1st Place, Diversity Coverage
2023-24, Division 3, News Writing
By Kathy Doan & Donovan Belej
Focus
Midland HS
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Sa wát dì khràp
Xin chào
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This is what’s going on inside Kathy Đoàn and Donovan Belej’s brains when handling their second language. Learning is never a problem, but understanding is one.
Đoàn: If I had a dollar for every time I made a face out of confusion, then I would be a millionaire. Hearing slang or words in a second language is like trying to see without glasses. You see what’s going on and can communicate on a daily basis, until it gets too detailed, that’s where you become lost.
Đoàn struggles with English every day. Born in Vietnam, when she was seven years old and has been speaking English for nine years. Belej struggled with learning Thai and adapting to the new culture in both a school and teaching environment as part of an exchange student last school year.
Belej: When I was abroad last year, one issue was apparent from the start — communication. Thailand is a fairly large country, and it has four different dialects between the main four regions. Translation apps usually only work on one dialect, and they do it very poorly. Grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, and misplaced negatives were commonplace in a translation. Translation apps are decent starting points at best, and language learning apps are only slightly better. They still have a lot of grammatical mistakes, especially in the non-European languages. They do, however, have the advantage of not just giving you the answer like how translation apps do. You actually have to think in that language, which greatly helps with your comprehension when you actually try to speak that language with someone.
When teaching high school students to acquire a new language, French teacher Amy Rankin noticed that lots of students are stuck in the silent period.
“The silent period is an idea where a language learner is taking the language in, but not producing a lot of language out,” Rankin said.
Belej spotted this weakness when relying on translation apps, and quickly tried a literal “out of the box” method, and start talking and interacting with others, which resulted in a big improvement on his language skills.
Belej: The only time when I was actually able to properly communicate with people without any confusion is when I left behind what translation apps and language learning apps taught me. The only real way to learn how to speak another language is to actually try it. You can’t rely on the limited amount you get from your 250-day-Duolingo streak. The real test is speaking with a native speaker in that language. That’s the most satisfying thing about learning a new language — finally being able to communicate with another part of the world that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Đoàn: I prefer doing anything in a first language, because it is the most enjoyable thing. It has these symbols, play of words, and humor that only I can understand. Yet, there are still some moments where I myself feel out of place, because different regions have their own dialects, tones, and other things that make the communication different between places. But at least I don’t have to worry about the content or how to structure a sentence. The words make their own path and come out naturally.
History teacher John Mulvaney, the Multilingual Learner Advisor for MPS, works with families from families who have English as their second or third language.
“While it can be hard to connect, especially for someone from a different background, I feel it is really important for a teacher to try to understand them, even if they are potentially like a fish out of water,” Mulvaney said.
Not only is language a way for people to help one another, Belej found that it was a way to build relationships when he was in Thailand.
Belej: I always felt really honored when someone tried to speak English with me. That means they trusted me to not poke fun at them while they did this potentially embarrassing thing. People were usually always quiet at first, but as they grew more comfortable with me, they usually talked with me more. I am really proud of some of my Thai friends’ English skills, and how much they grew in only nine months, especially for how hard English is.
To get into the flow quickly, Rankin suggested that people should be open and not limited in their resources to learn. And one of the easiest and most beneficial resources is by reading what you like.
“Dr. Stephen Krashen, who was a preeminent scholar in second language acquisition, once said that by reading what interests you, that language helps you to acquire it in a pleasurable way,” Rankin said.
Choosing what she reads helps Đoàn to know what to do to pace up her progress in learning.
Đoàn: The process is long to complete, and so many challenges to go through, but once you get past the beginner level, you will settle for the great. You get to do all these great things you once dreamed about. The typical glowy aura on someone’s face now on yours, because that is the turning point. You can directly understand what people say without translating, and you finally fit into the crowd.
For Mulvaney, to blend into the room is to make connections. And by making connections in learning a new language is to have more options and opportunities.
“They’ve done a lot of studies on the benefits of learning languages,” Mulvaney said. “When you learn anything, you connect what you already know with what you are learning. The more languages you know, the more potential for connections you have, and with those connections, you have a lot of options. It’s like a buffet.”
NW-16. Diversity Coverage
This story tells about the lifestyles, challenges and potential of those from a diverse background. It will cover not just the plight of the subjects, but may also look at how subjects deal with their diverse backgrounds and how diverse backgrounds are dealt with by others. The term “diverse” is not limited to ethnicity and may focus on a wide range of subjects, depending on the author’s story angle.
Judging Criteria
- Topic relevant to the school or students and reflects lifestyles, challenges and potentials of those from a diverse background
- Sharp, attention-getting lead grabs reader and arouses curiosity
- Shows thorough reporting skills through research and interviewing
- Effective use of facts/quotes from both primary and secondary sources
- Balanced, fair and sensitive presentation
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar; use of third person