IBCP Language Development Portfolio
IBCP Career Track: Graduation Year: 2019
By signing below, I acknowledge that I understand all the requirements of the Language Development component of the core. I understand that the teacher will provide “limited” mentorship through this process and guidance through the PPS course. I also understand that if all components of the Language Development core are not completed and assessed the IBCP Certificate will not be issued.
ELIZABETH BIEK Student Signature: ________________________________
22/02/19 Date:______________
The Purpose: The IBCP recognizes that students have diverse language profiles. They begin their IBCP studies with a range and variety of language learning experiences. Students may: ● already have knowledge of another language and skills for language learning ● have studied another language in their MYP or other middle school program and wish to continue studying the same language ● have studied another language in their MYP or other middle school program but wish to commence the study of a different language ● wish to continue with a language they started in primary school ● have no previous experience of learning another language prior to starting the IBCP ● have an identified special learning need and require special consideration for their language learning. IBCP language development is designed to ensure that all students, no matter what their background, have access to and are exposed to a language program that will assist and further their understanding of the wider world. It aims to provide students with the necessary skills and intercultural understanding to enable them to communicate in an environment where the language studied is spoken. This process encourages learners to go beyond the confines of the classroom, expanding their awareness of the world and fostering respect for cultural diversity.Language development should, where possible, be appropriate for the context of the students’ career-related studies. It should be challenging and enjoyable as well as relevant to a student’s needs and aspirations. Language development should be designed to develop students' linguistic abilities through the development of receptive, productive and interactive skills. Aims: Language development in the IBCP core accommodates the different levels of linguistic proficiency that students have when they begin their IBCP studies. There is a single set of language development aims which are applicable to all students. The aims of language development are to: ● enable students to understand and use the language they have studied in context ● encourage an awareness and appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures ● provide students with a basis for further study, work and leisure through the use of an additional language ● provide the opportunity for enjoyment, creativity and intellectual stimulation through knowledge of an additional language. Language development and the career-related context: The IB acknowledges the crucial role of language in an IB education and as a result is committed to the provision of language development for all IBCP students. The IBCP is intended to be chosen as a course of study by students wishing to find an alternative pathway that provides progression to further education, higher education, apprenticeships or the world of work. To that end, the IBCP seeks to utilize aspects of the core to support the career-related studies of the student. While it is not a requirement of the IBCP it is strongly recommended that the provision of language development
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relates to, or reflects, the career-related studies of a student. Using language development as a means of supporting the career-related studies of a student provides a way for the student to explore how language is used in everyday situations. This exposure to ways of thinking and doing can enhance the opportunities for a student after the completion of the IBCP. Furthermore, the use of language development in support of career-related education directly relates to the IBCP aim of providing “students with a basis for further study, work and leisure through the use of an additional language”. Language Development at South Island School A minimum of 50 hours is expected to be devoted to language development. To support you with this you will be allocated a linguist mentor who will meet with you every 2 weeks (during the Personal & Professional Skills lesson) to monitor your progress and guide your development. Language development can take any one of the following 3 options:
IBDP Language Acquisition
Private Tutors
Duolingo
Students may choose to study one of the IB language courses currently offered at SIS via Pamoja the online learning facility. The only restriction to this that it must not be one of the two IBDP programme courses used to meet the CP requirements. This language course must be in addition to that but, on a positive note, does not require final assessment of ability, simply evidence of participation, progress and completion of this portfolio. At SIS we offer IBDP language courses in Chinese, French, Spanish and Japanese.
Hong Kong has many language tutor centres and private tutors who specialise in language provision at a time which suits you. If you choose this option, you are likely to receive a tailored education and large improvements in your language abilities but at an additional financial expense.
This is a (free) online program that was recommended to us by the language teachers. Our one stipulation is that students must select a language that is not one they have already taken. The good thing about this program is that it monitors student performance and provides a print out of their progress. Teachers can also monitor progress in a virtual-classroom environment.
All IB Career-related Programme (CP) students are required to maintain and complete this language development portfolio. The language development portfolio demonstrates your ability, engagement and evidence of language development, a component of the CP core. It is used to chart your progress in developing language skills and intercultural experiences while providing an opportunity for you to develop reflective practice.
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SECTION 1 ‘PROFILE’: Language Development Plan & Agreement
Prior to the commencement to your Language Development course you will need to have the document below signed and dated by all 3 stakeholders. It is essential that you are aware of the importance of the Language Development course as an independent area of study that must be completed to achieved the IBCP.
TASK 1: Once this is completed, please take a photo / scan the document (the app camscanner is very good for this) and replace the image above with the completed document.
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SECTION 1 ‘PROFILE’: Self-Assessment of Language Proficiency
Task 2: Make comments on your self-assessment choices. How did you arrive at those decisions, what did you base that decision on and how do you aim to improve? I chose Phase 1 as my knowledge on the language as I had little to no prior experience with this language, other than what I had learned from watching TV shows based in Norwegian. From there I spent a few hours every once in a while to look at different words and sentence structure in the language, but still only having a very basic understanding. I aim to improve by using duolingo frequently and re-practicing languages to ensure that I really understand the vocabulary.
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SECTION 1 ‘PROFILE’: Language & Culture Questionnaire Task 3: Please completely, thoroughly and honestly answer the following questions to build your language profile and portfolio. Background: 1. What language(s) do you currently use? I am currently fluent in English. 2. What languages have you studied and to what extent can you communicate in those forms? The languages which I have studied are Spanish, French, and Chinese, I took Spanish and French at a younger age, but do not remember much from learning the languages. I am more fluent in Chinese, when compared to Spanish and French, as I took it for my language GCSE. 3. What do you struggle most with when learning a language, even your native language? When learning a language, I struggle the most with speaking, as I do not know if my pronunciation is correct. 4. What is your cultural background? I am American and lived in Nashville, Tennessee till I was 11-years old, from there moving to Hong Kong. But I also pay a lot of attention to pop culture, which has influenced the way I dress and act with other. 5. How have you learned about your culture? How do you continue to learn? When I was younger, I mostly learned about my culture through school, but now I also learn about it through the internet, as I believe that it is a necessity of any young adult born in the 21st century. 6. Who is your biggest cultural influence? Explain. My biggest cultural influence is Tracey Emin, even though we don’t share the same nationality, the way that she presents herself and her culture has persuaded me to look at certain situation from a different view point. Additionally, she has been able to present herself in a raw natural way, which is something I want to be able to do. 7. Has your history with your language and/or your culture, influenced your career path in any way? I personally do not believe that the history of my language has significantly influenced my career path, but I do believe that the history of my culture has. It has always been ingrained in American culture that you work hard to get the best, which has motivated me to work harder as it is something I have grown up with. Language: 8. What language will you study in the IBCP Language Development core and why? I will be studying Norwegian through Duolingo, as it is a language I find very interesting and have been wanting to take it since I was in year 11. 9. How is this selection relevant to your career path and the future of your projected industry?
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This language is relevant to my career path as Norway is slowly becoming popular within the film industry. Recently creating a 4 seasoned TV show “SKAM”, which was later recreated in Germany, France, Italy, and America. What challenges do you feel you may encounter in your language studies? I believe that the challenges which I will encounter during the studying of Norwegian, is being able to speak the language has this is my weakness when learning new languages. Additionally, remember the words and being able to create a proper sentence, will also be a challenge. How will you meet those challenges? By continuing to practice through Duolingo. Will you use your target language in the future? Why or why not? I don’t believe I will as Norwegian is mostly spoken in Norway, which is not a location that I plan to go to for my future career. But, I do enjoy the language, therefore I would continue to learn do to the enjoyment I get from learning the language. Why is language study important? Language study is important as it is able to help strengthen the brain. Additionally, it gives the individual and opportunity to learn about a new country and culture. Culture:
14. Do you belong in more than one culture? Explain. I am multicultural, as I have been brought up in an American and Chinese culture. Having family members that are American and Chinese and learning the different culture normalities and traditions at a young age. 15. What languages are spoken in your culture? Mostly English, as my family members are American or Chinese American. 16. What do you believe this the relationship between language and culture? I believe that language can influence a culture and change how things are perceived in that culture, compared to another. 17. Do you have friends or family from a different cultural background? How are they similar? How are they different? Being a part of a international school as given me the opportunity to become friends with those of different cultures and nationalities. Nearly everyone I am friends with comes from a different cultural background, rather it’s an Indian, Korean, Chinese, Scottish, Irish, etc. I have learned a lot about these different cultures through my friends, which I don’t think I would have known if it wasn’t for them. 18. How have different cultural experiences affected you as a person? Be specific. I believe that different cultural experiences has made me become more culturally aware, in addition has given my the opportunity to celebrate different traditions.
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19. How do different cultures influence your projected industry? It is able to bring new ideas to the table, by having people who think differently to what I am used to. 20. How can an industry be changed by entering a new emerging country and new culture? By immersing an industry within a new country and culture, it gives the opportunities for different work styles or in the case of the film industry, content. SECTION 1 ‘PROFILE’: Language Development Goals Form Task 4: After completing the Self-Assessment of Language Proficiency and the Language & Culture Questionnaire, meet with your linguistic mentor to develop your Language Development Goals. These are based on Language B objectives and are organized into four communicative processes – Oral Community, Visual Interpretation, Reading Comprehension, and Writing. Students may also reference the three communicative competencies – Receptive, Productive, and Interactive). Communicative Process
Goal (Using statements similar to and in terms of Phases 1-6 from the Self-Assessment of Language Proficiency)
Oral Communication This objective encompasses all aspects of listening and speaking. It refers to the student constructing meaning through the process of internalizing meaning and articulating thoughts using speech in a variety of ways in the target language. The student is expected to be able to listen and respond, interact socially, and speak for specific purposes.
By the end of my learning for Norwegian I would like to be able to have a basic and clear engagement in conversation, whilst being able to recite simple sentence. This will be one of my biggest weaknesses, as I normally do the worst in the oral aspect, as opposed to the other sections of a language.
Visual Interpretation This objective involves the student in interpreting and constructing meaning from visual texts (such as posters, maps, graphics, films) to understand how images presented with oral and written text interact to convey ideas, values, and attitudes. Engaging with visual text requires the student to think creatively and critically about what is viewed, and to be aware of opinions, attitudes, and cultural references presented in the visual text. The student is expected to be able to interpret, and engage with, visual text that is presented with spoken and written text and to support his or her opinion and personal response with evidence and examples from the text.
By the end of my course, I want to be able to recognise more complex sentences, such as what is stated in phase 3. I will do this by continue to refer to Norwegian TV shows I watch to see if my understanding of the language is improving.
Reading Comprehension This objective refers to enabling the student to construct meaning from written texts by making inferences and interpretations. Engaging with written text requires the student to think creatively and critically about what is read, and to be aware of opinions, attitudes, and cultural references presented in the written text. The student is expected to be able
This is my strongest point in any language, therefore I want to give myself a bit of a challenge. For the reading comprehension, I would like to complete my language development with the understanding included in phase 4.
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to understand information, interpret, and engage with, written text and to support his or her opinion with personal response with evidence and examples from the text. Writing This objective relates to the developmental process of writing. The student is expected to be able to organize and express thoughts, feelings, ideas, opinions, and information in writing, write for specific purposes and develop accuracy when writing in the target language.
For this I would like to be able to complete the requirements listed in phase 3, as this is another challenge I have when learning a new language.
Date Completed: October 11th, 2017
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SECTION 2: EXPERIENCES
The experiences section of this language portfolio allows you to document your journey in language development and demonstrate that you have been actively engaged in language development. It should incorporate a variety of reflections on the activities, tasks and assessments you have engaged in, your learning experiences, your understanding of other cultures and your future goals with your chosen language. This section of the language portfolio should be insightful, thoughtful and authentic. Its success relies on a good understanding of the methods and benefits of reflection. The experience section requires you to document the 1-1 meetings with your linguistic mentor and write 5x termly reflections. Linguistic Mentor Progress Form Date
Summary of discussion
Actions to be taken
Signature
15/09/17
Reasons behind taking norwegian, timeframe/timeline
Download app, up time that i spend learning the language, 1 hour a week
13/10/17
How to achieve more points before end of term.
Download app, up time that i spend learning the language, aim to get to 450 points in two weeks.
10/11/17
Gain 650 xp
Gain 650 xp
24/11/17
Gain 730 xp, update progress
Gain 730 xp
12/11/18
Gain 1,300 xp
Gain 1,300 xp
6/08/18
Gain 4,000 xp by August 14th
Gain 4,000 xp
23/10/18
Gain 4,883 xp by December 7th
Gain 4,883 xp
Termly Reflections (please answer in a standout colour) August - December YEAR 12 a.
What activities did you complete? Please be specific and include independent and class assignments.
By the end of this term, I was able to gain 929 xp points, which, helped further my learning and abilities to speak the language. Additionally, by December I completed a total of 12 lessons that helped me develop my sentence structure and understand more words. b. Did you find additional resources to use? If so, please explain their relevance to your language development. No I did not use additional resources. c.
What are you learning about yourself through language development?
From this language development, I’ve learned that I’m able to learn patterns easily, for example, duolingo doesn’t explain how the sentence should be structured, therefore, after getting the questions incorrected two or three times I was able to figure out how the sentence was meant to be structured. An example of this is in Norwegian, if i want to say: “I don’t like him” if I used the English sentence structure I would say: “Jeg ikke liker ham”, however, the correct answer would be “Jeg liker ikke ham”. d.
Discuss ways the new information learned impacts you as a student or you in your future career.
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By learning this new information, I have been able to have small conversations with a student in my year who speaks Norwegian. In addition, this helps further develop my oral skills as I know when learning a new language the aspect I struggle with the most is speaking. Furthermore, if I watch anything in Norwegian or if I read something Norwegian, I’m able to pick up some of the things that are being said or written. e.
What challenges have you faced thus far and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenges were staying consistent with the language and learning plurals, definite plurals, verb present tense. f.
How are you feeling about your progress towards the language development goals you set in the fall?
I believe that I haven’t developed the language as much as I originally wanted to, this was due to a busy schedule making it harder to constantly prioritise the language. However, by the end of term I achieved higher than the minimum XP we were meant to be at. g.
Upload a minimum of two pieces of Language Development evidence.
My Log Book
15/09/17
Activity: Duolingo Norwegian ‘Basics” completed. Topics included, gender, food, drinks. Duration: 15 minutes
08/10/17
Activity: Basic 2 and Phrases completed. Topics included: food drinks, genders, adult, children, verbs. Duration: 1 hour
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10/10/17
13/10/17
Activity: Strengthening vocabulary. Topics included: Basic 1, Basic 2, Phrases. Duration: 45 minutes
Activity: Strengthening vocabulary. Topics include: Basic 2 Duration: 10 minutes
27/10/17
Activity: Learning about animals Duration: 5-10 minutes
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09/11/17
Activity: Strengthening vocabulary, finishing the last two lessons for animals. Downloaded app on phone. Duration: 1 hour
10/11/17
Activity: Finished lesson 1-3 for definite form. Duration: 15 minutes
5/12/17
Activity: Strengthened vocabulary, finished definite forms, obj. Pro., plurals, and started on def. Plur., v: present. Duration: 1.5 hours
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08/12/17
Activity: Finished def. Plur., V: Presents, Counting, and Location. Total of 929 xp.
2/01/18
Activity: strengthened skills
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12/01/18
Activity: strengthening skills + starting lesson for possessives
h. R eflect on the similarities and differences between the language that you are studying and any other that you have learnt or your mother-tongue (eg word order, tenses, adjectival agreements, gender). As previously mentioned, the sentence structure for Norwegian is different compared to English, this has been a challenge as Duolingo doesn’t specify how the sentence is meant to be structured till after you’ve gotten the question incorrect. i.
What strategies have you used to help you to learn vocabulary?
I try to think of how the word would be spelled based off of how it sounds, additionally, repeating the quiz so I can memorise the vocabulary than develop my understanding. j.
What have you learnt about the culture of this language?
I haven’t learned much about Norway’s culture through duolingo however, I have been watching a TV series in Norway called Skam, which, helped me learn more about their culture. For example, I learned about how they celebrate holidays, more specifically Norwegian Constitution Day, additionally, how their educational system works. January - March YEAR 12 a.
What activities did you complete? Please be specific and include independent and class assignments.
The lessons I completed over the second term of school is: clothing, that/those, direction, prep., adjectives, and colors. I spend a majority of my time on Duolingo relearning certain lessons to ensure I don’t forget what I was taught. b. Did you find additional resources to use? If so, please explain their relevance to your language development. No I did not find additional resources. c.
What are you learning about yourself through language development?
I’ve learned that even after a long time of not practicing the language my brain can still remember the meanings for words that I have learned. In addition, developing my understanding of certain lessons that I had originally struggled with. d.
Discuss ways the new information learned impacts you as a student or you in your future career.
I believe even though Norwegian isn’t a very popular language it is still really intriguing and interesting to practice a different language that contrasts a lot to your fluent language. It is also an interesting conversation starter as you may meet people through knowing the language. e.
What challenges have you faced thus far and how did you overcome them?
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Staying on top of learning a language was a challenge at the beginning of the year and once we had returned to school from Christmas break. f.
How are you feeling about your progress towards the language development goals you set in the fall?
I’m really proud on how much I have learned and I feel as though I’m starting to really understand the language. I still have certain challenges within the language like plurals, possessive, and prepositions, however, I am starting to find questions relating to those lessons easier to answer. I am also able to say certain things to people who speak Norwegian and they understand what I am saying, for example I say: “Det regner mann” which means “It’s raining men”. In addition, I can start reading things in Norwegian, for example if I look something up on Google in Norwegian I can pick up on certain things that have been written. g.
Upload a minimum of two pieces of Language Development evidence.
2/01/18
Activity: strengthened skills
12/01/18
Activity: strengthening skills + starting lesson for possessives
16
21/01/18
Activity: strengthening skills +finished lesson for possessives
26/01/18
Activity: completed lesson for clothing
4/02/18
Activity: completed lesson for directions and prepositions
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13/03/18
Activity: redo previous lessons + got 1,600 xp
10/04/18
Activity: duolingo added further development for each lesson so I worked on developing some of those + got 1,700 xp
h. R eflect on the similarities and differences between the language that you are studying and any other that you have learnt or your mother-tongue (eg word order, tenses, adjectival agreements, gender). Before taking Norwegian I was learning Chinese for GCSEs, comparing Norwegian to Chinese, I would say that Chinese was much harder as it was completely different from English. However, Norwegian and English still have similarities as English stems from a variety of scandinavian languages. i.
What strategies have you used to help you to learn vocabulary?
Just staying on top of finishing lessons on Duolingo, plus, relearning certain lessons if I feel as though I am starting to forget things taught in that lesson. j.
What have you learnt about the culture of this language?
This term I don’t think I have learned that much about Norwegian culture, as I didn’t focus on my language development as much this term as I did last term. However, next term I want to learn more about how Norway’s culture contrasts to my mix of Western and Asian culture.
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April - June YEAR 12 a.
What activities did you complete? Please be specific and include independent and class assignments.
I completed all of the lessons at a basic level, as I took a unit test that had me apply all the knowledge I know about the language. Having a total of 3,643 xp by the end of term, due to taking a third out of the 4,090 xp I had gotten from the unit test. b. Did you find additional resources to use? If so, please explain their relevance to your language development. No I did not find additional resources. c.
What are you learning about yourself through language development?
From this language development, I am learning more about my capabilities to learning a new language. d.
Discuss ways the new information learned impacts you as a student or you in your future career.
Norwegian isn’t a common language, but there are some popular TV shows and films that have become popular worldwide and are from Norway. As film is something I want to do for my career, this is a possible location to where I can take part in film. e.
What challenges have you faced thus far and how did you overcome them?
A challenge that has been consistent throughout the whole process is just remember the different phrases and words. Though I haven’t complete overcome this, I continue to practice to widen my vocabulary. f.
How are you feeling about your progress towards the language development goals you set in the fall?
I believe that I have been able to work my way up to my goal, as it is to become partially fluent in the language. And due to practice, I have been able to work out certain sentences and phrases when listening or reading the language. g.
Upload a minimum of two pieces of Language Development evidence.
N/A h. R eflect on the similarities and differences between the language that you are studying and any other that you have learnt or your mother-tongue (eg word order, tenses, adjectival agreements, gender). After a year of taking the language, I have learnt that both English and Norwegian have relation to each other has English stems from scandinavian language and Norwegian is a scandinavian language. There are cognitives within Norwegian and English, for example: fisk = fish, i.
What strategies have you used to help you to learn vocabulary?
Just continuously practicing the language and finding the words in different context to help me further understand the language as a whole. j.
What have you learnt about the culture of this language?
I haven’t learnt new things about the culture, since the previous term reflection. August - December YEAR 13 a.
What activities did you complete? Please be specific and include independent and class assignments.
For this term, the activities I completed were : C ompleted Level 0 of Food and Level 1 of Phrases, I completed Level 3 of basics and Level 2 of Phrases, Completed level 2 of Basics 2, Completed level 2 of Food, Completed Level 1 of Religion, Level 2 Def. Plur., and one lesson in clothing, Finished the first level of Italian Basics 2 b. Did you find additional resources to use? If so, please explain their relevance to your language development. No I did not find addition resources. c.
What are you learning about yourself through language development?
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From my language development I learned that I really enjoy learning languages from TV shows and movies that I really like and this further motivates me to study the language. d.
Discuss ways the new information learned impacts you as a student or you in your future career.
I don’t believe that it fully impacts my career specifically, but I believe that any career I decide to go into, this motivation to learn new things will help a lot, as it shows that I’m someone who is willing to try new things and push myself to teach myself. e.
What challenges have you faced thus far and how did you overcome them?
I think just staying on top of learning these languages, as I have work from other classes so I’ll prioritise that above this. But I used the time I spend transporting from home to school and vice versa to spend time doing duolingo. f.
How are you feeling about your progress towards the language development goals you set in the fall?
I’m very proud of my progress as by the end of this term I was able to achieve 4,500 xp, which is the needed xp to pass. Additionally, I believe I have learned more about my languages. g.
Upload a minimum of two pieces of Language Development evidence.
14/08/18
I completed Level 3 of basics and Level 2 of Phrases. Gaining 4,000 xp which was my goal by August 14th
15/08/18
Completed level 2 of Basics 2
17/08/18
Completed level 2 of Food
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27/08/18
Completed Level 1 of Religion, Level 2 Def. Plur., and one lesson in clothing.
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20/10/18
Finished the first level of Italian Basics 2
23/11/18
Completed Level 0 of Food and Level 1 of Phrases (Italian)
h. R eflect on the similarities and differences between the language that you are studying and any other that you have learnt or your mother-tongue (eg word order, tenses, adjectival agreements, gender). I have not learned any differences or similarities since the last reflection. i.
What strategies have you used to help you to learn vocabulary?
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Constantly repeating the lesson until I feel like I am confident to know it by heart. j.
What have you learnt about the culture of this language?
As I have decided to take up two languages - Norwegian and Italian, I have spent this term learning more about Italian culture, as opposed to Norwegian. What I have learned about the Italian language is that there are many dialects that are spoken throughout Italy, however the most common being the Tuscan dialect (of Latin). January - March YEAR 13 a.
What activities did you complete? Please be specific and include independent and class assignments.
For this term, I completed level 0 of Food 2, not as much was completed this term as I had already received the amount of XP I needed. Therefore, I just referred to duolingo every once in a while to refresh my memory on Italian and Norwegian. b. Did you find additional resources to use? If so, please explain their relevance to your language development. No I did not. c.
What are you learning about yourself through language development?
I’m learning more about the similarities between Italian and English and how most countries have similar cultures to a certain extent. d.
Discuss ways the new information learned impacts you as a student or you in your future career.
I believe that by constantly learning new languages, it forces me to engage more into other cultures, rather than just my own. This makes me culturally aware and inclusive of others. e.
What challenges have you faced thus far and how did you overcome them?
Similar to my last reflection, my biggest struggle has been staying updated with my duolingo, as I have gained all the XP that is required, I didn’t prioritise it as much. f.
How are you feeling about your progress towards the language development goals you set in the fall?
I believe that the goals I set in the fall have become almost a reality, as I have really developed my knowledge on Norwegian and even decided to take up Italian. If I was to redo this task, I think I would focus a lot more on trying to stay consistent with my practicing as I would sometimes go a few weeks without developing my knowledge on Norwegian. Additionally, I wish I had spent more time on my oral, as I would normally practice during my traveling to and from school. Therefore, I would skip the speaking section of duolingo. Overall, I have really developed my skills in Norwegian, compared to when I first started taking the lessons. g.
Upload a minimum of two pieces of Language Development evidence.
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21/02/19
Completed Level 0 of Food 2 in Italian
h. R eflect on the similarities and differences between the language that you are studying and any other that you have learnt or your mother-tongue (eg word order, tenses, adjectival agreements, gender). To learn new words, I tried to find similarities in my language with Italian, this made it much easier to remember my vocabulary. For example, to say steak in Italian, you say bistecca, the “stecca” sounds very similar to steak, which makes it easier to remember. A difference between English and Italian is that English focuses a lot more on subject, verb, then object as the sentence structure, but this varies for Italian, example the adjective following the noun, which is not common in English. i.
What strategies have you used to help you to learn vocabulary?
As I had previously mentioned, I learned my vocabulary by relating words in Italian to words in English. j.
What have you learnt about the culture of this language?
What I have learned from Italian culture is that the earliest Italian-language text is over 1,000 years old.
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Section 3: Evidence
The evidence section of the language portfolio requires you to document your work and achievements in language development. You should create a log book in this section of your language portfolio to record what they have collected, and when. You should also identify the pieces of evidence associated with your reflection. This could be done using the software below, alternatively you could also use ‘Evidencer’ through the VLE. You are encouraged to keep examples of your work in their language portfolio as a reminder of the activities you have engaged in, as well as evidence of engagement with language development. The evidence collected also shows how you have developed your language skills. Evidence could include, but is not limited to, examples of tasks and assessments, letters, emails, certificates and letters of acknowledgment. My Log Book
15/09/17
Activity: Duolingo Norwegian ‘Basics” completed. Topics included, gender, food, drinks. Duration: 15 minutes
08/10/17
Activity: Basic 2 and Phrases completed. Topics included: food drinks, genders, adult, children, verbs. Duration: 1 hour
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10/10/17
13/10/17
Activity: Strengthening vocabulary. Topics included: Basic 1, Basic 2, Phrases. Duration: 45 minutes
Activity: Strengthening vocabulary. Topics include: Basic 2 Duration: 10 minutes
27/10/17
Activity: Learning about animals Duration: 5-10 minutes
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09/11/17
Activity: Strengthening vocabulary, finishing the last two lessons for animals. Downloaded app on phone. Duration: 1 hour
10/11/17
Activity: Finished lesson 1-3 for definite form. Duration: 15 minutes
5/12/17
Activity: Strengthened vocabulary, finished definite forms, obj. Pro., plurals, and started on def. Plur., v: present. Duration: 1.5 hours
27
28
08/12/17
Activity: Finished def. Plur., V: Presents, Counting, and Location. Total of 929 xp.
2/01/18
Activity: strengthened skills
29
12/01/18
Activity: strengthening skills + starting lesson for possessives
21/01/18
Activity: strengthening skills +finished lesson for possessives
26/01/18
Activity: completed lesson for clothing
4/02/18
Activity: completed lesson for directions and prepositions
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13/03/18
Activity: redo previous lessons + got 1,600 xp
10/04/18
Activity: duolingo added further development for each lesson so I worked on developing some of those + got 1,700 xp
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23/04/18
Activity: I decided to really try and test myself by doing one of the shortcuts, after 5-6 tries I got through the whole test.
14/08/18
I completed Level 3 of basics and Level 2 of Phrases. Gaining 4,000 xp which was my goal by August 14th
15/08/18
Completed level 2 of Basics 2
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17/08/18
Completed level 2 of Food
27/08/18
Completed Level 1 of Religion, Level 2 Def. Plur., and one lesson in clothing.
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20/10/18
Finished the first level of Italian Basics 2
23/11/18
Completed Level 0 of Food and Level 1 of Phrases
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21/02/19
Completed Level 0 of Food 2 in Italian
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Section 4: Links to Career-Related Study
Written in your chosen language, how does language have an impact on your area of career-related study. Consider the following: Globalisation Cultural Diversity Inclusion Write a 750 word report explaining the impacts in detail. Languages are significant part of any individual's culture, as it is able to shape the person and impact their norms and beliefs. By learning different languages, I am able to become more culturally intelligent as I’m learning more about other’s living styles. This is able to influence my culture, as I focused mostly on Norwegian, but also took Italian. My original reasoning for beginning these languages is due to them being used in TV shows and films that I enjoyed. For Norwegian, there is a Norwegian based TV show called “Skam”, that focuses on the lives of different teenagers in Norway. As it is based in Norway, the language they speak throughout the shows is Norwegian. Though I have proficient reading skills in English, I was motivated to try and learn the language as I wanted to understand some of the phrases without having to constantly reading the subtitles. As for Italian, I was inspired to take this by the film “Call Me By Your Name”, I was mostly inspired by the culture in Italy and how the language was able to influence the film. I began this language near the end of my learning, sticking with Norwegian for a majority of the 2 years. Film is an industry that I am passionate about going into when I get older, as there are so many creative ways to tell a story that engages and inspires people. I believe that by opening myself up to new languages, I give myself the opportunity to become more creative. This is due to learning more about other cultures, rather than my own and as an American, I believe that there are so many chances to teach about other cultures through film. This is true to me as I have been inspired through other cultures being represented in TV and Film, learning more about the language, norms, and different beliefs. Not only does learning a new language promote creativity, but it also provokes inclusion and communication. These are two very significant aspects in the film industry, as both are able to advance my contacts with those in film. Learning Norwegian and Italian gives me a topic to talk about, being able to relate to people that either speak these languages or originate from Norway or Italy. This makes others feel more included as they have relations to someone who has experience in their culture. Additionally, through this course I have needed to research about the cultures, therefore giving me things to ask about when I meet those a part of the culture. It is also able to broaden my communication skills because I am able to create basic sentences that can help me in the future. This is important as film is an industry that is done internationally, meaning there may be clients or sets that consist of people who don’t speak fluent English. If I was to continue with these languages this would give me an advantage above others as 20%1 of those in the US speak more than one language. By learning either Norwegian, Italian, or both fluently, I am able to show to those I am employed by that I can speak an additional language that can be useful in the future. More things that I have learned since beginning these languages, is the similarities and differences. For example, English and Norwegian are similar as both are Germanic languages, the difference is English is a part of the West Germanic language (this also includes German, Dutch, and Yiddish), whilst Norwegian is a part of the North Germanic language. This explains why there are similarities in the sentence structure, Norwegian = subject, verb, object, English = subject, verb, object. And there are also similar words, such as bread (EN) and brød (NW), or cat (EN) and katt (NW). This is not entirely true for Italian, however, many words that are included in English and Italian that relate derive from Latin.
LanguageLine Solutions Team. “Census: More than 20 Percent of U.S. Residents Speak a Language Other than English at Home.” L anguageLine Blog, blog.languageline.com/limited-english-proficient-census. 1
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Overall, I believe that this is very beneficial as I am given the opportunity to develop an open mind towards other cultures. It also gives me the chance to create a more creative mindset towards film and introduce different aspects from other languages and norms, that can be engaging for an audience. Finally, it develops my communication skills as I am teaching myself different languages, how to explain certain things in that language, sentence structure, etc.
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