Effective Language Acquisition Strategies for Children

Why is it Positive?

• It is important to make the child see the foreign language as something “
• Recent theories about acquiring language insist on the fact that the best way to learn a language is
• The working techniques and the previous knowledge the children had of the subject make it easier for the teacher and the pupils.

Many teachers think this is not a very realistic idea, or think they are not able to do it, or think it is too difficult for the children. However, there are many possible ways to reach integration, as we are going to see now.

Why is it Feasible?

If we compare our work in the language class with the work in other subjects, very often, the content is very similar and the methods to teach are similar.

Graphic Representation of Information

A scheme or a table helps to deal with detailed information in a more concise way than a written text (e.g., a train timetable). The children find schematic information, which they learn to deal with in all subjects.

Models of any type that are repeated have a crucial role in any kind of teaching. A model is essential for comprehension and learning.

Generalization as a Model to be Repeated

Grammar is also organized in models which are repeated. The generalization of these models is also a way to give sense to language. For this reason, the child reproduces regular but incorrect forms of the verbs ('I eated', 'I goed') and regular plurals of nouns he/she has never seen before ('mans', 'womans').

Comprehension Through Observation

Seeing in order to understand is of vital importance when learning a language. The speaker does not get meaning directly 'from' the language; in fact, we first understand the message and then we establish a relation between what we have understood and the language we have used. It is a mutual reinforcing relation.

Response Through Action (TPR)

A physical answer is also a way to prove partial or total comprehension (when the child hears 'Come here,' he/she does not answer 'I’m coming.' He/she simply does it).

Besides, we often understand more than we are able to speak, so in the first steps of learning a language, a physical response plays an especially significant role.