French and the Theory of Transfer...

Learning Blog #7

Objective
To apply the theory of transfer in my foreign language learning experience.  Does it apply?  Am I doing it?  Could I be doing more to promote transfer?

Again, I want to focus my blog on learning theories, because that is ultimately more interesting than simply writing I've been working on the French immersion program on my computer and it's coming along.  That's just boring and I'd much rather think about transfer - such a fascinating concept!

Definition of Transfer
The ability to transfer your knowledge and skills from one problem solving situation to another.  

Questions to Consider
So the question to which I keep returning is how can the existing knowledge of my first language (English) be transferred to help make learning French easier.  Here are some of the other questions that I've been really focusing on during this blog session:

• What are some of the misconceptions that I'm bringing to the learning experience?  
• What items are more easily transferrable?  
• How is my English accent affecting my newly forming French accent?
• What kind of cues can I learn to force myself to actively enhance positive transfer?
• Are all of my cues based primarily on my first language or will I ever get to the point where I employ French cues?
• Am I able to be aware of my metacognition with this learning experience?
• Can I identify my existing language learning strategies?
• What are my techniques for modeling and practicing more strategies to become an independent French speaker?
• What interference can I identify that may have a negative effect on transfer?
• What methods can I employ to generalize the French vocabulary I'm learning?

Observations

Ok, this is really hard.  It's so much easier to just go through my French immersion program and pass off levels.  To actually try and answer my own questions regarding transfer is difficult!  I know the questions I posed to myself as a kind of mental framework are good and show that I know enough about to transfer to even ask them, but my inability to answer all of them this week shows how much more there is to learn.  I'm beginning to understand why some people think the whole point of education is to promote transfer - this is deep stuff!

Let's start with what I can articulate about my first language 

• I learned English culturally, socially and cognitively
• I had to comprehend and produce language - and not always in that order
• I learned concrete things about the English language (declarative knowledge) before I learned how to put it all together (procedural knowledge)
• I learned my primary language culturally and socially and then employed cognitive learning strategies to make sense and personalize it.

Now how does this compare/contrast with my French acquisition

• I'm trying to learn French primarily through my own cognition.  I have employed other help, but I haven't relied on that. These cognitive tools are transferring the following: memorization, repetition, cues. 
• I have memorized a few things in French and so I wonder if I'm just acquiring knowledge, but not really learning anything?  Did I ever feel this way about English?
• I'm still very aware of what I'm learning so I don't think much has become automatic.  The bright side is that I'm aware that it's not automatic so my metacognitive skills are still working!

What kinds of transfer have I been experiencing? 

• Vertical: My knowledge of English was essential for me to learn a 2nd language
• Near: There are a lot of overlaps between these two languages 
• 40-50% of English vocabulary comes from the French language.  I read this on the North Carolina State University Foreign language site. That's amazing and helps to motivate me.  I've already noticed so many similarities like: adorable, menu, excellent, horrible, photo, radio, train and the list goes on
• Far:  I'd like to believe this process is helping me with critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies.  I know it's definitely helping with memory exercises. Another thing I know this will help with is making my connection to the world of the arts more accessible - French is the language of culture.  I know this knowledge will transfer to my desire to communicate more effectively with Haitians, thus enriching my experience in the non-profit group I'm in (believehaiti.org).
• Positive:  My knowledge and understanding of English is positively affecting my French acquisition
• Negative:  Some of what I've learned in English is slowing my French down
• I had described in an earlier post how I'm finding it difficult to understand and apply the different nuances in the French language.  Simple sentence structure is different than what I'm used to.  I have mastered "over-generalizing" the English language so trying to generalize the French language is difficult because I can't always transfer my generalizations about English sentence structure etc to the French language.  It's slowly coming...

What kinds of cues are helping me transfer?

• Since I've been relying so heavily on my French immersion computer program I'd have to say that visual and audio cues have had the most impact.  The program utilizes games that give me a visual cue to access the word in English and then translate that into French (I can't wait for my recall to occur in French first).  It also gives me verbal cues in English to help retrieve the French equivalent.
• Around week 1 and 2, I was using visual cues (cards with French vocabulary on it) and taping them around my house to help activate knowledge and make it contextual. I thought that was effective and I need to do more of that. I think it's interesting that I need to first highly contextualize things before I can organize that knowledge into general principles.

Final Thoughts on this Week

I feel like this week, along with last week has been focused more on how the theories of learning are at work in my learning process.  This is very rewarding to me because I love to know why and how I know what I know.  My French vocabulary acquisition is coming along, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is a slow process and it'll come with time.