Myths and Misconceptions About Second Language Learning

Myths and Misconceptions About Second Language Learning

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YOUNGER CHILDREN MAY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE IN PRONUNCIATION #ERTAINLY CHILDSCONSTRUCTIONSARESHORTERANDSIMPLER ANDVOCABULARYISSMALLER BEGINNINGLANGUAGEINSTRUCTIONIN'RADEGIVESCHILDRENMOREEXPOSURE (ENCE ALTHOUGHITAPPEARSTHATTHECHILDLEARNSMOREQUICKLYTHANTHE TOTHELANGUAGETHANBEGINNINGIN'RADE BUTEXPOSUREINITSELFDOESNOT ADULT RESEARCHRESULTSTYPICALLYINDICATETHATADULTANDADOLESCENTLEARNERS PREDICTLANGUAGEACQUISITION PERFORMBETTER -YTH4HE-ORE4IME3TUDENTS3PEND)N!3ECOND 4EACHERSSHOULDNOTEXPECTMIRACULOUSRESULTSFROMCHILDRENLEARNING %NGLISHASASECONDLANGUAGE%3, INTHECLASSROOM!TTHEVERYLEAST THEY ,ANGUAGE#ONTEXT 4HE1UICKER4HEY,EARN4HE SHOULDANTICIPATETHATLEARNINGASECONDLANGUAGEISASDIFlCULTFORACHILD ,ANGUAGE ASITISFORANADULT)TMAYBEEVENMOREDIFlCULT SINCEYOUNGCHILDREN -ANY EDUCATORS BELIEVE CHILDREN FROM NON %NGLISH SPEAKING BACK DONOTHAVEACCESSTOTHEMEMORYTECHNIQUESANDOTHERSTRATEGIESTHAT GROUNDSWILLLEARN%NGLISHBESTTHROUGHSTRUCTUREDIMMERSION WHERETHEY MORE EXPERIENCED LEARNERS USE IN ACQUIRING VOCABULARY AND IN LEARNING HAVE%3,CLASSESANDCONTENT BASEDINSTRUCTIONIN%NGLISH4HESEPROGRAMS GRAMMATICALRULES PROVIDEMORETIMEONTASKIN%NGLISHTHANBILINGUALCLASSES .ORSHOULDITBEASSUMEDTHATCHILDRENHAVEFEWERINHIBITIONSTHAN 2ESEARCH HOWEVER INDICATESTHATTHISINCREASEDEXPOSURETO%NGLISH ADULTSWHENTHEYMAKEMISTAKESINAN,#HILDRENAREMORELIKELYTOBE DOESNOTNECESSARILYSPEEDTHEACQUISITIONOF%NGLISH/VERTHELENGTHOF SHYANDEMBARRASSEDAROUNDPEERSTHANAREADULTS#HILDRENFROMSOME THEPROGRAM CHILDRENINBILINGUALCLASSES WITHEXPOSURETOTHEHOMELAN CULTURALBACKGROUNDSAREEXTREMELYANXIOUSWHENSINGLEDOUTTOPERFORM GUAGEANDTO%NGLISH ACQUIRE%NGLISHLANGUAGESKILLSEQUIVALENTTOTHOSE INALANGUAGETHEYAREINTHEPROCESSOFLEARNING4EACHERSSHOULDNOTAS ACQUIREDBYCHILDRENWHOHAVEBEENIN%NGLISH ONLYPROGRAMS#UMMINS SUMETHAT BECAUSECHILDRENSUPPOSEDLYLEARNSECONDLANGUAGESQUICKLY 2AMIREZ 9UEN 2AMEY 4HISWOULDNOTBEEXPECTEDIFTIME SUCHDISCOMFORTWILLREADILYPASS ONTASKWERETHEMOSTIMPORTANTFACTORINLANGUAGELEARNING 2ESEARCHERSALSOCAUTIONAGAINSTWITHDRAWINGHOMELANGUAGESUPPORT -YTH4HE9OUNGER4HE#HILD 4HE-ORE3KILLED)N TOOSOONANDSUGGESTTHATALTHOUGHORALCOMMUNICATIONSKILLSINASECOND !CQUIRING!N, LANGUAGEMAYBEACQUIREDWITHINORYEARS ITMAYTAKETOYEARSTO 3OMERESEARCHERSARGUETHATTHEEARLIERCHILDRENBEGINTOLEARNASECOND ACQUIRETHELEVELOFPROlCIENCYNEEDEDFORUNDERSTANDINGTHELANGUAGEIN LANGUAGE THE BETTER EG +RASHEN ,ONG 3CARCELLA (OWEVER ITSACADEMICUSES#OLLIER #UMMINS RESEARCHDOESNOTSUPPORTTHISCONCLUSIONINSCHOOLSETTINGS&OREXAMPLE $&/5&3 '03 "11-*&% -*/(6*45*$4 t 5) 45 /8 t 8"4)*/(50/ %$ t 4EACHERSSHOULDBEAWARETHATGIVINGLANGUAGEMINORITYCHILDRENSUP )NASCHOOLENVIRONMENT BEHAVIORSSUCHASPAYINGATTENTIONANDPERSIST PORTINTHEHOMELANGUAGEISBENElCIAL4HEUSEOFTHEHOMELANGUAGEIN INGATTASKSAREVALUED"ECAUSEOFCULTURALDIFFERENCES SOMECHILDRENMAY BILINGUALCLASSROOMSENABLESCHILDRENTOMAINTAINGRADE LEVELSCHOOLWORK lNDTHEINTERPERSONALSETTINGOFTHESCHOOLCULTUREDIFlCULT)FTHETEACHER REINFORCESTHEBONDBETWEENTHEHOMEANDTHESCHOOL ANDALLOWSTHEMTO ISUNAWAREOFSUCHCULTURALDIFFERENCES THEIREXPECTATIONSANDINTERACTIONS PARTICIPATEMOREEFFECTIVELYINSCHOOLACTIVITIES&URTHERMORE IFTHECHILDREN WITHTHESECHILDRENMAYBEINmUENCED ACQUIRELITERACYSKILLSINTHElRSTLANGUAGE ASADULTSTHEYMAYBEFUNCTIONALLY %FFECTIVEINSTRUCTIONFORCHILDRENFROMCULTURALLYDIVERSEBACKGROUNDS BILINGUAL WITHANADVANTAGEINTECHNICALORPROFESSIONALCAREERS REQUIRESVARIEDINSTRUCTIONALACTIVITIESTHATCONSIDERTHECHILDRENSDIVERSITY -YTH#HILDREN(AVE!CQUIRED!N,/NCE4HEY#AN OFEXPERIENCE-ANYIMPORTANTEDUCATIONALINNOVATIONSINCURRENTPRACTICE 3PEAK)T HAVERESULTEDFROMTEACHERSADAPTINGINSTRUCTIONFORCHILDRENFROMCULTUR ALLYDIVERSEBACKGROUNDS4EACHERSNEEDTORECOGNIZETHATEXPERIENCESIN 3OMETEACHERSASSUMETHATCHILDRENWHOCANCONVERSECOMFORTABLYIN THEHOMEANDHOMECULTUREAFFECTCHILDRENSVALUES PATTERNSOFLANGUAGE %NGLISHAREINFULLCONTROLOFTHELANGUAGE9ETFORSCHOOL AGEDCHILDREN USE ANDINTERPERSONALSTYLE#HILDRENARELIKELYTOBEMORERESPONSIVETO PROlCIENCYINFACE TO FACECOMMUNICATIONDOESNOTIMPLYPROlCIENCYIN ATEACHERWHOAFlRMSTHEVALUESOFTHEHOMECULTURE THEMORECOMPLEXACADEMICLANGUAGENEEDEDTOENGAGEINMANYCLASSROOM ACTIVITIES#UMMINS CITESEVIDENCEFROMASTUDYOF IMMIGRANT #ONCLUSION CHILDRENIN#ANADAWHOREQUIREDMUCHLONGERAPPROXIMATELYTOYEARS 2ESEARCHONSECONDLANGUAGELEARNINGHASSHOWNTHATMANYMISCON TO MASTER THE DISEMBEDDED COGNITIVE LANGUAGE REQUIRED FOR THE REGULAR CEPTIONSEXISTABOUTHOWCHILDRENLEARNLANGUAGES4EACHERSNEEDTOBE %NGLISHCURRICULUMTHANTOMASTERORALCOMMUNICATIVESKILLS AWAREOFTHESEMISCONCEPTIONSANDREALIZETHATQUICKANDEASYSOLUTIONS %DUCATORSNEEDTOBECAUTIOUSINEXITINGCHILDRENFROMPROGRAMSWHERE ARENOTAPPROPRIATEFORCOMPLEXPROBLEMS3ECONDLANGUAGELEARNINGBY THEYHAVETHESUPPORTOFTHEIRHOMELANGUAGE)FCHILDRENWHOARENOTREADY SCHOOL AGEDCHILDRENTAKESLONGER ISHARDER ANDINVOLVESMOREEFFORTTHAN FORTHEALL %NGLISHCLASSROOMAREMAINSTREAMED THEIRACADEMICSUCCESSMAY MANYTEACHERSREALIZE BEHINDERED4EACHERSSHOULDREALIZETHATMAINSTREAMINGCHILDRENONTHE 7ESHOULDFOCUSONTHEOPPORTUNITYTHATCULTURALANDLINGUISTICDIVERSITY BASISOFORALLANGUAGEASSESSMENTISINAPPROPRIATE PROVIDES$IVERSECHILDRENENRICHOURSCHOOLSANDOURUNDERSTANDINGOF !LLTEACHERSNEEDTOBEAWARETHATCHILDRENWHOARELEARNINGINASECOND EDUCATIONINGENERAL)NFACT ALTHOUGHTHERESEARCHOFTHE.ATIONAL#ENTER LANGUAGEMAYHAVELANGUAGEPROBLEMSINREADINGANDWRITINGTHATARENOT FOR2ESEARCHON#ULTURAL$IVERSITYAND3ECOND,ANGUAGE,EARNINGHASBEEN APPARENTIFTHEIRORALABILITIESAREUSEDTOGAUGETHEIR%NGLISHPROlCIENCY DIRECTEDATCHILDRENFROMCULTURALLYANDLINGUISTICALLYDIVERSEBACKGROUNDS 4HESEPROBLEMSINACADEMICREADINGANDWRITINGATTHEMIDDLEANDHIGH MUCHOFITAPPLIESEQUALLYWELLTOMAINSTREAMSTUDENTS SCHOOLLEVELSMAYSTEMFROMLIMITATIONSINVOCABULARYANDSYNTACTICKNOWL 2EFERENCES EDGE%VENCHILDRENWHOARESKILLEDORALLYCANHAVESUCHGAPS #OLLIER 6 (OWLONG!SYNTHESISOFRESEARCHONACADEMICACHIEVE -YTH!LL#HILDREN,EARN!N,)N4HE3AME7AY MENTINASECONDLANGUAGE4%3/,1UARTERLY -OSTTEACHERSWOULDPROBABLYNOTADMITTHATTHEYTHINKALLCHILDREN #UMMINS * 4HECROSS LINGUALDIMENSIONSOFLANGUAGEPROlCIENCY

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