From a young age, children can understand the concept of language through the words of those around them. So does every child have the innate ability to learn many foreign languages or is it simply learning English for children at school? The British Council will reveal the answer to you with the interesting information below!
The importance of language in life
Emily Cairns is a British student living in Toronto, studying and working in an international environment. Emily explains that although children are born with a natural curiosity for learning, this does not mean that every child is born with the ability to learn a foreign language, and no child comes into the world speaking difficult foreign languages (unless it is their mother tongue). And we often think that children with disabilities (like cleft palates) are even less able to learn a foreign language.
Research shows that preschoolers are able to develop language skills and define basic concepts in the subject. For example, young children can understand the concepts of nouns and adjectives in English or can say a simple sentence like “how are you?”. This shows that most young children are able to recognize a new language from an early age (except in special cases).
In fact, studies have also found that: children are often more open to learning when they are 5 or 6 years old, this is the golden age in life for us to teach children English and this will be the foundation for developing children's foreign language skills later.
Why don't children like learning foreign languages?
Với những điều vừa được nêu ra ở trên, vô hình chung có một câu hỏi được đặt ra là: Vậy tại sao tất cả trẻ em không học tiếng Anh mà chỉ có một số trẻ yêu thích điều này? Nếu nói rằng mỗi đứa trẻ đều có sự tò mò bẩm sinh và có khả năng ngôn ngữ, vậy những đứa trẻ không thích học tiếng Anh có phải là do môi trường hay do giáo viên dạy trẻ hay không? Đứng trước những câu hỏi này, nền giáo dục luôn phải đối mặt với những rào cản trong lĩnh vực ngôn ngữ.
Để dạy cho trẻ một ngôn ngữ thứ hai ngoài tiếng mẹ đẻ, chắc chắn một điều giáo viên phải thành thạo về ngôn ngữ này. Nhưng liệu giáo viên có tự tin vào những gì họ đang dạy và trẻ có cảm thấy thích thú trong việc học? Người ta cho rằng cách dạy hiệu quả nhất là dạy các khái niệm ngoại ngữ riêng lẻ một cách chi tiết, để trẻ thực sự hiểu các khái niệm thay vì chỉ học vẹt. Điều này đồng nghĩa với việc trẻ có thể sử dụng ngôn ngữ mới này theo nhiều cách khác nhau thay vì chỉ theo cách giáo viên đã dạy.
Chúng ta có thể thấy, trẻ nhỏ rất sáng tạo và chúng thích tự mình vận dụng những điều đã học vào thực tế và tư duy của trẻ đôi khi mang lại những đóng góp tích cực trong nền giáo dục chung. Đặc biệt, những đứa trẻ có “tư duy tăng tiến” tin rằng mình có thể thực hiện được mọi việc. Những đứa bé này có nhiều khả năng thành công hơn so với những trẻ có “tư duy cố định” luôn tin rằng khả năng của mình sẽ không thể đi xa hơn nữa.
The development of these mindsets happens over time and through experience. If children are constantly faced with problems that they can solve, but teachers or parents do not want them to do, they will believe that they are not capable in that area. When this applies to English or maths, they begin to believe that this is not the subject for them. And this can be one of the reasons why children do not like learning foreign languages or exploring new things.
How to overcome language barriers for children
In 2003, researchers ran a workshop for 7th graders to teach them about learning and developing new skills. The kids thought their brains were like muscles because when they learned a new technique, their brains were constantly stretching to help them learn more information to make learning easier.
The results of the workshop were that the children believed that they could learn new skills with effort and regular practice. This shows that children can learn a “growth mindset” and that the right teaching methods can definitely turn students who previously thought they couldn’t learn English into students who love the language or are simply able to complete assignments.
Therefore, programs that develop children’s language skills and confidence in their abilities are essential and should be strongly promoted. This combination can be found in the British Council’s “Primary Plus” program for children. This program not only teaches basic English to students, but also supports students to develop the necessary skills based on teaching in small steps and giving feedback to children in a way that helps them improve rather than making them feel disappointed in themselves when they make mistakes in learning English.
The results from this program show a huge leap in children’s ability to learn a foreign language. So, going back to the original question – do all children have the ability to learn a foreign language? – the answer can be “yes” or “no”. Because the most important thing is still the right environment, encouragement and appropriate teaching methods, children have the opportunity to develop their natural curiosity to learn, develop skills and enjoy learning. These things stimulate greater abilities within children, helping them achieve better results in foreign language learning as well as in later life.