In "Spanish Language Influence on Written English", Betty Rizzo connects errors found in students' writing to the interference of their Spanish language, but she makes a note to emphasis that this just one perspective in analyzing errors and does not explain every error that occurs. She is doing this to show that there is a logical reason behind errors and that students are working with another logic system they are familiar with. Students, teachers, everyone is influenced by their background knowledge, it is inherently part of who we are, and without understanding those logics, it is assumed that the person is not smart if they don't adhere to the grammatically standard format. This article is trying to change teachers' perspective of their students and to highlight the importance of how their perspectives affect the students' learning experiences. I've witnessed some of the errors she gives as examples in Spanish speakers' writing, and even when you point them out, they sometimes continue to make the same errors. Looking at error from this lens, it explains a lot more about the students' cognitive thinking, and Rizzo points out that it is important for the students to realize it too. I agree when she calls that process an "exploration" between teacher and student because it isn't the teacher just giving information and the student absorbing it, learning is also about increasing awareness. As facilitators we guide and help students work through the learning process, and the more we learn about that process and understand students' logic, the better we can help them and the better they can help themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment