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Essay Subject: Benefits of teaching in elementary school, research, methods, immersion programs, goals, language rules, behaviorist approach.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Benefits of teaching in elementary school, research, methods, immersion programs, goals, language rules, behaviorist approach. Paper Introduction: A survey of current educational literature provides a sound rationale for second language instruction, particularly if such learning begins early enough. Most students in the United States study a second language in secondary school; therefore, the issue is really the age at which a student begins foreign language study to best advantage. For the past four decades, educational researchers have stressed the value of teaching a second language in elementary school. Because results were mixed, elementary language programs gradually began to disappear in the same amount of time. Although the FLES, or Foreign Language in the Elementary School, movement of the fifties and sixties has had varying degrees of success in the United States, it remains more of a goal than a reality. Before schools are willing to commit time and resources to Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. In light of these beliefs, the study of a second language should be part of every student's educational experience. AsCurtain and Pesola (1988) demonstrate, "when language learning beginsearlier, it can go on longer, and provide more practice and experience,leading ultimately to greater fluency and effectiveness" (p. This system is important here, in that it is ahumanistic approach to language instruction, in contrast to other lesseffective, behaviorist-based methods used in the early days of FLES. Dubuque: Wm. The first FLES programs of the 196 s, taughtsporadically for less than a half hour per day, have given rise to moreintensive immersion programs in which school subjects are taught in morethan one language. 142). 8). The concern at that time was almost always to demonstrate that these skills areas had not suffered because of the time lost to foreign language instruction. It will also be necessary to lookat some theoretical methods of instruction from a current perspective. New York: Merrill.----------------------- 1 (1993). (1992). This very regimentation, in contrast to morehumanistic approaches to language instruction, may be responsible for thelack of success of early programs in the sixties and seventies. The earlier (after the ages of eight to ten) that a studentcompletes the four to six years of study, the better, since competitiveinterests outside the classroom will increasingly become a factor. R. A., & Pesola, C. The success of such programs willdetermine the future of second language curricula. 6). 3). v.). An alternative to the behaviorist approach is the "natural approach,"as outlined in The Explorative-Creative Way by Wil Knibbeler (1989).Knibbeler explains that in the late 7 s and early 8 s, Krashen (1982) andhis associates developed a theory of second language acquisition, calledthe Monitor-Model, which lead to a teaching system labeled the NaturalApproach (p. A well planned elementary second language program is essential to itssuccess. As they grew older, the children tired of patterndrills and structure manipulation. The report suggested that this begin in the elementary grades. A greater culturalawareness is apparent in children who have been adequately exposed to aforeign language. All students deserve the opportunity to study a second language in order to prepare themselves for an informed and productive role in tomorrow's world community (Modern Languages for Communication, 1988, p. Language For All Our Children. Through language, we identify the world around us, express our concerns and dreams, and share our experiences and ideas. 15). Even this time wasspent sporadically. In fact,as Curtain and Pesola (1988) submit, the 197 s saw a major shift away frombehaviorist teaching strategies of stimulus and response, theautomatization to which Nunan (1992) refers: "Perhaps the most significantkey to the elementary foreign language learning experience is a dramaticshift in emphasis from grammar to communication in current classroomapproaches" (p. Many states see the benefit of elementary secondlanguage instruction, and such programs are seeing new life today inculturally diverse America. For the past fourdecades, educational researchers have stressed the value of teaching asecond language in elementary school. Krashen's (cited by Nunan, 1992, p. 7). (1968). C. Curtain and Pesola (1988) use a College Boardstudy (1983) to credit foreign language study with helping to preparestudents for careers in commerce, international relations, law, science,and the arts. Although writingfrom a dated perspective, she correctly saw that the elementary settingwould be optimal for second language instruction. Reading: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.Donoghue, M. As Curtain and Pesola (1988) state in the introduction to theirLanguages and Children: Making the Match, "the emerging body ofinformation about research and classroom practice encourages areexamination of the assumption and rationale associated with foreignlanguages in the elementary and middle school" (p. One language did not interfere with the other, although thechildren were native English speakers. How will we determine the success ofelementary second language programs? 4). Currentliterature on elementary second language programs tends to focus on the"how" we should teach a second language rather than the "why" we shouldexpose children to a different language and culture. Curtain and Pesola (1988) point to the work ofPiaget, Lambert, and others to stress that the age of ten is a crucial timein the development of attitudes toward nations and groups perceived as"other": "Children are in the process of moving from egocentricity toreciprocity, and information introduced before age ten is eagerly received"(p. This concern that teaching a second language at the elementary levelinterferes with English, or takes time away from other "real" subjects isunfounded, although, as Curtain and Pesola (1988) remind us, such anargument has been used against FLES programs regularly: Much of the research done during the banner years of elementary language programs, the 196 s, was concerned with the relationship of language learning to skills acquisition in English language and mathematics. Collaborative Language Learning and Teaching. More time would be spent on "more important" subjectstaught in the native language. According to David Nunan (1992), "the traditionalsequence progressed from the presentation of rules to practice andapplication, aiming at automatization, i.e., from declarative to proceduralknowledge" (p. That the foundations ofthat study, however, are laid in the elementary schools is now onlybeginning to merit professional recognition" (p. The evidence was consistent: there was no sacrifice of basic skills when time was given to learning a new language (p. The cognitive state of the child determines learning readiness. The Explorative-Creative Way: Implementation of a Humanistic Teaching Model. The results were promising: "Thechildren in the first immersion classes are in or have completed universityas of this writing . Learning a second language is not aneducational frill, but an essential element in a curriculum which aims toteach children about a world outside their own. . (1988). The student sees the relevanceof the other language because understanding of it impinges other learning(p. An observation of children atthese ages will show that they are less inhibited about making mistakes inlanguage, and they are intrigued by the different sounds of the wordsthemselves; however, as we will see later, they have no interest in themechanics of language, as one would expect. A. (1988). Berlin: Gunter Narr Verlag.New York State Education Department. Although the FLES, or Foreign Language in the ElementarySchool, movement of the fifties and sixties has had varying degrees ofsuccess in the United States, it remains more of a goal than a reality. Ingeneral, humanistic approaches "happen to be supported by current theorieson language and language acquisition" (Knibbeler, p. Relative tothe lifespan of educational theory, the forty years since the inception ofFLES programs is a long time. xiii). 27) well-known claim that theformal teaching of rules should be reduced to a minimum, with a shift ofemphasis away from conscious learning to unconscious acquisition,challenges the position of many of the early FLES advocates who woulddefine functional knowledge of a language as a thorough understanding ofits grammar and syntax. Not only do children acquire a better level ofcompetence in French than those in more traditional language classes, theyalso tend to have more favorable attitudes toward French-Canadians" (p.14 ). If elementaryteachers present the values, customs, and traditions of others, studentswill be a part of the diversity and excitement of a foreign culture. xiii). Foreign Languages and the Elementary School Child. New York State Syllabus. Most students in the United States study a second language insecondary school; therefore, the issue is really the age at which a studentbegins foreign language study to best advantage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Piper, T. Can a student be proficient in a language without a thoroughknowledge of its structure? In the 196 s, it was not uncommon for teachers to spend as fewas twenty minutes a day on second language instruction. Theauthors continue to emphasize the importance of early teaching of any skillnecessary to society" (p. 15). Piper (1993) uses the government-supported French immersion programsof the 196 s in Quebec to demonstrate that English and French could betaught in the same classroom, in an approximately 6 % English and 4 %French mix. Hereducational, sociological, neurological, and psychological reasons forbeginning in the elementary grades show that children should start languagestudy around the ages of eight through ten. Full communicative competence in the target language is notexpected, and both students and parents are told so from the beginning" (p.142). Sincemost secondary students in the United States do not take four years of aforeign language, the balance in years must come from the lower grades.Given that the student chooses electives in secondary school, and academicscompete for time with sports and other extracurricular activities, it isunlikely that the recommended four to six years of language study will befulfilled. Because results were mixed,elementary language programs gradually began to disappear in the sameamount of time. Language and Children: Making the Match. Albany: The State Education Department.Nunan, D. As Terry Piper (1993) shows in his LanguageFor All Our Children, when pupils are taught those other subjects in asecond language, learning can be dramatic. The report called the development and maintenance of foreignlanguage skills a national resource (p. Modern Languages for Communication. A purely practical reason for beginning language instruction in themiddle elementary grades exists. S. 14 ). It isimportant to note that the French/English immersion study was moresuccessful because it focused on the subjects being taught rather than thestructure of the language. Donoghue (1968) outlines the rationale for FLES by examining fourareas of research, all pointing to the benefits of an early start. Terry Piper (1993) reiterates Nunan's point when he underscores thefact that "the preferred teaching method for FLES classes was essentially abehaviorist approach. 27). Since these constituted the children'sonly exposure to the language, their learning declined" (p. A survey of current educational literature provides a sound rationalefor second language instruction, particularly if such learning begins earlyenough. It is a testimony to the staying power of such programs that theyare still being implemented in many elementary schools today. ReferencesCurtain, H. It,too, is bound by time. One of the most basic factors influencing the argument in favor offoreign language instruction at the elementary level is, simply, time. How can we explain the fact that FLES goals have not been attained?Since the heyday of FLES efforts in the 196 s, there has not been steadysupport for elementary second language programs. The disillusionment inelementary foreign language instruction over the years was not because of amisapplication of educational theory, but rather to a misapplication ofteaching. . Curtain and Pesola (1988) cite a NationalCommission on Excellence in Education report (1983) which held thatproficiency in a foreign language takes from four to six years of study (p.6). The following statement of philosophy from NewYork State (1988) may serve as a model for other states: Language is our connection to our community and to the world. Brown Company.Knibbeler, W. 3). Theywill be part of today's much publicized "global community." In her Foreign Languages and the Elementary School Child, Mildred R.Donoghue (1968) prefaces her text by assuming that foreign languageinstruction is an educational given: "That foreign languages constitute anintrinsic and important area of the secondary school curriculum has neverbeen seriously questioned in American education. Learning about other cultures at an elementary age is one of theimportant by-products of teaching a second language. There are benefits to second language study that become more evidentafter public education. (1989). Before schools are willing to commit time and resources to secondlanguage study at the elementary level, it will be necessary to update thebenefits of early language instruction. As Terry Piper (1993)offers in his Language For All Our Children: "recent FLES programs havebeen less ambitious in their goals, focusing on oral skills and culturalawareness. 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