Myths and Misconceptions about Second Language Learning

Question: Write a summary report on Myths and Misconceptions about Second Language Learning? Answer: On reading the article of Myths and Misconceptions about Second Language Learning What every Teacher needs to unlearn is all about the myths which exist among the Parents and Teachers that a child learns a foreign language more better and faster than adults. Barry seems to be ruling out these facts as there are no concrete evidences. Barry explains the feelings of the adults when they have to learn a different language or for that matter a foreign language. She highlights that all the school teachers should learn the fact as to how the children learn a foreign language. She says that an adult gets more frustrated in learning anything new for that matter and not only a language. The myths which have been stated in this article are Children learn second languages more quickly and easily The Younger the child the more quickly he attains the second language The facts about these myths might be the other way round. Believing in such myths most of the parents have started to send their children to more of the westernized schools to be able to learn English in the first place. The most important fact is that whether the child really learns a language more quickly. Firstly there are a lot of myths and beliefs which revolve around any individual and people believe them to be true without assessing their real sense to it. A child can learn a foreign language quickly because the average age of the child ranges between 3 to 12 when they start out to learn something. This is the age when the child actually observes, listens and responds. When a childs brain is absolutely fresh and when it can absorb all the facts it observes definitely it can learn a language or anything. There is concrete evidence as to why the adult cannot learn anything faster. There is something called as reasoning ability which the child has more in context than an adult. Due to this reasoning ability the child gets to learn more quickly. When it comes to an adult the person loses out on the ability to focus in the first place and to understand in the second place where as the adult would have the ability to reason out and analyse things more better than a child. The child does not analyse things in the first place and just focusses on learning. According to Barry where she has emphasized that - What every Teacher needs to unlearn means that the adults minds are preoccupied with so many other things and it takes a lot for them to focus on a specific aspect of learning. This report provides a total summary that there are a lot of misconceptions about a childs learning and there are 2 myths which are predominant that a child learns more when he is exposed to a new or a learning environment. They tend to acquire more at a younger age. There is no specific approach which has been mentioned in terms of learning however it has been emphasized on the experiential methods of learning. Reference Collier, V. (1989). How long: A synthesis of research on academic achievement in a second language. "TESOL Quarterly, 23," 509-531. Cummins, J. (1980). The cross-lingual dimensions of language proficiency: Implications for bilingual education and the optimal age issue. "TESOL Quarterly, 14," 175-187. Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language development in promoting educational success for language minority students. In "Schooling and language minority students: A theoretical framework." Los Angeles: California State University; Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center. Florander, J., Jansen, M. (1968). "Skolefors'g i engelsk 1959-1965." Copenhagen: Danish Institute of Education.