can you give me your age, it's for a survey, thanks.
2006-10-05 12:14:22 · 7 answers · asked by Arwen 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Other - Education
Can you define first grade? This is the U.K. site and that is not a term I'm familiar with (as a UK trained teacher).
In answer to your question, I believe kids should start to learn a foreign language as early as possible, certainly in primary school.
I started learning French at the age of 8 and have subsequently tried to learn two other languages. It's much easier at a young age.
I now work teaching English as a foreign language to adults and can say that there is a clear difference between those students exposed to English at an early age and those not.
Studies show that students who do not hear a sound that is unknown to them in their mother tongue prior to the age of 3 find it very difficult, if not impossible, to reproduce it.
I'm 49.
2006-10-05 15:33:30 · answer #1 · answered by fidget 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think the idea is without merit. It would make a second language much easier for a person to learn if it were begun at a young age. What I don't believe in, is that having some group of educators that profess to 'know it all' select a language that THEY deem appropriate for that learning. I would only believe in the validity of such a program if there were a wide variety of choices in the languages to be learned. My belief would be that there should be no less than four available within a school district, with all students being given the option to select one and that the final choice should reside with the parents of each student.
I believe the selection should be a minimum of four of any of the following:
Chinese
English
German
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish
possible alternatives to include Portuguese and Dutch
I am 60 years of age and am not an educator.
2006-10-05 19:34:36 · answer #2 · answered by h2odog 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am 28 years of age and yes I agree that they can start learning a 2nd language in first grade or even younger. The older you get the harder it is to learn another language. Children have the ability to absorb and learn more knowledge than adults or even older teens and it is easier for them to learn and seperate the two languages.
Hope this helps.
2006-10-05 19:24:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The language center of the brain is open when the child is young and then begins to close as we get older. The sooner the better. They can learn 2,3,4 languages at a time at that young age.
2006-10-05 19:36:42 · answer #4 · answered by kar_summers 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, they should. studies have shown that children from 0 to 14 years learn the most. this time period is called "the critical years".if children learn a new language earlier in their lives, they will acquire it must faster than later in their life time.so, it is vital that children should learn any language before the 'critical period"expires.
i am 30 years old and i am a masters in child language acquisition.
2006-10-05 19:29:30 · answer #5 · answered by atahsina 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it would not hurt it might even be fun too make games out of it and not to cercern about correct useage until second year
it is known that when your young your mind takes in more information then as an adult
2006-10-05 19:20:17 · answer #6 · answered by Paul G 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
French immersion works well in Canada. I think 2nd grade would be too late to start. You calc my age from my screen name.
2006-10-05 19:24:52 · answer #7 · answered by fergy_1967 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋