Vandreia Montano

ESC 708
Spring 2015
Reflection 1.b.
The artifact that I selected to meet TESOL Standard 1.b., Language Acquisition and
Development, was developed for the graduate class ESC 760 Second Language Learning and
Teaching. The assignment was a research paper for which I chose the topic First Language
Interference in the Second Language Learning process. This artifact contributed to my
experience in gathering and using research data in order to deploy constructive techniques and
activities to help the students to learn the second language. This aligns with TESOL standard
1.b.: Candidates understand and apply theories and research in second language acquisition and
development to support their ELLs social and academic English language and literacy learning
and content-area achievement.
With this artifact I was able to compare my own experience as a second language learner and
speaker with research data addressing the topic of first language interference/influence in the
second language learning process. I was also able to investigate and understand some techniques
that teachers can use in the classroom to maximize the learners ability to acquire the second
language based on their mother tongue. For example, the teachers ability to identify positive and
negative language transfer.
The artifact contributed to developing my awareness of how students first language affects
in their second language learning process. Through research I was able to learn what some of the

signs of first language interference are in the second language, and how to effectively use the
students mother tongue as a structure for the second language to be built upon.
What I would like to take to the classroom from what I learned with the artifact is the
consciousness that second language learners, usually, already have their first language structure,
and by building upon this structure the second language learning process might become a little
easier. In addition, I would like to, as much as possible, reinforce the students first language
development, for it is important as the learners language structure when learning a second
language.