“To know two languages is to possess a second soul.” - Charlemagne
My Wondering
Language is how we both share and create our experience as a human being. It plays a large role in how we interpret information and construct meaning and knowledge. Can we think without language? Stop for a moment and engage in a thought. How long can you go without a few words in your own voice dancing between your ears? If language is so deeply connected to thought, and thought so entwined with our with our individual experience, there could be great value of having a new or at least larger canvas for thought and experience. This is my omoi, a Japanese term (without a direct translation) describing an individual’s deep seated philosophy formed from a hybrid of thought, passion, and experience. To me, the quotation from Charlemagne is saying that learning another language can enrich our experience in ways directly and indirectly, and in ways we might not ever imagine ever fully perceive (Murray, 2006). Language is such an innate, unifying, and often mysterious part of our being, similar to ideas of the soul. I wonder if I would have ever been led to have these thoughts if I hadn’t learned Spanish as a second language.
Now, being a first-year teacher of Spanish, I would like to improve my practice by helping students find greater personal value in learning a second language. In my classroom, I feel there is a general desire to learn the language and that my students would agree on certain direct benefits of being bilingual. But just agreeing intellectually is different than feeling the value of knowing another language. Emotion is an important component of learning. Perhaps to feel the value of language learning one does need to be immersed in the culture and interacting with native speakers. As a teacher I wonder if I could increase value placed on language learning by creating an environment where students work with Spanish speakers in the community for a greater cause, benefiting others and ultimately themselves.
Context
I am teaching Spanish 2 in a charter school that embraces project-based learning. Students work on extended and often interdisciplinary projects that aim to create a lasting product within the community. These can range from creating a running food truck business to publishing a children’s book about health or the environment. Ideally, students are valuing and constructing deeper learning in order to accomplish the projects. Adult world connection is also a principle of the school with many guest speakers, interaction with professionals, and internships during junior and senior year.
I have 24 students, 15 males and 9 females. All are in the 11th grade ages 15 to 17. There are 4 students with individualized education plans (IEP). None are classified as an English language learner. On the other hand, two are native Spanish speakers but have haven’t studied the language academically for more than a semester. Two others have quite a bit of exposure to Spanish at home, but speak it with limited proficiency.
Together there are 5 Latino students, making up about 20%. There are 60% Caucasian students with the remaining 20% being of African American, Asian, and other ethnicities. The demographic of the surrounding community is 37% Hispanic, a bit larger than what is represented in our school. The school continues to explore different avenues of outreach to better reflect the community demographic. Admission uses lottery system to determine who can attend after applying.
If I were to describe the student culture, I would say students generally seem happy to be there after first investigating, applying, and then being accepted. It is a smaller school of about 600 students. In the 11th grade there are two “teams” of students with around 70 each. These students cycle through classes with the same groups throughout the day so they really get to know each other. This of course can be good and bad. It’s great when students learn other perspectives and social skills, but challenging when they clash at times and are stuck with the same people for a school year.
Students currently take one semester of Spanish 1 in 10th grade and one semester of Spanish 2 in the 11th. I only have one semester with my students, and they might only have one year in total of Spanish class throughout high school. This could be why I’m so eager help students find value in the language and be inspired to continue learning on their own.
Needs Assessment
I conducted needs assessment, collecting data to get a better picture of the value my students currently placed on learning Spanish. As an educator it is always important to first assess where your students are in their learning, perspectives, and values as well as needs of my teaching. This way, you can more effectively meet them where they are and implement the appropriate learning activities to help them move forward.
I conducted my needs assessment by using different ways to collect data, starting by looking at students’ first mini project of the year. It was titled:
I Am..
For this short interdisciplinary project they published a book titled "I Am..." in which every student wrote to the following prompts: 1) I am a biologist because… 2) I am a humanitarian because… 3) I am a mathematician because… and 4) I am a Spanish speaker because… The book was in English, but one of my native speaking students did write in Spanish for that section. In order to scaffold the assignment, I had students list three of their interests, passions, or hobbies and brainstorm as a group ways in which speaking or understanding Spanish could enrich each of those individual interests. This gave me my first glimpse of the variety of reasons students might place personal value on learning Spanish. The question was open ended and the data collected was qualitative and personal in nature. In education and action research, this type of data is important because as teachers we must take into account the innumerable variables, individual perspectives and personal meaning making that influence individual learning.
In order to gather more objective data from students, I gave them the following questionnaire to complete.
Questionnaire: Perceived Value in Learning a Second Language
Nineteen students completed the form using a Likert scale from 1 to 6 to rate how true certain statements were to them, 1 being “Not true at all” and 6 being “Very true.” Students rated the following statements:
1. I find value in learning a second language.
2. Learning a second language helps me learn more about my first language.
3. Learning a second language helps me with personal relationships.
4. Learning a second language will help me in the work field.
5. Learning a second language will help me to develop my current passions and interests.
The sixth question was open-ended and similar to the previous assessment:
6. If you value learning a second language, why personally? If you don't, why not?
By adding the second part of this question, I could see if any students have an aversion to learning the language, which they wouldn’t have written about in the “I Am” book. With the previous 5 questions, I was hoping to gain perspective with more quantitative data. Here is what I learned from the different forms of data needs assessment.
Findings and Reflection
I am a Spanish speaker because...
When looking at the responses of the first assessment, I found a wide range of personal reasons students gave for learning Spanish. Randomly choosing any page of the "I Am..." book from any student, one might get the impression that these students have many personal reasons to value learning the language. They related Spanish as a way to help them enjoy a greater variety of music, communicate with others here in San Diego and abroad while traveling, or even while playing online video games. A majority mentioned social or cultural benefits and it was touching to see how many (more than 50%) talked about helping and supporting others, or sharing their passions with them. Here are two excerpts from the "I Am..." book:
"Mikey" speaks Spanish because he likes to experience other cultures, as well as making friends. He can play videojuegos and speak to South Americans or find new places to eat in countries such as Mexico or Spain. He can learn new facts about history and where they took place, rather than reading them out of a book. He can get new experiences and understand more people. He can learn how to help the people he was previously unable to communicate with. He can enrich his own life as well as others.
"Diana" is a Spanish speaker because she loves to travel, eat, and write. Speaking Spanish will enable her to navigate different regions, live in other countries, and write for a wider range of audiences. She can produce a variety of advertisements, novels, screenplays, short stories, and articles that could appeal to more viewers. She can read books in their original format and comprehend their overall meaning, whereas the total depth of work may have been lost while translating due to lack of English words with the same meaning.
It seems that the students found ways to connect Spanish to their interests and to helping others, at least for the assignment given. Some were pushed to find the connections with my help. We brainstormed as a class different ways to find value in Spanish as well. Students revised their work. This makes me wonder how deeply the students really felt, on their own about the value of learning Spanish. Again, they thought about the value of Spanish, but did they feel it?
Questionnaire: Perceived Value in Learning a Second Language
In the following bar graphs, the numbers on the left axis represent the number of students and the numbers on the horizontal axis below represent the number they rated the statement, 1 being “Not true at all” and 6 being “Very true.”
I was slightly surprised when finding that the entire class answered positively that they find value in learning a second language, especially with 63% finding this statement to be “very true.” I expected that number to be lower because of those days when student engagement is certainly not 100%. I can forget that I’m still a beginning teacher and my methods of instruction are still developing. Students could value learning but be disengaged due to the particular activity or teaching technique. The statement is rather general in regards to what kind of value or why there is value in language learning. Another thing I realize is that I could have been more specific with the statements using “Spanish” instead of “a second language.” There could be students who value learning second languages other than Spanish and possibly even have an aversion to learning it compared to another language.
I chose this statement to see if students saw the connection between their second language and first languages. While a majority found the statement to be at least somewhat true with a rating of 4-6, about a third of the students (7) responded negatively, finding the statement not to be true for them.. We often discuss using cognates and English to help us learn Spanish and I often share how we can learn some more obscure Latin-based words in English as a result of studying another Romance language When learning Spanish myself, I noticed how helpful it was and appreciated being reminded of Latin based words in English. This doesn’t mean my students feel the same way. It could be that I experienced that appreciation more so later on in my learning. Again, I should’ve been more specific with using “Spanish” and “English” in the statement. Certain languages are more closely related than others.
Because so many students mentioned the social and cultural aspect of learning Spanish in their "I Am..." project, I thought more would find this statement to be true. We had discussed how a second language could be a way to make friends and my students are at a very socially sensitive time in their lives. I wonder if using the word “personal relationships” had my high-school student interpret that as “romantic relationships.” Another shortcoming of the phrasing of the question was that students might be thinking of current relationships when I wanted them to consider potential or future relationships abroad or in their own community. If I were to give the questionnaire again I might rephrase the statement to “Learning Spanish could help me with social relationships.”
This was the highest number of positive responses out of any question. 90% of the students rated 5 and 6, strongly agreeing that a second language has value in the workplace. With many of my 11th high school students looking for internships and entering the work field for the first time, they seemed to be very aware of the value of learning a second language when finding employment or a better job. Are they just regurgitating what they’ve heard from others, or do they have a greater urgency and value for a second language now that they are feeling the pressure of finding an internship themselves? I will take this into consideration when designing Phase 1 of my action research.
I was happy to find that around 85% of students answered positively and could personally find meaning in learning a second language to help develop their interests. This could have been influenced by the prewriting brainstorming activity at the beginning of the semester. Relating to students’ interests is a key part of effective instruction in general. As for my action research, students could use Spanish to enrich their passions and add to their identity. They could be able to communicate and share that passion with the Spanish speaking community.
Again, for the final open-response question of the survey, I asked students to explain why or why not they personally value learning a second language. The most common responses can be categorized into the social and cultural aspect of learning about others. The following are the examples:
The second most common response was related to opportunity.
Only one student answered, “I don't talk to people in a second language.” Another simply replied, “yes.” without providing an explanation. As a teacher, my goal is not only to give students the confidence to converse in a second language, but also to show them how many opportunities are around us to do so.
Overall Reflection on Needs Assessment
My omoi was originally that there is great value in learning a second language because of the deep connection between language and thought. The more I reflected on it and thought about my students’ responses, I realized that language is what connects us to other people and cultures. Connecting with others has a direct and profound effect on our thoughts, greatly influencing and expanding our own identity. I want students to value second language learning to connect with others and learn from them.
In my classes, I had many students choosing the path of least resistance in class doing as little work possible. If they were as inspired to speak the language as much as the “I Am” book portrayed, this shouldn’t have been the case. There will always be varying levels of effort among students, but I have to acknowledge that I am the biggest determinant in my educational practice. I must work at providing opportunities for students to find value and place effort into learning Spanish.
The reasons they gave for valuing Spanish mostly revolve around culture and community. Therefore, activities in the classroom implemented thus far might not have been based enough in the context of culture and community. Because it was indeed the case that many students mentioned culture and community in the needs assessment, it reinforced my desire to have them interacting with native speakers in the community and not solely practicing grammar exercises in the classroom. In the “I Am…” book, students mentioned connecting with, helping, and learning from others. They discussed enriching their own interests and identities. In the questionnaire, students responded highest to agree with the statement that a second language could help them in the work field. If they were to ever use Spanish in the work field, they could benefit from the experience of first interacting with native speakers in school. While we had recently been discussing culture in Spain, I began to wonder if my students could benefit from learning about and interacting with our Spanish speaking community right here at home.
Action Research Question
When embarking on the journey of action research and attempting to narrow down a question, my omoi might have pulled me too far away from my classroom context. At first, I was intrigued by the subtler and indirect effects learning a second language had on the mind. Then I was reminded in a meeting with my AR team that my goal was of course to improve my instruction and my students’ learning. It wasn’t to discover or confirm a side effect of that learning like a more flexible mindset or ability to think abstractly. I had to focus on my students’ needs and interests as well as further developing my own omoi.
The following were my preliminary action research questions:
1. “How can I nurture a more open and flexible mindset in language learners?”
2. “How can I help students personally find meaning and value in learning a second language?”
After reflecting on the needs assessment, my new AR question was formed with a more community and project-based approach.
“How can I incorporate community and project-based learning to help students personally find greater value in learning Spanish?”
The needs assessment showed that students did value language learning, especially for the work field, and they were interested in helping others. I wanted my students to interact with native speakers from the community for a common goal. This would give them a taste what Spanish might be like in the work place. Building personal relationships in the adult world setting while helping others might also help them find greater value in learning Spanish.
- “If we connect cultures we can learn more about each other."
- "Knowing a second language gives you the ability to talk to more people.
- “Because it gives me social skills”
- “Because I feel more cultures and get to experience the world around you more.”
The second most common response was related to opportunity.
- “I value learning a second language because it offers new opportunities in the future.”
- “I value learning a second language because I know that it will open new doors in the future."
- “It helped me get a job because I am able to communicate with double the people…”
- “Spanish is a very widely known language and will and has gotten me far.”
Only one student answered, “I don't talk to people in a second language.” Another simply replied, “yes.” without providing an explanation. As a teacher, my goal is not only to give students the confidence to converse in a second language, but also to show them how many opportunities are around us to do so.
Overall Reflection on Needs Assessment
My omoi was originally that there is great value in learning a second language because of the deep connection between language and thought. The more I reflected on it and thought about my students’ responses, I realized that language is what connects us to other people and cultures. Connecting with others has a direct and profound effect on our thoughts, greatly influencing and expanding our own identity. I want students to value second language learning to connect with others and learn from them.
In my classes, I had many students choosing the path of least resistance in class doing as little work possible. If they were as inspired to speak the language as much as the “I Am” book portrayed, this shouldn’t have been the case. There will always be varying levels of effort among students, but I have to acknowledge that I am the biggest determinant in my educational practice. I must work at providing opportunities for students to find value and place effort into learning Spanish.
The reasons they gave for valuing Spanish mostly revolve around culture and community. Therefore, activities in the classroom implemented thus far might not have been based enough in the context of culture and community. Because it was indeed the case that many students mentioned culture and community in the needs assessment, it reinforced my desire to have them interacting with native speakers in the community and not solely practicing grammar exercises in the classroom. In the “I Am…” book, students mentioned connecting with, helping, and learning from others. They discussed enriching their own interests and identities. In the questionnaire, students responded highest to agree with the statement that a second language could help them in the work field. If they were to ever use Spanish in the work field, they could benefit from the experience of first interacting with native speakers in school. While we had recently been discussing culture in Spain, I began to wonder if my students could benefit from learning about and interacting with our Spanish speaking community right here at home.
Action Research Question
When embarking on the journey of action research and attempting to narrow down a question, my omoi might have pulled me too far away from my classroom context. At first, I was intrigued by the subtler and indirect effects learning a second language had on the mind. Then I was reminded in a meeting with my AR team that my goal was of course to improve my instruction and my students’ learning. It wasn’t to discover or confirm a side effect of that learning like a more flexible mindset or ability to think abstractly. I had to focus on my students’ needs and interests as well as further developing my own omoi.
The following were my preliminary action research questions:
1. “How can I nurture a more open and flexible mindset in language learners?”
2. “How can I help students personally find meaning and value in learning a second language?”
After reflecting on the needs assessment, my new AR question was formed with a more community and project-based approach.
“How can I incorporate community and project-based learning to help students personally find greater value in learning Spanish?”
The needs assessment showed that students did value language learning, especially for the work field, and they were interested in helping others. I wanted my students to interact with native speakers from the community for a common goal. This would give them a taste what Spanish might be like in the work place. Building personal relationships in the adult world setting while helping others might also help them find greater value in learning Spanish.