Young children are increasingly required to start learning foreign languages like English at younger ages. While this is popular with politicians, parents, and publishers, research shows older learners consistently perform better. Younger learners make slower progress and cover half as much material in the same time period as older learners. However, starting foreign language learning young may provide intrinsic benefits by opening children's minds and potentially leading to long term benefits for individuals and society. Whether starting young is truly beneficial depends on how instruction is implemented and what happens after the early stages.
It's the start of the new year and time for making New Year's resolutions. This month students from Pre A1 Starters to C1 Advanced can practise their English with our activities which are focused on the topic of learning something new.
Happy teaching!
Is There a Best Age for Learning a Second Languageijtsrd
Do you hope for your child to have access to ideas and perspectives from another language Do you dream of your son effortlessly switching between different languages as you sip Prosecco overlooking an Italian sunset Do you daydream about visiting London or USA with a daughter who can negotiate like a local Sultonova Nasiba Anvar Qizi "Is There a Best Age for Learning a Second Language?" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-2 , February 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd49338.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/english/49338/is-there-a-best-age-for-learning-a-second-language/sultonova-nasiba-anvar-qizi
4.5 First and Second Language Learning Compared With simultaneous .docxgilbertkpeters11344
4.5 First and Second Language Learning Compared With simultaneous bilinguals, both languages are acquired in the same way. There are, as we have seen, cognitive differences that exist in bilingual children because of bilingualism, but the processes they use in acquiring their two languages are the same—the same as each other and the same as those used by monolinguals. In succes- sive bilinguals, however, there may be differences, and most of these are associated with the age of the learner. The age of the learner is highly relevant for the following reasons:
• The experience of learning a first language means that second language learn- ers know more about what language is about and how it is structured. They are experienced in finding patterns in what they hear. Older children might experi- ence some temporary interference from the first language, but generally, the experienced learner is more efficient than the inexperienced and cognitively less well-developed first language learner. • Babies are born with more acute hearing than adults (Pearson, 2008, p. 103). Over time, their hearing acuity attenuates to adult levels. Superior hearing is part of the reason why younger children are better able to discriminate between indi- vidual language sounds and why they are superior mimics of the sound system. Second language learners will acquire the pronunciation of the new language faster and more accurately than children who begin after the onset of puberty. • Babies go through a babbling stage during which they practice the sounds of their language without either the pressure or the ability to produce perfectly formed words. Older learners do not have this practice period, and their hearing will be less acute than infants. Nevertheless, their improved cognitive processing abilities will compensate. • The “input” is different. For school-aged children, the first exposure to a new language may be at school. The language of the school differs in content and in purpose from the language of the home, and the older the learner, the greater the difference. • The older the learner, the more experience he or she has in learning. Even after the first language is essentially established, children continue to learn, and all prior experience in learning is potentially beneficial. For educators, the issue is how best to take advantage of it.
CHAPTER 4Section 4.5 First and Second Language Learning Compared
At the heart of the issue of age is the critical period hypothesis (see Chapter 3). Is there a critical period for language learning, as some believe? Popular wisdom that holds that where language learning is concerned, younger is better, would appear to be true. But is it? For a first language, yes, it does appear that there is an “expire” date on the brain’s abil- ity to acquire language. But the preponderance of bilinguals in the world, many of whom learned the two languages sequentially, is a compelling argument against a critical period for second langua.
It's the start of the new year and time for making New Year's resolutions. This month students from Pre A1 Starters to C1 Advanced can practise their English with our activities which are focused on the topic of learning something new.
Happy teaching!
Is There a Best Age for Learning a Second Languageijtsrd
Do you hope for your child to have access to ideas and perspectives from another language Do you dream of your son effortlessly switching between different languages as you sip Prosecco overlooking an Italian sunset Do you daydream about visiting London or USA with a daughter who can negotiate like a local Sultonova Nasiba Anvar Qizi "Is There a Best Age for Learning a Second Language?" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-2 , February 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd49338.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/english/49338/is-there-a-best-age-for-learning-a-second-language/sultonova-nasiba-anvar-qizi
4.5 First and Second Language Learning Compared With simultaneous .docxgilbertkpeters11344
4.5 First and Second Language Learning Compared With simultaneous bilinguals, both languages are acquired in the same way. There are, as we have seen, cognitive differences that exist in bilingual children because of bilingualism, but the processes they use in acquiring their two languages are the same—the same as each other and the same as those used by monolinguals. In succes- sive bilinguals, however, there may be differences, and most of these are associated with the age of the learner. The age of the learner is highly relevant for the following reasons:
• The experience of learning a first language means that second language learn- ers know more about what language is about and how it is structured. They are experienced in finding patterns in what they hear. Older children might experi- ence some temporary interference from the first language, but generally, the experienced learner is more efficient than the inexperienced and cognitively less well-developed first language learner. • Babies are born with more acute hearing than adults (Pearson, 2008, p. 103). Over time, their hearing acuity attenuates to adult levels. Superior hearing is part of the reason why younger children are better able to discriminate between indi- vidual language sounds and why they are superior mimics of the sound system. Second language learners will acquire the pronunciation of the new language faster and more accurately than children who begin after the onset of puberty. • Babies go through a babbling stage during which they practice the sounds of their language without either the pressure or the ability to produce perfectly formed words. Older learners do not have this practice period, and their hearing will be less acute than infants. Nevertheless, their improved cognitive processing abilities will compensate. • The “input” is different. For school-aged children, the first exposure to a new language may be at school. The language of the school differs in content and in purpose from the language of the home, and the older the learner, the greater the difference. • The older the learner, the more experience he or she has in learning. Even after the first language is essentially established, children continue to learn, and all prior experience in learning is potentially beneficial. For educators, the issue is how best to take advantage of it.
CHAPTER 4Section 4.5 First and Second Language Learning Compared
At the heart of the issue of age is the critical period hypothesis (see Chapter 3). Is there a critical period for language learning, as some believe? Popular wisdom that holds that where language learning is concerned, younger is better, would appear to be true. But is it? For a first language, yes, it does appear that there is an “expire” date on the brain’s abil- ity to acquire language. But the preponderance of bilinguals in the world, many of whom learned the two languages sequentially, is a compelling argument against a critical period for second langua.
The Role and Strategy to Stimulate Language Development in Early Childhood Du...EvaniaYafie
The development of aspects of language in human life is very important. A
language is a tool of education and interaction between individuals. Language development
problems in early childhood that often arise are late language emergence (LLE). From some
previous studies, stimulation and education factors become guidelines for teachers and
parents in providing appropriate stimulation through the principle of play while learning and
adapted to the development and age of the child. The purpose of this study is to describe the
role and strategy of stimulating children's language development during the COVID
pandemic. The design of this study uses the method of literature study or literature review.
The results and discussion of strategies for developing children's language for 1-2 years old
can be done by 1) Mothering, 2) Recasting, 3) Echoing 4) Expanding 5) Labeling. While
strategies for developing children's language for ages 3-6 years 1) Increasing Interaction and
Communication with Children 2) Reading aloud, 3) Involving Children in Storytelling, 4)
Providing literacy activities.
Shaping the Way We Teach English - Various worksBrandon Torres
Content:
- Teaching the world's children - ESL for ages three to seven.
- Maximizing the benefits project work in foreign language classrooms.
- "What is it?": A multipurpose language teaching technique.
- Reconceptualizing interactional groups: grouping schemes for maximizing language learning.
- Destroying the teacher: the need for learner-centered teaching.
- Assessment of young learners.
- Using favourite songs and poems with young learners.
- Talking to learn across classrooms and communities.
The Role and Strategy to Stimulate Language Development in Early Childhood Du...EvaniaYafie
The development of aspects of language in human life is very important. A
language is a tool of education and interaction between individuals. Language development
problems in early childhood that often arise are late language emergence (LLE). From some
previous studies, stimulation and education factors become guidelines for teachers and
parents in providing appropriate stimulation through the principle of play while learning and
adapted to the development and age of the child. The purpose of this study is to describe the
role and strategy of stimulating children's language development during the COVID
pandemic. The design of this study uses the method of literature study or literature review.
The results and discussion of strategies for developing children's language for 1-2 years old
can be done by 1) Mothering, 2) Recasting, 3) Echoing 4) Expanding 5) Labeling. While
strategies for developing children's language for ages 3-6 years 1) Increasing Interaction and
Communication with Children 2) Reading aloud, 3) Involving Children in Storytelling, 4)
Providing literacy activities.
Shaping the Way We Teach English - Various worksBrandon Torres
Content:
- Teaching the world's children - ESL for ages three to seven.
- Maximizing the benefits project work in foreign language classrooms.
- "What is it?": A multipurpose language teaching technique.
- Reconceptualizing interactional groups: grouping schemes for maximizing language learning.
- Destroying the teacher: the need for learner-centered teaching.
- Assessment of young learners.
- Using favourite songs and poems with young learners.
- Talking to learn across classrooms and communities.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
2. • www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 28 July 2003 • 5
M A I N F E A T U R E
Is younger
better?
Is younger
better?
Carol Read sees early
learning as a way of opening
windows of the mind.
A
ll over the world, children are
increasingly required to start
learning a foreign language,
usually English, at a younger and
younger age. The cry of ‘younger is
better’ has become a mantra, chanted
almost unthinkingly by those with a
stake in implementing language
programmes and courses for children.
It is a mantra which is popular with
politicians: bringing down the age of
learning English wins votes.
It is popular with parents: it offers
opportunities for a brighter future for
their children.
It is popular with publishers and
language course providers: it opens up
new markets.
For teachers, and others closely
involved in children’s education, it has
almost become part of our collective,
professional ‘group think’ – something
that we take for granted and rarely
question. If we also rely on education
for a living, we have a major vested
interest in believing it to be true.
I would like to explore whether
‘younger’ is actually ‘better’ in the
context of learning a foreign language in
long-term, drip-feed courses at school,
or whether it may be a fallacy, based on
wishful thinking and faulty assumptions,
as recently suggested, for example, by
David Nunan and Penny Ur.
Two central ideas which lie behind
the popular assumption that ‘younger is
better’ are:
1 the widely-held view that since young
children learn their mother tongue so
quickly and effectively, they will be able
to pick up a foreign language in the
same way, without ever having to make
any real effort.
2 the concept of a critical or sensitive
period, an idea developed around the
mid-20th century of a ‘magic’ period in
children’s lives (usually identified as up
to the age of about 12) after which their
brains lose plasticity and they are no
longer capable of learning another
language so effectively. This idea is also
implicitly reflected when you hear
people say things like ‘Oh, I wish I’d
started learning Spanish (or whatever
language) when I was younger’.
However, a look at the evidence, and
at the needs, motivations and contexts
of different learners, suggests that both
these assumptions may be fallacies,
except in particular circumstances.
The mother tongue
In the case of mother tongue acquisition,
children are learning language at the same
time as they are discovering who they are,
establishing vital family relationships and
beginning to make sense of the world.
This experience is fundamentally different
to the contrived encounter with a foreign
language, possibly two or three times a
week and often with someone (the
teacher) not known personally very
well. Given the huge gap between the
two experiences, there is no way that we
can expect children automatically to
transfer skills from one to the other.
A critical period?
Although a critical or sensitive period is
generally agreed to exist for mother
tongue acquisition (and there are strong
and weak versions of this), there is little
conclusive evidence to support the idea
of a critical or sensitive period for foreign
language learning, except in the case of
children learning a second language in
naturalistic conditions, where there is
lengthy exposure to the language and
the degree of motivation is very high.
Therefore, although ‘younger is better’
is an argument which may hold with the
young children of migrant parents, for
example, it will not necessarily apply in
the kind of formally-organised teaching
situation which most of us work in.
The question of evidence
In research studies which compare older
and younger learners in the same
situation and under the same conditions,
older learners consistently do better.
From a whole body of research done
since the 1970s right up to the present
day (and summarised in eg McLaughlin
or Marinova-Todd, Bradford-Marshall
and Snow), evidence shows that it is
older learners who make more rapid
progress in much less time and are more
efficient learners. Penny Ur refers to two
classes she taught, one starting at the
3. Is younger better?
6 • Issue 28 July 2003 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •
age of eight and one at the age of ten,
and reports that, by the time they
reached 13 and moved up to secondary
school, there was no perceptible
difference between the two. Similarly,
David Nunan reports on language
programme evaluations that tested
groups of students aged 15, some of
whom started learning English at the
age of ten and some at the age of five,
and again found no difference at age 15.
In summary, research studies
repeatedly show that older learners have
a better grasp of grammatical concepts
which they can transfer to foreign
language learning. They have greater
cognitive maturity and better developed
learning strategies and skills. They are
more efficient at acquiring facts and
concepts and have more practice at
negotiating, turn-taking and sustaining
conversations. All this combined makes
them much better, faster learners than
children, who learn considerably more
slowly and with much greater effort.
Marinova-Todd et al say: ‘Typically,
the early elementary FL course will be
able to cover only half as much material in
a year as the middle school course, which
in turn will progress much more slowly
than the secondary or university courses’.
Similarly, Sharpe says, citing a
recent research survey from a range of
European countries, ‘there is no
conclusive evidence yet that early foreign
language teaching makes a substantial
difference to children’s attainment at
secondary school’.
Penny Ur concludes: ‘If I’m in
charge of allotting foreign language
teaching hours, I’ll invest most of them in
the older classes where I’ll get a better
return for my investment’.
In the face of the evidence and these
views, we need to ask ourselves why we
persist in the belief that teaching children
a foreign language at an ever younger age
is a valuable enterprise. What is the ‘return
for investment’ that we’re looking for?
The question of experience
It seems to me that, in attemping to
answer these questions, we need to look
beyond narrowly-defined, linguistic
‘returns’, measured in terms of snap-shot
pictures of language knowledge and
production, to the intrinsic value of the
experience of starting to learn a foreign
language at a young age – opening
windows of the mind – and the wider and
more diffuse benefits that this can bring.
We need to have a broader, longer-
term vision of the ‘returns’ we seek. My
views of the potential for ‘younger’ to
be ‘better’ in foreign language courses at
school are summarised in the web
diagram below. They are grouped into
three broad areas as follows:
1 Characteristics of young children
vs older learners
While there may not be a ‘magic’ age for
starting a foreign language, there is no
doubt that young children are in a
crucial formative phase of their social,
psychological, physical, emotional and
cognitive development. This may
positively influence and benefit
language learning in formal language
teaching situations.
2 Potential benefits to the
individual and society
Over the short and long term, the
potential personal and academic benefits
to the individual are huge. There are also
clear potential benefits to society in terms
of citizenship, democracy, tolerance,
peace and an enhanced economy through
a better-trained workforce. The good
news here also is the correlation between
the actual length of time spent studying a
foreign language and proficiency in the
long run (see eg Curtain and Pesola),
with particularly positive beneficial
effects on the development of memory,
listening skills and pronunciation.
3 The learning context of the
primary school
Primary schools generally provide an
ideal context for a whole learning
experience appropriately structured to
meet children’s needs. Through ‘learning
by doing’, language competence can be
built up gradually and naturally and
provide the basis for more abstract,
formal learning in secondary school.
After all, no one ever suggests postponing
the age of starting to learn maths
because it will be easy to catch up later.
From the three broad areas identified in
the web, we can see that, potentially, the
conditions for ‘younger’ to be ‘better’
do exist in formal teaching-learning
situations. However, in my view, whether
it will be truly worthwhile in the long
term depends on two crucial factors:
how it’s done and what happens after.
How it’s done
As Shelagh Rixon has said, what counts
is not an ‘optimal age’, but ‘optimal
conditions’. These include not only
things such as the way the target
language is valued within the society,
but also what happens inside the
classroom itself. On page 7 is a checklist
of ingredients which I think help to
ensure that ‘younger is better’ in the
local context in which I work. You may
like to look at them and decide a) if you
Is younger better?
Opening windows of the mind
Easier to
motivate
Plasticity of
the brain
Openness to
differences
Less self-conscious
‘natural sieve’ or ‘tuning in’
hypothesis (Aitchison)
‘early start immunisation against later
negative attitudes’ (Sharpe)
Congruence between children’s
language and conceptual level
Communicative /
linguistic skills
Life-long
learning
‘apprenticeship of language learning’
(Hawkins)
Harmony between primary and ELT
methodology
Metalinguistic skills
Cognitive skills
Learning skills
and strategies
Other areas of
learning
Socio-cultural
awareness
Identity and
self-concept
Citizenship
Ability to
imitate sounds
Flexible
attitudes
Younger
is better
Characteristics
of children vs
older learners
Learning
context of primary
school
Potential
benefits to
individual and
society
4. • www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 28 July 2003 • 7
think they also apply in your context,
b) which one(s) you think are most
important and c) if you don’t teach
children, how many of the criteria may
also apply to older learners as well. (My
personal answer to b) can be found at
the end of this article.)
Younger is better when ...
● learning is natural
● learning is contextualised and part of
a real event
● learning is interesting and enjoyable
● learning is relevant
● learning is social
● learning belongs to the child
● learning has a purpose for the child
● learning builds on things the child
knows
● learning makes sense to the child
● the child is challenged appropriately
● learning is supported appropriately
● learning is part of a coherent whole
● learning is multi-sensory
● the child wants to learn
● learning is active and experiential
● learning is memorable
● learning allows for personal,
divergent responses
● learning takes account of multiple
intelligences
● the learning atmosphere is relaxed
and warm
● there’s a sense of achievement
What happens after
For early foreign language teaching to
be ultimately successful, there is a
crying need for coherent primary and
secondary policies to provide for
progression and continuity throughout
the school years. Such policies need to
be reflected in language planning and
curricula, which should build on what
children know by the end of primary
school rather than require them to start
again. They need to be reflected in
evaluation and assessment programmes
which use appropriate instruments and
objectives at each age and stage. They
also need to be reflected in an increased
awareness and understanding between
teachers and schools. On the one hand,
primary school teachers may often not
be aware of how to prepare their pupils
for secondary school and, on the other,
secondary school teachers often find it
hard to ‘tap in’ to what the children
coming up from primary school already
know.
In conclusion, although there is not a
water-tight case for saying that ‘younger
is better’ in formal teaching-learning
situations, the potential is certainly
there. Whether this potential is realised
depends on a range of factors and more
research needs to be done. In the
meantime, we need to keep the richer
picture in mind and embrace language
training as an integral part of children’s
whole development and education. Long-
term, drip-feed, foreign language courses
starting from a very young age are here
to stay. In my view, as we become more
proficient in delivering them, these will
not only increasingly produce competent
speakers of other languages but will,
above all, open windows of the mind in
ways that, I suspect, we can only now
begin to glimpse.
c.read@arrakis.es
Carol Read is a
teacher, teacher trainer
and writer based in
Madrid. Her most
recent publications are
Here’s Robby!, Hello,
Robby Rabbit and
Superworld (with co-
author Ana Soberón,
Macmillan) and Instant
Lessons: Fairy Tales
(Penguin Longman).
(My personal answer to b) is ‘the child wants to
learn’, which underlines the importance of
motivation. As the saying goes, You can lead a
horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. In my
view, making children ‘thirsty’ for learning in the
primary years is one of the keys to long-term
success.)
Aitchison, J Reith Lectures 1996,
quoted in Hawkins (1996) and Sharpe
(2001)
Curtain, H and Pesola, C Languages
and Children: Making the Match (2nd
edition) Addison-Wesley 1994
Hawkins, E (Ed) 30 Years of Language
Teaching CILT 1996
Marinova-Todd, S H, Bradford-Marshall,
D and Snow, C ‘Three misconceptions
about age and L2 learning’ TESOL
Quarterly (34/1) 2000
McLaughlin, B Second Language
Acquisition in Childhood: Vols 1 2
Erlbaum 1984, 1985
Nunan, D ‘An Interview with David
Nunan’ IATEFL TTEd SIG Newsletter
3/2002
Rixon, S Young Learners of English:
Some Research Perspectives Longman
1999
Sharpe, K Modern Foreign Languages in
the Primary School Kogan Page 2001
Ur, P ‘Check it out’ ENGLISH TEACHING
professional (21) October 2001
Although there is no research
evidence from long-term, drip-feed
courses to support the points in the
web on page 6, my current classroom
experience with three to seven year
olds in a state school in Spain
convinces me utterly of the value of
these potential ‘returns’. I will illustrate
this with three stories from my classes
which exemplify different points.
Enhanced pronunciation skills
In my class of five year olds, at the
start of an activity, I hear a child say
‘Listen. Quiet now, please!’, imitating my
gestures, voice and intonation exactly.
I turn round quickly and the thought of
parody passes through my head, even
though this seems unlikely at the age
of five. It isn’t parody. The child is
doing my classroom management for
me (one of the best strategies I know!)
and just has my voice, accent and
intonation off to a tee!
Developing learning strategies
In my class of four year olds, we’re
learning more colours. I hold up
something white and several children
call out blank. They’ve recently learnt
that elefante in Spanish is elephant, so
there’s a pretty good chance blanco
may turn out to be blank. They’re
already brilliant little linguists,
cognitively engaged in strategic
guessing at every moment, and with a
definite feel and intuition for the way
English may work.
Developing empathy and
understanding of others
Mohammed is a Moroccan boy in my
class of four year olds. Recently
arrived in Spain, he doesn’t speak
either Spanish or English and he’s
finding it tough. One day when he’s
absent, I talk to the children (in
Spanish) about how we can help
Mohammed. They’re full of ideas: play
with him, sit with him, share their
snacks, and then one little boy pipes
up ‘We can help Mohammed speak
Spanish like you help us with English.’
‘How’s that?’ I ask, intrigued to hear
their views. ‘By showing us pictures
and speaking slowly’ comes the
response. Thus it is that, through their
own experience of learning a foreign
language, these children are able to
understand and empathise with how it
might feel not to speak their own.
3
2
1
My own experience
p
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ET
T