Languages in Schools

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=169

       This article talks about a theory of multiple languages learning. According to the article, children need to be flexible to take different roles in different languages and adapt themselves to new language environment. By offering students a partial immersion of the language being learned, students get the chance to use the language in real situations like core subject studies, routines and conversations. This is a positive example of learning a foreign language because what the students learn is not just some idle vocabulary or stiff grammar in textbooks, but the ability to use the language, and I think using the language is one of the most difficult tasks of foreign language teaching.

       In the video, teachers in the school help student type Japanese words by tying combination of English letters, by helping them write Japanese emails to their pen pals in Japan and by engaging them with technology classes in a Japanese environment. Those methods contributes to the partial immersion environment, creating their self-portrait in Japanese helps their ability to write in Japanese and the emails especially engage students to communicate with native speakers of Japanese. In addition, the cultural exchange between Japanese children and American children not only improved their language ability but also developed their global perspective in some way. Just like one of the kindergarten teacher in the video has said, “They don’t even know this is special.” It is lucky for those children to have a partial language environment which is designed to strengthen their language abilities and to develop their global perspectives.

       I believe that real language situations really help a foreign language learner to develop flexibility and adaptability of using different languages and the use of technologies just makes it easier to get contact with the foreign language at any time and at any place. Without the student’s practice of writing through writing emails and self-portrait to Japanese children, students will not be able to get really familiar with the language in just a “man-made” environment. Their two-way language thinking patterns demonstrate their flexibility in different language contexts. However, this purely man-made school environment is really playing better role than traditional textbook teaching does. Fortunately, this environment has received social approval and is becoming closer to natural language environment through cultural exchange programs.

My Second Language Learning Experience

After the invention of World Wide Web, the Internet technology has been changing our lives at an unprecedented speed. Within a decade, the most widely mentioned Internet terms and companies today has emerged. Consequently people’s lives have been changed dramatically in terms of social networking, commercial relations, public administration as well as education. Though we seldom notice the dramatic changes, we are aware of them when comparing the life 10 years ago and the life now. In fact, our learning experience has become more convenient but at the same time, the Internet has also raised some problems for educators.

Students love new technologies because technologies provide them colorful and interesting learning resources. I am a foreign language learner of English and French, and I have witnessed the development of education technologies during my second language acquisition process. When I first learned English at the age of 10, I can only listen to native speakers’ recordings on a tape through a walkman or through a radio because there are not so much foreign language materials around. When I was a 9th grader, I had my mp3 and could download free textbook audio materials, various English songs, news broadcasts. I could watch English movies, read English websites, and even make friends with native speakers. The Internet just has opened a world of possibilities for me. Now I am learning French and I can certainly feel the technological advantages nowadays.

On the other hand, teachers should be conscious of the annoying advertisements around the specific piece of information which they want to share with the class. Students are mostly teenagers who are easily distracted by those animated or suggesting pop-ups, and therefore, as a teacher, it is crucial to know how to filter information.

As we can see from above, we are living in an information age when educators have taken advantage of the technological development in order to provide their learners more learning resources as well as more convenient and more interesting learning experience. It is my goal as a future teacher to know to to pick up and filter the most helpful information for my students and to create a more comfortable learning environment.