Sara 3

Sara describes her experiences in Korean 1, 2, and 3 and her continued engagement with Korean language and culture outside of the classroom.

I: So the first course that you took here, was it Korean…?

S: Korean 1.

I: 1. Mm-hm.

S: Yeah.

I: And tell me about your experiences in that course.

S: I loved, I loved it. Um, it was so um, I would say natural, because it felt like really, like close to the heart. U:m, and like the letters, I had actually started, like, studying the alphabet beforehand, um, before I started the actual semester. So I kind of knew some of them. So it was kind of different, you know, from learning, like, the regular Roman letters and stuff like that, so, it was interesting. And then, I would hear something in class like, I know what it was! But then it, I really didn’t, it was like a different meaning, I just thought I understood, it was kind of a, a different translation according to me, so, it was very fun.

I: And then from there you went into Korean 2.

S: Mm-hm.

I: And how about your experiences there? Was it the same group of students or…?

S: It was, yeah, it was the same group of students. We had a few, um, native speakers join in, um, because they didn’t qualify for Korean 1, just because they’re that much more advanced, um. It was a bit harder ‘cause it was a lot more grammar. ((laughing)) U::m, so I, I did struggle with the grammar part, especially like the irregular stuff, um. But it was still fun. We learn a lot more cultural stuff as well. It was good.

I: And then when you went in this time, was it the same group pretty much?

S: It was the same group. Mm-hm, mm-hm.

I: Yeah?

S: Yes, definitely.

I: And it was just a matter of, of uh, having too much to do.

S: Yeah, my course load. I’m trying to graduate, so. And actually I don’t need a foreign language for my major, so I was just taking it and (like) Ok, I wanna learn Korean.

I: Hm. You think you’ll ever go back to study it again?

S: Oh definitely. Definitely. Um, I do, like I’m hoping if they offer Korean 4, I’m going to try to get into it next semester, um, so I’m studying at home, and my mom definitely and my grandmother, definitely make sure, you know, they speak to me in Korean. It’s like I answer back in Korean. Like “I don’t know!” It’s like, Ok, well, you know, they’ll tell me the answer and I’m like, Ok, ( ) “Say it in Korean!” I’m like, Ok, and then I’ll say it in Korean, so. Yeah.

I: Oh, so that’s good. And uh, any plans to go back to Korea?

S: Oh, def—

I: Have you been back since you were–

S: Oh, yeah. Um, I go pretty much every summer. Um, I’m going this winter, so, definitely like really, falling in love with Korea again.

I: You still have family uh…?

S: Actually, no. I have friends over there, um, so yeah. All my family’s over here. ((laughing))

I: Well that’s pretty exciting.

S: Yeah.

I: Well so then, eh, so you’ve given me some, uh, some good description about, uh, your interest in studying Korean. Uh, what were, if you can recall, when you were taking Korean, what were some of the instructional activities you found beneficial to you?

S: Uh, definitely like, for Korean 1, just like writing the vocabulary words ten times. Or even the alphabet ten times, each one ten times each at least. So definitely a lot of practice helped. Um, it’s, you know, obviously easier in Korean 1, because it, you’re learning the alphabet and the few words and the grammar’s not too hard. Um, so you can practice a lot more. Um, I don’t know, yeah, and then like the culture aspects, I think you have to mix some fun stuff into it. You know, like Korean Thanksgiving, you know, stuff like that. Korean New Year. Have a little Korean meal. We watched actually, she did, um, let us watch Korean movies, um, so we were able to see like hear totally in Korean, of course, like the translation at the bottom. So it was really beneficial for (us).

I: Did you have the same teacher—

S: Mm-hm.

I: –all the way through?

S: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. The first one, uh, Korean 1, we actually had two teachers. Um, so yeah. Other than that, yeah, it was the same one.

I: Yeah, uh, and uh, what about the instructional activities that uh, you didn’t find very helpful?

S: Actually, I don’t think, I found, I think everything helped, to be quite honest, because just to be exposed to it, no matter, I mean, how silly or whatever it was, it, everyone learns in a different way, like, we would play little children’s games, Korean children’s game to learn to count and stuff like that. You know, as silly as it sounded, but it really, you know, it helps, because you get exposed to it more, and you know, everyone learns a different way, so I don’t, I don’t think I felt anything.

Reflections – All five of these students engage with Korean culture and language outside of the classroom. This real-life interaction seems to act as a motivation to their language learning. What out-of-class resources are you aware or have you taken advantage of that provide opportunities for your students to use the language in more naturalistic settings? What have been your students’ reactions to these resources or experiences? Have you been able to link these out of class experiences with your required curriculum? In your experience as a language learner and/or language teacher, what role has informal language learning played in language development?

Lindsey and Eric are both domestic students who were adopted from Korea. Lindsey describes studying Korean as a way of getting back to her roots. Eric speculates that his affinity for spicy food and pronunciation skills may be due to his Korean heritage. Do you think that domestic learners who are adopted from countries where the language they are learning is spoken have a motivational advantage over domestic students who begin the study of the language with no such ties? Why or why not? Would you predict that these students identify themselves as domestic or heritage language learners? Is it necessary to know the backgrounds of your students in order to be an effective language teacher? How important is it to understand how they identify themselves?

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