Integration of Educational Technology

KERRY LEE | GLORIA LI | SANDRA VEGA CARRERO

Language Learning with Young Children

Chapter 1

Approaches for teaching a second language for kids

“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their

students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them

to create theirown.”

― Nikos Kazantzakis

• What are the different approaches to teach young children second language?

The Audio-lingual approach:

✴Main claim: By imitation of good examples and the fast correction of errors everyone can learn a second language. There is no need for abstract rule knowledge.

✴Objectives: a) Accurate pronunciation and grammar. b) Ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations. c) Knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns.

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Section 1

Approaches for teaching a second language for kids

✴Procedure:• Students hear a model dialogue

• Students repeat each line of the dialogue

• Certain key words or phrases may be

• Changed in the dialogue

• The students practice substitutions in the pattern drills

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Communicative approach: ✴ Main Claim:

The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.

✴ Principles: • Authentic and meaningful communication should be

the goal of classroom activities.

• Fluency is an important dimension of communication.

• Learning is a process of creative construction and involves trial and error.

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The Natural Approach:

* Purpose:

To promote the communicative competence, not grammatical perfection. It is primarily intended to be used with beginning learners. It is presented as a set of principles that can apply to a wide range of learners and teaching situations, and concrete objectives depend on the specific context in which it is used.

* Principles:

a)  The teacher should try not to use the students' mother tongue at all.

b) The production of speech, as a response to listening, is developing over several stages a:

• Nonverbal answer

• One-word answer

• Two or three-word answer

• Short-sentence answer

• Compound-structured answer

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Learning English ProcessSection 2

• How do young children learn a second language?

1. Young children learn a second language by hearing.

When young children learn a second language, they have to be in an environment where other people speak that language. 

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2. Young children learn a secondlanguage by mimicking.

After young children heard a second language being spoken, they have the tendency to try to copy or repeat that language.  In this

process, young children learn a second

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3. Young children learn a second language by applying.

After young children heard a second language spoken for a period of time, they acquire some vocabularies in their brain. Only when they start to speak and practice that language in real life, they learn that

language.

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Section 3

Environment influence

• How does the environment influence young children learn a second language? The first examinations of language and the

environment were done by Edward Sapir, his theories are now known as the Sapir-Whorf

hypothesis.  His theory states that the language a person speaks influences their

thoughts and actions, as well as the way they interpret the world around them.  

In addition, there are cases that show that the environment can affect how a person learns a language and if they learn a language.  These

cases show us the effects of isolation and neglect on language learning. 

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Victor of Aveyron is a feral child who was not

socialized in his early years, and spent the majority of his childhood alone in the woods.  He was found in France, the year was 1800 and he was around 12 years of age.  Shortly after he started working with a young Physician, Jean Marc

Itard, who gave him his name and worked with him for 5 years.  He wanted to determine if Victor could learn and

came up with certain strategies to see if Victor could indeed learn.  From his work with Victor, he discovered new

strategies in educating the developmentally delayed.  Victor made some progress, but never spoke.  He did understand the meaning of actions.  More recently, experts hypothesize

that Victor may have had mild autism.

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Another case is that of Genie, who was

severely abused and neglected up until she was discovered by the Los Angeles

child welfare services in 1970.  Her father kept her isolated in a room from 2 years of age up until 13.  She was never exposed to any significant amount of speech, and as a result never acquired

language.  A number of linguists worked with her in order to measure her acquisition of language, especially vocabulary and various aspects of grammar including syntax, phonology, and

morphology.  She learned an impressive amount of nouns, color words, and words for emotion.  However, she had quite a bit of

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These cases support what linguists call Critical Period Hypothesis.  Critical Period Hypothesis states that there is a critical period of time for language

acquisition to take place, limiting the ultimate level of competence of older learners.  In Victor and Genie's cases we saw how late exposure to language affects the

cognitive ability to learn all aspects of a language.  Most linguists say that the critical period terminates at age 9-12 in order to completely learn a language.

Critical Period Hypothesis