Teaching foreign languages in grades K-12 is crucial

[New Dawn]

Before I attended university, I was only required to study two years of foreign language in high school (which was Spanish, the only foreign language that they offered). Needless to say, trying to begin learning another language when you are already 16 is a bit more difficult than at a younger age. I believe that linguists generally agree that people who begin to learn another language after the age of eight (or somewhere around there) will never be as good of speakers as a true native speaker of the language in question.

Similar to high school, at university I was also required to take two more years of a foreign language (I tried Russian that time). While these introductory classes do help students understand language in general, they do not produce many proficient speakers. Most students simply want to complete the two years of classes so that they can graduate. Only teaching students foreign languages in high school or university does not produce enough proficient speakers/readers of foreign languages.

Linguists also say that students typically need to be 'immersed' in the language to learn it (such as traveling abroad to study it). Of course, traveling abroad can be quite expensive, so that is not a viable solution for all students.

The real solution, I think, is to begin teaching K-12 bilingually. All students would be taught English + another language of the local community's choice. This would, over time, vastly increase the number of Americans who understand foreign languages, and it would be fair as well. Only 10% of Americans are ethnically English, so it should not be the only language of the country.

Thoughts?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I learned German in third grade

It was an experimental program, and one that was very useful, I think. I developed an ear for the language and to this day can speak it without an American accent according to Germans with whom I have spoken. Usually they will ask how many years I lived in Germany, when, in fact, I have never been overseas. I learned early on that when one knows another language and thinks in that language, your thought process changes. This has made it easier for me to understand why people in other lands think differently than we do.

[LWolf]

2. I agree. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

3. It's so much more than learning conversation and grammar.

It's appreciating another culture, foreign literally to our experience. You learn their idioms, their particular culture such as their foods, their society, their customs, their holidays, their way of socializing, their recreation, their organization of cities, their museums, their music, etc.

[MountainLaurel]

4. Yep

It'll never happen though, between the costs of such a program, standardized testing demands placed on teachers, the dearth of fluent foreign language teachers in many areas, and the downright hostility many Americans show when it is suggested that kids should learn a language other than English.

[fight4my3sons]

5. I agree.

My son is in first grade. He is learning Spanish three days a week at his elementary school. Last year we lived in a different school district in the same state where he learned French once a week.

[ChazII]

6. My elementary school has

started teaching Spanish this year as Arizona borders Mexico. We are an IB candidate school and a foreign language is a requirement.

[San_Antonio_Guy]

7. Spanish or Chinese

I support and believe in the idea of putting foreign language subjects in class,as long as the language that should be taught is really relevant or most widely use in world communication. Like Spanish or perhaps Chinese.

[LuckyLib]

8. So true. We need all kinds of FL options and bilingual program options for all kids at school.

But the idea that children learn languages easier and once you're a certain age (you mentioned 8 or so) they won't be as successful is simply not the case. It's difficult to compare children and adults as language learners. Young children are less intimidated by jumping into new language situations, and often develop native-like accents in the new language, which makes us think they are more adept at learning languages. In fact, the older students and adults can take advantage of aptitude, intelligence, motivation, and opportunity to develop their skill. Interestingly, adolescence is a difficult time socially to learn the language, but many learners, given the right second language teaching environment, can do very well. The problem is most secondary and post-secondary language programs are only beginning to teach language through content (rather than as a subject), the most effective way to learn it.