This week I practiced the same Punjabi greetings and phrases that I first learned two weeks ago. My original plan was to know more words and sentences by now, but I have realized that the process takes more practice than I had originally expected (and planned for). Within the First Peoples Principles of Learning, I can relate to the point that “learning involves patience and time”. Furthermore, there is the principle that “learning is reflexive and reflective”, and I am realizing, upon reflection, that it is okay to adjust my project plan based on how the process is going. I think this is a valuable lesson to be learning along my inquiry journey, and it is a memory I can take with me to sympathize with future students.
Over the weekend, I continued to talk to Jerin’s immediate family, along with several relatives who were visiting from Vancouver. I continued to listen closely to them speaking, telling stories, and sharing connections, with a particular focus on their accent and pronunciation of certain letter sounds. Because I started learning Punjabi from scratch, I have found myself using some of the strategies from our language and literacy class; for example, our instructor has been sharing the phonics vs whole language frameworks for learning to read, and I have utilized a phonics-based approach in my Punjabi-learning journey.
