Jade Payad

Jade Payad
T&L 333
Nalee Moua
20 February 17

ESL/ELL Interview

The person I interviewed is Ting-Yun Yang, but we know her as her nickname,

Cheyenne. She is twenty years old. She is originally from Taichung, Taiwan. She is an

exchange student from Providence University in Taiwan. She is only here in the U.S. for

one semester and she is an English Major. Cheyenne’s first language is Mandarin

Chinese. The interview happened at Hillside Café, on the 16th of February 2017, at 4 in

the afternoon and it took me 45 minutes to conduct the interview. Cheyenne and I are

friends, we knew each other prior to the activity, we met at Washington State

University, when I helped her find her books for her classes. I chose to interview her,

because I wanted to learn more about her. I was also curious as to how she feels about

learn English, her experience while she was learning it and her opinions about how an

ELL or an ESL student should learn English.

What I learned from my interviewee was that at first she hated learning English,

because she thought that it was very hard. She also hated learning English, because she

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felt inferior, because she was with peers that already knew the language but she was

still a beginner. After practicing everyday by listening to the news that was in English,

writing and sometimes speaking, she started to love learning English. What also gave

her motivation was that the more she practiced and she learned the more her grades

were getting better and it gave her the motivation to learn better. And although her

parents could not really help her practice English due to their limited knowledge, after

a few years of learning English, she said that she was confident in speaking English,

and finds confidence when others can understand her. And although she is confident in

speaking English, she is still sometimes frustrated when speaking it, because sometimes

there are no direct translation form her native language, which is Mandarin Chinese to

English. She also told me that she wanted to learn English, because she wanted more

job opportunities.

Cheyenne believes that Language is more of a tool used to communicate with

others, she believes that it is heritage and a combination of culture. She also believes

that speaking, characters, meaning of words and culture are the components of

language. She also believes that language is a tool, and teaching a person a language is

like teaching them how to use a tool properly. She would teach a language by making

up activities, she would put people into small groups. She believes that students are

more comfortable talking in small group. Giving students contents for discussions are

also important, because then they can share their opinions and share their viewpoint,

and it can help train students to think critically. She also indicated that knowing a

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language is when you can understand, speak it and read it. And using a language is

knowing the basic idea in what your reading, speaking and writing.

She also told me a lot of learning styles that she would personally use to

effectively teach English. One of them is letting students do Physical activities or Total

Physical Response teaching method, this is mimicking, role play and presentation as she

believes that this is the best approach for students to learn faster and more effectively.

She believes that over correcting students will give them lower self-esteem and

discouraging them, so we should not overcorrect ELL or ESL students.

I believe that second language teaching is the process of teaching a person a

language other than their native one. I agree with Cheyenne that students will learn

better if they are doing Physical Activities. I will also not over correct my students,

because I believe that it will give them low self- esteem and discourage them from

learning a new language. I will also follow the grammar-translation method, by

requiring students to analyze and memorize rules of grammar, then translate sentences

between two languages. (Wright, 2015, p. 61) And I would also do the Communicative

Language Teaching, this method encourages learners to communicate, because it is an

effective way of learning a language. (Wright, 2015, p. 62)

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Reference

Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory,
and practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Caslon.

Yang, T. (2017, February 16). Personal Interview.

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Appendix

1. Language is more of a tool used to communicate with others. Heritage and a

combination of culture
2. Speaking, characters, meaning of words, culture
3. Teaching a language is a tool, it is like teaching a person how to use a tool
properly. Make up activities. Put people into small groups. Students are more
comfortable talking in small group. Give contents to students for discussions, so
they can share their opinions and share their viewpoint. Train them to think
critically
4. To know a language is when you can understand, speak it and read it. Knowing
the basic idea in what your reading, speaking and writing

5. Yes, because there are no direct translations for some words.

6. English is second language. Translated native language into English. Write words
10 times a day.
7. After a few years of learning she was confident in speaking language. She found
confidence when she spoke English and she was understood
8. Culture shock because there are some words that have no direct translation, and it
is very frustrating, culture shock, because of the usage of manners are different.
10. Mandarin Chinese, because it was the official language of Taiwan. The dominant
language. Dialect is Taiwanese
15.. Hated it at first. Felt inferior because she was with peers that already knew the
language but she was still a beginner. But you loved after a while, because her
grades were getting better and it gave her the motivation to learn more.
18. Yes, bought her supplies that helped her speak English. Parents didn’t really
know English, but helped her as best as they can.
19. No, they only spoke Mandarin Chinese. But some people spoke Japanese because
of Taiwan was colonized by Japan.
20. Because she wanted more job opportunities. It was required to learn English.
21. Listen to radios or news channel that you are learning in and communicating
with others in that language
26. Physical activities, Total Physical Response is the teaching method. Mimicking.
Role play. Presentation
30. Yes, because she is happy when someone understands what she means and say.
Your ideas being understood
36. Exchange student so she speaks it every day. Needs it for survival in the US. In
Taiwan, practiced 2 hours a day, either reading or writing
40. Don’t teach by translating, fully immerse in English. Not allowing native
language to be spoken in an instructional English language class, if they know basic
English.

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42.. most= for English beginners, teach them directions first so they know what they
don talking about, for ells with basic knowledge put them in class with native
English speakers
least= starting with big conversations and discussions, for ells with basic knowledge
putting them in ell classrooms will not expand their knowledge in the culture and
language
52.. Over correcting them, it will give them lower self-esteem and discouraging them
53.. Immersing in the language, because being fully immersed will push you to learn
more about the language