An Interesting Subject

Hi Blogheads, Obviously, I'm not studying this semester (apart from an archery CFG) so I'm going to write about a subject I found interesting on my Masters (MA). I did my MA in Applied Linguistics and the subject was Second Language Acquisition (SLA). I did my MA by distance learning and so I had a tutor rather than a teacher. Actually, my tutor wasn't that good, we had little interaction and he wasn't that helpful. I didn't have a set classtime and given that I was working full-time I had to plan my study time in my free time. Often I'd stay up all night reading and then go to work in the morning and sleep in the afternoon. I worked this way because I have discovered that I study best and am most productive between midnight and 4 a.m. I guess there are less distractions at that time. Anyway, SLA is a fairly new discipline and there is still a lot we don't know about how people learn a second language. Usually, many factors are different from when we learn our mother tongue and it was really interesting to learn about what really makes a difference when you try to teach young adults. The reason I like SLA so much is that it made me analyse the things I do everyday in th classroom. It's very different teaching a skill as compared to hard facts (like most of your main subjects). Subjects like languages and, for example, learning a musical instruments take time and practice and I now realise that anybody can learn to use a second language if they find the right way to learn. Actually, I think that is the main distinction about subjects like languages you have to learn how to learn and people learn in many different ways. This subject helped me in my professional life because I now feel confident that I can help people learn. I have the tools and knowledge to guide students through the learning process if they want to learn. It doesn't matter if they just want to be able to communicate a message or speak English like a native speaker. If they have the motivation I can guide them and that's a good thing. Also, even if people aren't motivated to learn they can still make progress by getting access to the target language at the right level to aid acquisition. I still have lots to learn but at least I know I am working in the right direction. Write about your most interesting subject this semester. Say: What subject it is, Who teaches it, What time you have the class, Why the subject is interesting, How it will be useful in your professional life. Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.