504
the human brain reaches its peak from birth to 12 years. Therefore during this period
our brain absorbs any information like a sponge, and after that it gradually loses its
flexibility to perceive data. This is what Masaru Ibuka, founder of SONY, director of
the Early Development Association and the Talent Training Organization, writes
about in his book "After Three it's Too Late": "For a child who does not have clear,
well-established ideas about what is "difficult" or "easy" - English or Japanese,
Bach's music or children's songs, monotonous music or harmony of sounds -
everything should start at the same time, everything is equally new to him.
Young
children have the ability to learn anything. What they learn without any effort in 2, 3
or 4 years, in the future is given to them with difficulty or not at all. What adults learn
with difficulty, children learn effortlessly. What adults learn at a snail's pace is given
to children almost instantly. Adults are sometimes lazy to learn, while children are
always ready to learn. One of the most difficult activities for a person is learning
foreign languages, learning to read and play the violin or piano. Such skills are
difficult for adults to master, and for children it is almost an unconscious effort.".[3]
And this is only one of the reasons for learning a foreign language at a young age.
The second reason lies in the fact that children (up to 9 years old) perceive a
foreign language as a means of communication like their native language. That is,
foreign and native languages are learned in the process of communication, as it
happens when they are mastered simultaneously, and not with special training, the
child's bilingualism is formed as natural. A child can use
both languages to interact
with the outside world and express his thoughts and emotions in each of them without
any problems.[1] And when teaching a certain language in special educational
institutions, children (after the age of 9) tend to think of language as a subject that is
studied and used only as part of a lesson. Of course, if an individual wants to master
the language as a native speaker in the future, he will succeed, but it will take a lot of
effort and time.
As we said earlier, young children can become bilinguals precisely because
they study a second language in parallel with their native language and do not
perceive it as something alien. At an early age, they are able to learn a lot of new
words, while the process of understanding a new language goes for them according to
the same laws as their native one. It is best, according to all researchers, to start
learning a foreign language at 5-8 years old, when the system of the native language
has already been mastered well enough, and he already
refers to the new language
consciously. Preschool children have exclusively mechanical memory, the ability to
reproduce what they have heard without much difficulty. These children have highly
developed perception and hearing acuity, they quickly grasp the subtleties of
listening, they have an interest in understanding their speech apparatus. Another
approach is for the child to first master his native language well, and then begin to
immerse himself in another language environment. Adherents of this approach
believe that it is best to study a foreign language at 5-8 years old, when the child's
native language system is already well mastered, and
he treats the new language
consciously. It is at this age that there are still few cliches of speech behavior, there
are no great difficulties in establishing contact in a foreign language.
505
Thirdly, it's no secret that for children up to school age, the most important
action is the game. L.S. Vygotsky and D.B.Elkonin note that the game is not only the
main activity of the child, but also the main incentive for their development. Because
during the game, children must constantly think about their actions and words in
order to win. Subsequently, the mental activity of the brain improves and they do not
consciously use the language they are learning. In each game there are rules that the
child must follow, subordinate his freedom to game tasks. When assigning roles, they
need to be given free rein to choose, and when arguing for the same role, English
chits will help. Role-playing fun contributes to the adaptation of children to the team,
to the life of adults. Consequently, the English language education of preschoolers
has its own characteristics, which are based on the psychophysiological development
of preschool children, therefore, it should differ significantly
from primary school
education. During the entire study, it is necessary to maintain the unity of forms and
types of work, while there should be visibility, imagery and play orientation of the
activities of preschool children.
Glen Doman, American physician, head of the Institute for Human Potential
Achievement in Philadelphia, author of the books "Harmonious development of the
child", "How to give your child encyclopedic knowledge", etc. He cites the following
facts from his long-term practice: "If any adult wants to quickly acquire an inferiority
complex, then all that needs to be done is to compete in learning a foreign language
with a one-and-a-half-year-old baby......If a child is born in a family where two
languages are spoken, then he will speak two. If there are three languages in use in
the family, he will speak three, four - four. And so on - there is no limit to perfection
here. And this is the biggest linguistic miracle I know." According to G. Doman, it is
necessary to start teaching a child a foreign language literally from a few months.
Tens of thousands of children have already been trained at
his institute according to
his program. Its essence is that the most productive period for learning is the period
when the brain grows, and the opportunities for learning during this period are truly
unique.
Teaching children a foreign language is considered as one of the important
stages of their preparation for school. Early bilingualism has a positive effect on the
development of memory, attention stability, reaction speed, logic, arbitrariness of
behavior, creative independence. Studies confirm that fully developing bilingual
children study well and master abstract sciences, literature and other foreign
languages. In addition, they get acquainted with the new culture and the peculiarities
of the manners of other nations by mastering their way of thinking.[2]
In connection with the above studies of scientists,
educational psychologists,
practitioners and theorists, doctors, it can be stated with confidence that the study of a
foreign language can and should be included in the grid of classes in preschool
institutions. When starting classes with preschoolers, it is necessary to take into
account essential methodological recommendations. Of course, it is necessary to take
into account the individual characteristics of each child, to comply with the
psychological and pedagogical requirements for age categories. First of all, classes
should be held in a playful way and with the maximum use of visual material.
506
In this article we tried to highlight the features of
early learning of a foreign
language. Consequently, teaching English to preschoolers has its own characteristics,
which are based on the psycho-physiological development of preschoolers, so they
should differ significantly from school education. Thus, early learning of a foreign
language makes a significant contribution to the formation of a harmoniously
developed child's personality and preparation for better adapting it to the multilingual
and multicultural situation in the modern world.
Достарыңызбен бөлісу: