might have understood and that I do know what I want to say, I can't always articulate that to the other person. 

I wonder how many of my students are stuck in similar situations in class...  In my own classroom, is there too much emphasis on oral production and not enough on inner cognition? How many of my students feel the pressure of needing to answer quickly and then, as a result, feel like they can't think and put their ideas into the right words?

In practice, the exercises are short and controlled.

Now, as I stand before my students, sometimes I feel like I can hear those same thoughts screaming through their heads. There is that moment when their eyes widen and I can almost see the debate raging: do they have time to try and figure out what is being asked and response? Or should they glance to a friend, relying on a quick translation?

For me, this is an important reminder. Some of my students are so quick to respond that I sometimes forget English is their second (or third) language. And yet others are still fine tuning their listening and production skills. I need to be mindful of the inner battles raging within my students so that I can create a safe space where they feel comfortable relying on and improving their own skills. Am I talking too fast? Have I introduced words that they don't know yet? What supports can I put in place to help decrease confounding stress?

As I push forward in my own Korean studies, I hope that I can learn more about how I can help my students with their English. I hope that my revelation has been able to help someone else, too.

Love and Hugs.