Promoting Language Learning, Essay Example

Language learning is a natural and quick process in childhood, but the situation in which the tempos and pace of learning are assessed may be too idealized at times. It is necessary to take into consideration the quality of the child’s life, the status of his/her family and the amount of attention to learning provided to him/her by parents. Unfortunately, the importance of promoting language learning in early childhood is not understood by all parents in full, thus making educators think of alternative strategies of promoting language acquisition and reconsidering the role parents may play in the process. The present paper will summarize some policies in promoting language learning with proper referral to the educating practice. These policies have proven to enhance the quality of learning, so they have to be taken into account by all participants of the child’s learning process.

First of all, to promote language learning, educators should assess the level of preparation received by the child at home. The initial and the most powerful portion of preparation is given by parents, caretakers and pre-school teachers; surely, the input may be mainly spoken, but it has been proven to contribute largely to the development of thinking processes, problem solving, social communication, and future academic progress of children (Lybolt and Gottfred, 2003). In case children have been neglected from early childhood, and their main source of language acquisition was the TV, communication with peers and phrases heard from parents and other people in their immediate environment, it is hard to guarantee the high quality of the language possessed by them. It often happens that children hear curse words, even from parents, but mostly in the street, and proper educational help is necessary for them to identify the useful experience, and the destructive language practices.

Two examples of how various language preparation levels can assist in further language learning are as follows:

Teacher: What is your name?

Kate: My name is Kate.

T: Kate, how old are you?

K: I am six years old.

T: What do you see in the picture?

K: It is a yellow circle; it is like the sun in spring.

The second example is the dialogue with an African American girl, Pamela, living in a poor district with parents neglecting her education:

Teacher: What is your name?

Pamela: Pamela.

T: How old are you?

P: (keeping silent, showing 7 fingers).

T: What do you see in the picture?

P: Lines… Sea?

T: What lines, what color?

P: Mmm… Blue… I not know.

The conclusion is that only careful attention to the child’s inquisitive potential in language learning can promote it in the right direction. Children want to study, and the role of adults is to help them and guide them in their effort.

Secondly, to promote language learning, educators should introduce learning activities and processes in all spheres of the child’s life. Drohler (2002) suggests that it is necessary to include learning in shopping, sports, games, singing songs etc. It is also thought to be useful to encourage children to use language in spontaneous communication, i.e. to voice their feelings, opinions and ideas on the immediate topics (Promoting Engagement in Language Learning, 2007). An example of successful implementation of the described practice into educational training is as follows (imaginary shopping with children of the second grade, 7 years old):

Teacher: All right, kids, we are going shopping today. Let’s make the shopping list. Vegetables first, what kinds of vegetables do you know?

Mike: Carrots, cabbage…

Nina: Potatoes!

T: OK, kids, what else?

Carol: Onion and garlic!

T: Ok, what did you forget? Let us look at the pictures. What is red and round?

Tim: This is a tomato!

T: Kids, do you remember the song we learned about vegetables?

All: Yes!

T: Let’s sing the song together! (They sing the song).

T: And what is this? (showing a cauliflower) It is a cauliflower, let’s repeat together.

All: Cauliflower! Cauliflower!

T: Good, kids, now let’s put fruit in the list. What fruit do you remember?

Immediate associations from life, the ability to use form and shape to remember and use colors, shapes and musical associations are highly helpful in promoting language learning. Positive emotions also contribute to remembering and further usage of newly learned words.

Finally, to promote language learning, educators should create the supportive climate in schools, not only for children but for educators as well. According to the opinion of the Commission of the European Union, the action plan in language promotion should include dissemination of tools developed for teaching and learning practices, better training for teachers, and training for teachers of other subjects (Action plan on language learning and linguistic diversity, 2007). It is essential to provide the comprehensive learning climate at the early stages of child development because language learning occurs not only in the classroom. The following example shows how lack of linguistic experience can preclude children from more effective learning:

Teacher of history: America was discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.

Jake: What is ‘discovered’?

T: Mmm, Jake, the country was unknown; the sailor came there and told the whole world about it.

J: So, ‘discover’ means telling someone about something?

T: Not exactly… You open a new country for other people.

J: Like opening a bottle?

T: No, Jake… How to say it? Let’s get back to it later, OK?

This is the example when a teacher considers the information evident, hence being unable to explain things in understandable terms for children. As a result, the process of education becomes inefficient. These problems should be addressed to promote language learning for children in all spheres of their life, thus improving their ability to think, reflect and learn further.

References

Action plan on language learning and linguistic diversity (2007). Europa. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/education _training_youth/lifelong_learning/c11068_en.htm

Drothler, R. (2002). 50 activities to promote language learning. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://www.advantagespeech.com/resources/Activities%20to %20Promote%20Language%20Learning.pdf

Lybolt, J., & Gottfred, C. (2003). Promoting pre-school language. Educational Practices Series – 13. The International Bureau of Education.

Promoting Engagement in Language Learning (2007). NCLRC, The Essentials of Language Teaching. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://www.nclr c.org/essentials/motivating/engagement.htm