STARTBODY

TEFL Haikou

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL Haikou and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad.

You could also be interested in:

This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:

N.F. - U.S.A. said:
There are a lot of differences between the way that young learners and adult learners learn a second language. The easiest time in one's life to learn a second is before the age of six, and children up to age eleven are still considered to be in their peak language learning years. After age eleven, language learning gets much more difficult and even more difficult after age eighteen. The brains of young children are designed and set up for language learning, because children need to learn their first language quickly and easily. Up to age six, their brains are still in gear for learning “first languages” so if a child learns one language from birth, and later learns a second, that second language can be learned very easily because the brain is still processing that second language as if it were a first language. children in this age range will learn by placing words with ideas, objects, mental pictures, memories, etc. rather than translating words from their first language into the second language in order to remember it. This is a very effective way to learn a second language, as it allows the speaker to think and speak more quickly and in a more natural way. children up to age eleven are still very ready and able to learn a second language, although not quite as quickly and easily as children ages 6 and under. They can still become very fluent in their second language and can learn to speak, read, write, understand, think, and dream in their second language with ease once it is completely learned. They have the capability to speak it with no foreign accent, just like children in the six and under range and native speakers. After age eleven, however, language learning become much more difficult. The brain is no longer equipped to learn languages quickly. After age eleven all the way through adulthood, languages are learned slightly differently. Most teenagers and adults learn new words in their second language by translating words from their first language into their second language, and vice versus, even though often that is done subconsciously in the brain. It can be very difficult for older learners to make the transition from the “translating” stage to the stage where words are spoken based on their ideas and meanings. This is usually achieved when the language learner reaches complete fluency and can think and speak freely in their second language, although often they will never reach the same level of fluency and understanding of a language they would have reached had they learned the language before the age of eleven, and most likely the speaker will always speak with the accent of their native tongue in any language learned after the age of eleven. Such differences in language learning must be taken into consideration when teaching english classes. Young children can often learn english when english is the only language spoken. The teacher can give instructions and explanations in english and the children can easily learn it and will soon be able to speak the language fluently in the classroom as well as in social situations. As children get older, it will get harder and harder for them to understand what is going on in the lesson if english is freely spoken. It can be done, although it is much easier if the teacher can speak the students' native language and teach a second language using the students' first language to teach it. Teenage and adult learners should be helped to learn a language by understanding its meaning rather than sole translation. This can be done by using picture to teach meaning rather than only lists of vocabulary words, and having them practice improve conversations even at an early level when they don't have a big vocabulary. The positive advantage many adult learners have is that they are often very motivated to learn the second language they are trying to learn. These are a few of the examples of the many differences between young and adult learners. The age of the students should definitely affect the way a class is taught. Realizing these differences will also help the teacher understand his or her students better.


ENDBODY