Early Childhood Education - Research Paper Example

 Importance of Learning a Foreign Language Schools and colleges are nowadays on the way to expand the language learning to new levels by making students learn additional languages; major foreign languages like Chinese, Farsi and Arabic. There are lots of ‘heritage’ language students who are able to speak one additional language as they have practiced it in their homes. They are capable of speaking English as well as their native language. They do always have some extra credit compared to students who do speak only English (Spear, 2005). Nowadays, students, parents and teachers are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of preparing students in a more dynamic way to excel in the broad international community. They have recognized that ability to speak more than one language would really give the children an extra edge in their education, employment, career and life. More parents and teachers are working and analyzing the research findings that indicate that studying a foreign language would really improve the English language skills of children. Children brought up under special coaching and care would really show their excellence as they come in their career and life. Moreover, in nations like United Kingdom where foreign students come for further studies and experts come for jobs, it would be good if the native people can understand or speak their languages. Foreigners who stay in UK also would be benefited if few UK people can converse to them in their native language. Early learning of a second language enables the growth of more connections in the baby's brain (Brisk, 1998). Students from countries where English is a foreign language would feel difficulty in the beginning as they are not used to the English used in United Kingdom. In such cases, if any native people can help them it would be really appreciable. Moreover knowing foreign language would also help native students to get along well with foreign students. In job places also somebody who can speak foreign language is necessary as we can find a mix of people of different nationalities there. So it would be good to make children learn an additional language (foreign language). Learning a second language improves the knowledge and awareness of the child. The similarities and differences between the pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar of the languages would help him to understand the sounds, the words, and the rules for constructing a sentence in the most standard way. Moreover, researchers have proved that learning a new language bring several other qualities in children. It would build the foreign language comprehension and speech of children and would also improve the English verbal and listening skills. Early language study has much to do with the student’s higher performance in basic skills. New language learning also would strengthen the math and analytical skills of children. Moreover, learning foreign language would increase the exposure of the children to new cultures and different backgrounds and shall raise the self esteem of children. Learning Additional Language in Schools Coming to the case of learning languages, experts are of the opinion that learning should start from schools and colleges. It is always not practical to teach adults as they may not have sufficient time and mentality to learn a new language. Learning a language is completely different from learning other matters. Surveys and research has come up with the conclusion that children are better learners as far as language learning is concerned. Governments (in most EU countries) are insisting to start the language class at schools and colleges so that children when they become adult citizens would be able to use it properly. Citizens who speak more than one language are really an asset to the nation. So parents and educational institutions are interested in adding a foreign language to the school curriculum. Language teachings can a part of the curriculum or it can be a part of extracurricular activity in the school syllabi. Learning must start from the lower class itself as it would take few years to learn a language. One additional language can be compulsorily taught in schools and schools and students must be given freedom to choose one additional language to choose from the list. Some students may have an inborn talent to learn new languages and some may have voluntary interest in learning it. Such training would really bring up a generation who are able to speak at least one foreign language apart from English. Some students may find it difficult to learn in the beginning but will be able to follow it very soon. It should not be compulsory that everybody must learn to read, write and speak fluently, but everybody can at least learn it to a minimum level. Moreover, there are areas where people belonging to some foreign country live together. Native people will have difficulty in accessing such people and may have communication problems when dealing in such areas. If there lives a UK native who can communicate in their language, it would lead to mutual benefit and cooperation. Moreover knowing foreign language also would help a person if he requires going abroad for some study or excursion purposes. Is There Any Advantage in Early Learning Instructors, teachers and policy makers have formulated certain policies and guidelines for implementing foreign language teaching in schools and colleges. Government is also very much interested in hearing from the concerned policy makers about the strategies and methods of policy making. Studies and research are being conducted to standardize the policies to implement it in colleges and schools. However confusions exists on the question that at what age the foreign language learning should be started and what should be the method of putting it into practice. There exists a great confusion regarding the age at which the foreign language learning should start. Tutors and policymakers differ in their opinion regarding this question. Researchers are still looking for the best methods to induce the desire of language learning among students as well as adults. Some people do have a special interest or attitude towards foreign language learning. Teachers and speculators are eager to know to what extent that special interest exists in individuals. Yet another question is that what percent of the total UK citizens are really keen or interested towards learning foreign language. But the most important question concerning foreign language learning is that among who the learning methods can be moist effectively implemented; that is it would be more effective among adults or among children. This is a question of great significance because implementation of language learning measures differs for these two categories. If adults are found to be more effective in learning, teaching should be given in such a way that more adults are benefited out of it. But if students are found to be better learners, the teaching strategy can be completely structured so that school and college curriculum can include foreign language learning (Genesee, 1994). So it would be quite interesting to know whether language teaching is more effective in young learners or adults and how do how is teaching foreign language to young learners different from teaching foreign languages to adults? Moreover the quality and standard of the tutors also would differ in the cases of youngsters and adults. Does it require different kinds of teachers for adults and youngsters? It is also quite important to analyze who is the better learner. Are there different kinds of young learner depending on age? What do adult learners bring to the learning situation? It is a well known fact that young children would absorb knowledge relatively easily than adults who attempt to learn (Snow and Hoefnagel-Höhle, 1978). Moreover, they would easily learn the languages that are used by the people surrounding him. Children would learn and speak new languages fluently than adults (Snow and Hoefnagel-Höhle, 1978). For example, a three year old child would speak the language of his parents. They may not be able to perceive anything until they become 1 year old. But children would start speaking their language fluently when they each their four year old birthday. This means that the child with his three year familiarity is able to grasp a new language. At the same time if an adult who is put in a new land among people speaking a foreign language will not be able to speak the new language in three years. He or she may take quite a long time to learn the language of the new place. Why it is difficult for an adult with good experience and age to learn a language when a child who is hardly two or three years is able to understand and learn the language? Why is it that the intellectual excellence or growth is not helping the adult in learning a language? Why it is so easy for the child who is intellectual zero to learn a new language? Why Children are Better Language Learners? Some researchers of the opinion that children have fresh minds which are least complicated and such minds would easily accept new languages. Adults however will have difficulty in learning a new language as their minds are already occupied with their native language. Children however will have no prejudice and their empty minds would absorb everything without hesitation. Adults, but, will have confusion as already a language and its terms and words are imprinted in their minds. They would opt for a comparative study and may feel difficulty in accepting few parts of the new language. But as far as children are considered, the case is entirely different. They catch whatever words coming out of the mouths of parents, friends and relatives. Moreover, as they are in their initial learning stage and they would be so eager to know the names of each and every material and would query their parents regarding all those. However, this anxiety or eagerness is very rarely found in adults. They would be highly preoccupied and saturated and may not easily absorb new language and its words. Researchers found that part of the explanation for why children more easily acquired second language is due to the fact that adults who practiced two different languages during their childhood store both these languages in the same part of the brain, whereas those who learned a second language later (after becoming adult) use a separate region of the brain for the storage. According to the studies young children have a virtually limitless ability to learn new languages. Children need real, interactive experiences, not virtual ones, for brain development and academic success. New studies on brain development indicate that early exposure to more than one language builds a more powerful brain, with faster and more efficient synaptic connections. Children would master sounds and pronunciation of new language better when they are too young. Researchers are of the opinion that between 6 months and 6 years of age, the capacity of the child to acquire language (learning language) and the benefits from doing so are at the peak. Learning of the second language in children would be more effective if it starts at a younger age (DeKeyser and Larson-Hall, 2005). The more early it starts, the easier it is. For example, children learn music faster and efficiently than adults, particularly classical music. So only it is recommended that it is always good start learning music from early age. Children are also found to be better than adults in the case of learning to play musical instruments. Whatever they learn will be very much thorough and would have good foundation so that it would last till their old age. Compared to adults, the language learning advantage of a child is in its grasping capacity and memory. They would learn the vocabulary faster and would easily adapt themselves to the pronunciation. Adults will always have difficulty in practicing a new vocabulary as they are very much used to their native language. Children, however will learn all kinds of pronunciations and would start speaking it without any hesitation. Foreign language learning should be included in the curriculum of students. I most of the EU countries school children must learn at least one modern foreign language. Policy makers first of all should support age appropriate foreign language teaching. That is they should plan a total immersion program style for young children and should follow a different structure for adolescents and adults with an explicit focus on structure and grammar. When teaching young learners, policy makes should decide how much time should be allotted for language learning. They must analyze how much skill a particular number of classes can generate and should decide how many classes are required for the preschool and elementary school learners. Even though this limited exposure would not bring mastery over a foreign language it would generate motivation, interest and taste for learning a language. Teachers should thus develop different approach for different age group of students for implementing foreign language learning. As the world becomes smaller and smaller everyday, the advantages of learning more than one language are also increasing. Speaking more languages would bring innumerable advantages in people whether it is for communication or career related requirement. People who can speak more than one language are in great demands coming to job and admission matters (Havighurst, 1952). Moreover, knowledge in an additional foreign language would help the students in learning the books, magazines in that language also. He will have the advantage of speaking two languages and also would be able to widen his knowledge. So researchers recommend teaching foreign language for children as it is expected to produce wonderful results (Havighurst, 1952). It would be fun for kids to learn new pronunciation styles, new words, songs and stories. This will eventually increase their overall standard and productivity. All the benefits of early foreign language learning have compelled various schools to start foreign language learning programs in elementary school and even before that. References Havighurst, R. J. (1952). Developmental tasks and education. New York: David McKay. Snow, C.E., Hoefnagel-Höhle, M. (1978). “The Critical Period for Language Acquisition: Evidence from Second Language Learning,” Child Development, Vol. 49, pp. 1,114–1,128. Spear, P. (2005). “Tots Take on Foreign Words,” Chicago Tribune (July 6). Jan, T. (2005). Genesee, F. (1994). Integrating Language and Content: Lessons from Immersion. Educational Practice Report 11. National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Maria Brisk, 1998 Bilingual Education: From Compensatory to Quality Schooling, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998 DeKeyser, R.M., Larson-Hall, J. (2005).”What Does the Critical Period Really Mean?” InJ.F. Kroll and A.M.B. de Groot (Eds.) Handbookof Bilingualism: Psycholinguistic Approaches. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 89–108. Read More