MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

2 Chanyungco St. Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800

Graduate School

ENG603 INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS, PSYCHOLINGUISTICS, & SOCIOLINGUISTICS

Dr. Mary Jean Dela Pea/Friday 5:30-8:30 PM/GS 201/ 1st Sem. 2017-2018

NICOLAS, ROMNICK P.

Reflection Paper #2
August 11, 2017

The function of the human brain serves as the backbone element for a child to learn the
complexities of the language. The more a child is exposed to language, the greater extent he/she
is involved in the thinking and communication processes, and the further he/she uses his/her
sense and intellect to acquire and learn everything around him/her, the more likely he/she
discovers, learns, and masters the intricate system of a specific language.
The documentary clip I watched about a young girl named Genie Wiley who was put to
a total isolation by her parents that resulted to her absolute depravation to learn the language
has made me realize the fundamental role of the family in the language production and
acquisition of a child, likewise my prime and supplementary support as a language teacher in
ensuring that my students learn the best of their skills and competence.
As a teacher of English in a Science high school for almost seven (7) years now, I have
encountered students who have been really proficient in the use of the second language-
students whose fluency is truly impressive. I consider the fact that aside from they are graduates
of montessori and private elementary schools which required them to exclusively use the second
language inside the campus, this is also attributable on how they are raised and nurtured by
their parents. However, despite the innate and enhanced skills they have, they are still
susceptible to committing grammatical errors in their utterances and writings which I believe
my role as a language teacher is certainly vital.
Meanwhile, I was also confronted by isolated cases of regular public elementary schools
students who have been admitted in our school who have dilemma in expressing their ideas in
the second language. It has been my assumption that these students didnt learn much about
the language and how they could play words and grammar in their constructions for they were
possibly not exposed to considerable learning situations that demanded their skills to use the
second language. In addition, the immediate environment and nature of exposure to language
somehow affect their language acquisition involving vocabulary and grammar.
Nevertheless, I didnt think these extreme concerns as a major problem but a challenge
and opportunity to make language learning more engaging and satisfying on the part of my
students. As a conclusive proof on how I manage to deal with situations concerning the learning
needs of my students to learn and master the language, I never let a week pass without involving
my students to express, share, and participate in discussion and communicative situations. I see
to it that the best practices in my class do materialize. Every meeting is an opportunity to learn
a new word/vocabulary and express valuable and meaningful thoughts in our word-and-quote
sharing activity. Every group activity becomes more challenging as they exchange roles as
discussion director, summarizer, discussion correspondents, and input contributors, where every
member is tasked to perform a specific role and is involved in group discussion. By the end of a
week lesson, everyone is encouraged to reflect and give insights about the important lessons
he/she learned throughout the learning process in our reflection writing activity. All these
activities require them to process their thinking, exercise their mental ability, utilize the English
language, employ their grammar and language skills, and dominate classroom discussion.
Moreover, through these, the mental faculty of their minds responsible to speech and language
is persistently trained and capacitated.
Thus, the assurance that my students acquire and learn the second language necessitates
my unwavering guidance and assistance to constantly expose them to countless opportunities
that will call for their language skills and proficiency.