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Post by nstashenko on Sept 14, 2014 21:27:05 GMT -5
Chapter 3 talks about the different factors that influence learning a second language. One of the factors that this chapter presents is "does age have an impact on a persons ability to learn a second language?" The book states "Adult learning a foreign language by rote methods are compared with children learning a second language in a natural, meaningful context the child's learning will seem to be superior. The cause of such superiority may NOT be in the age of the person, but in the context of learning. The child happens to be learning language meaningfully and the adult is not." (Brown pg. 68) Why do you think the child happens to be learning the language more meaningfully then an adult? Why do you think people say that age has a big impact on a persons ability to learn a second language when research states that it does not? Why do you think often times a young person will be sitting in a ESL classroom learning a second language with a mature adult also learning a second language and they will be presented with the same lesson except the younger person grasps the content the older doesn't. What other factors do you think come into play for an adult and child learning a second language? Are there any mutual factors that an adult and child goes through when learning a second language? Is there a different method in which you should teach second language to an adult and child?
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Post by kristine14 on Sept 16, 2014 22:17:25 GMT -5
I feel that age plays a role in language acquisition to an extent. Most of the time, it is an excuse for not being able to learn or master the language. Overall I feel that language is learned based on the teaching strategy.
I learned to speak and understand Polish when I was very little. I never had any formal instruction that taught me the rules of the language. I learned to speak by interacting with my family at home. I do not remember the process of learning the language, probably because I was young and I was not aware of the learning process.
In seventh grade, I started to learn Spanish. The process was different because now I was being formally taught in school. My professor stressed the rules of the language. We focused on textbooks, worksheets, workbooks, videos and other traditional practices. We did not have conversations with each other in Spanish. Our experience and practices were not authentic. I feel that if my teacher focused on speaking rather than reading and writing, it would have been more beneficial.
Age can play a factor, but the way a language is taught makes a big difference.
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Maria
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Post by Maria on Sept 16, 2014 22:42:46 GMT -5
I'd have to agree that age plays a factor but the bigger influence is how that language is being taught. Yes children have an easier capacity for learning and are like blank pages we can fill with information, but how we go about teaching so a person really comprehends a second language is key. People learn new languages at various ages so i don't think you can use age as an excuse. To make any type of learning meaningful you must try to stay away from rote, mechanistic learning and focus on relating experiences to knowledge that exists in the cognitive framework. My experience has proven worksheets and other busy work to be ineffective and more like a waste of time. If we threw away the paper work and simply talked in class I would've learned so much more.
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Post by nancy27c on Sept 16, 2014 22:54:48 GMT -5
I believe that the context of the learning environment plays a greater role than the age of a learner, but that age can come into play. I believe that immersion is the best way to teach language and that I learned more in my French 3 class when English was not allowed than in my French 1 class where all I learned were vocabulary and grammar. The oral use of language helps with mastering the written and as an example, I will write about my college French Professor.
She and her husband spoke only French in the home. They had a three year old girl and I was asked to babysit because I could get by in French. They warned me that the child could not speak any English, but as soon as they walked out of the door, she started talking only in English and was fluent. I asked her how she learned to speak English and she told me that it was from television. She would watch cartoons and other programming and her parents were not aware of this. They would only watch French programming (as they lived close to the Canadian border) when together as a family, but she would sneak around behind their backs and watch American channels.
She learned English because she created her own environment of immersion in which to learn. My example may be anecdotal, but immersion seems to be the best environment to learn a second language. I do not believe that it is predicated on age.
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kara
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Post by kara on Sept 18, 2014 8:59:18 GMT -5
I feel children may be able to take in a second language easier, I remember in class we talked about how after puberty, it is harder to learn a new language for whatever reason. However it is obviously not impossible for an adult to learn a second language, people do it all the time. I think it depends a lot on how the second language is taught, and what type of learning a person is. Children learn "meaningful" language, but so do adults, all language is important, its a means of communication. Since adults tend to be more busy, and they have to put a little more effort in learning a second language, these factors make it challenging for adult learning, not so much in learning in general, but just finding the time to study or speech with a native speaker.
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Post by ayteama on Oct 11, 2014 14:36:00 GMT -5
Yes, I agree that the age is not that important distinction. Instead, the way the language is taught. Children are acquiring language not learning it, as we believe they are very small to understand the rules so we never tell them rules. So, they always used language in interpersonal interpretive and presentational modes of communication which are really more effective in acquiring language. but somehow age has influence. I read that, 1.Young children are hard-wired to learn language in the first few years of life. When frequently exposed to two languages, they unconsciously acquire the second language naturally, applying the same skills they use to acquire their native language. 2.Very young children don't need to master the complexity of language that older children and adults need to communicate well. They know fewer words and use simpler sentence structures, which means they have less to learn, the Center for Applied Linguistics explains. 3.Young children don't fear making mistakes or mispronouncing words like older children and adults do. Older children will learn more easily and willingly if they don't have to worry that others will make fun of their mistakes. When children want to communicate with others in the second language and receive positive feedback for doing so, they make the effort to continue learning. Young children also haven't acquired any negative attitudes about learning a second language, which school-aged children and adults may have. 4.Some young children learn a second language easily, but lose their first language, unless they receive stimulation to maintain both languages. Children will only continue to use two languages if they receive some value from it. everydaylife.globalpost.com/easier-child-learn-new-language-adult-15590.html |
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