English is the international language. If you don't know English, you will be greatly restricted in information exchange. At the same time, the study also shows that learning a foreign language will promote the development of intelligence.
A psychologist at Yale University in the United States believes that children who can speak two languages have more advantages in brain flexibility and problem-solving ability than children who can only speak one language. Language stimulation is an important factor to promote the growth and development of brain cells. Early childhood is a critical period for language development. Stimulating children in two languages during this period can promote the coordination between the two hemispheres of the child's brain and strengthen the connection between nerve cells. Therefore, English training in early childhood is of great benefit to children.
So, when is the best time for children to learn English? Many experts believe that early childhood, especially before the age of 6, is the best time to learn a foreign language.
The research of children's psychology shows that in the development of children's perception, the ability of thinking in images is the first to mature. Whether children recognize Chinese characters or English is actually an information-stimulating activity. They regard glyphs as a specific image and remember them like candy, toys and faces. After many iterations, this special "image" is stored in the brain.
So there is a big difference between children learning a foreign language and adults learning a foreign language. At the same time, before the age of 6, children are highly sensitive to sound, and the right brain has strong control over the vocal organs, and the regulation of motor nerves such as vocal cords and tongue and lips is also very plastic. At this time, it is easier to master pronunciation skills by practicing oral English. With the growth of age, this ability will gradually decline, which will bring difficulties to learning foreign languages.
My little babies have many advantages in learning English that adults don't have. For example, they don't worry about exams. They can "play" their studies in a relaxed and happy environment without pressure, and even if they make mistakes, they won't be laughed at by others. For another example, after a long time, children will have more opportunities to practice oral English if they are not eager to increase their vocabulary during teaching. In addition, children are natural linguists. If they are motivated to learn English, their potential will soon be revealed.
To make children's English learning effective, the key is to have correct teaching methods. In children's English learning, we oppose "adult-style" English teaching and advocate "horizontal" teaching with environmental edification and unconscious memory as the main body.
If the model of "reading texts, explaining meanings and sentences and strengthening exercises" in adult English learning is moved to children's classrooms, it will not only not improve the teaching effect, but also make children hate English and set obstacles for learning English well in the future.
Teaching children to learn English should create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, so that children can master English as if they were learning their mother tongue (their own language). Children learn English mainly by speaking and recognizing letters repeatedly. Children are not required to write because their hand muscles are not yet mature. What kind of method to choose depends on the child's physical and mental development law. For example, in early childhood, children's attention is difficult to concentrate and easy to disperse, so teachers should be good at using various methods to attract children's attention, such as games, songs and stories. Let the children integrate into it and stimulate their interest in learning.
The sooner you learn English, the better. Don't let early education become psychological abuse.
Now, more and more parents realize the importance of learning English, which has led to many bilingual kindergartens and extracurricular English classes. So, should children learn English as soon as possible? Will children who have attended extracurricular English classes have strong English ability in the future? What role should parents play in their children's English learning? With these questions, the reporter recently interviewed Wang, a special English teacher in bright primary school. Teacher Wang has been engaged in primary school English teaching for nearly 30 years, and has some knowledge of the current extracurricular English training.
It doesn't matter whether children can attend bilingual kindergartens or extracurricular English classes. The key is that parents should pay attention to their children's learning process and don't hold the mentality of "spending money to buy comfort"
In the community garden, people often receive advertisements for children's English remedial classes or free lecture tickets, and parents who want their children to succeed are also puzzled. Do they have to sign up for an off-campus English class? Do you really want to learn English from the age of 3? Teacher Wang said: "children's exposure to English before school will give some children a certain advantage when they first enter primary school;" Participating in English extracurricular classes after school can complement the teaching materials and let children learn in different atmospheres, which will help to improve their interest in learning. " However, Mr. Wang also found in his teaching that not all children who have received pre-school English education or have a "small stove" after school are sure to be good at English. Because some children go to extra-curricular English classes, often in order to complete the tasks assigned by their parents, what are the books after class this week and next week, and they have never read them since they got home. A parent is very puzzled about his child's English performance. He began to learn English at the age of three, and now he is in grade five. Why is English in his class still poor? However, there is a student who began to learn English with the school curriculum in the first grade, and now he has not participated in extracurricular classes. His English performance is still outstanding, and he often participates in English competitions. Teacher Wang's comparison illustrates the problem. As Mr. Wang said, it is not a decisive factor for children to learn English well whether they attend bilingual kindergartens or extracurricular English classes. The key is that parents should pay attention to their children's learning process. Parents who have enrolled their children in remedial classes should not blindly pursue several achievements, let alone think that if I spend money, their children should get good grades and even hold the mentality of "spending money to buy comfort". Instead of "ignoring", parents might as well let their children do something they like or learn English classes prescribed by the school.
Parents can study with their children, let them be their own teachers, and create a learning atmosphere conducive to children to develop good study habits.
The reporter has heard parents' complaints: the school always says that parents should take care of their children. What does the teacher do? Teacher Wang said: "Teachers should fulfill their responsibilities, and parents also have the obligation to educate their children." Teacher Wang gave an example: there was a top English student whose parents didn't know English, and because of family conditions, he didn't attend extracurricular English classes, but his English performance was always good. Since the first grade, the child's mother has been learning English with the child every night. When she meets something she doesn't understand, she will "consult" her children and let them be her own teachers. In this way, the children not only reviewed their lessons, but also enhanced their sense of accomplishment. Teacher Wang said that children's study habits are particularly good. They listen carefully and take notes in class. And some parents simply say to their children: "Go, study!" I watch TV by myself and even "rub hemp", but I don't know whether the children have learned it or not when they enter their own home. It is the nature of every child to be playful, but if parents can accompany their children to study, or read some books or even newspapers while their children are studying, this will create a learning atmosphere at home and cultivate their study habits imperceptibly.
Encourage enthusiasm for learning and don't always correct pronunciation. Every child has different sensitivity to pronunciation.
In summing up his teaching experience, Mr. Wang said: Before listening to students reading English, as long as there were pronunciation mistakes, he immediately stopped him and told the students: "No! You Ruoweng! " You are wrong! ), and then correct the wrong pronunciation repeatedly. If students can't pronounce correctly once or twice, the more they learn, the more flustered they will be, and they will no longer take the initiative to speak. Now the school advocates the principle of "no mistakes", that is, students who make mistakes will not be interrupted, let them finish reading the text, and give encouragement "Verygood!" Tell him that it would be better if a certain sound was pronounced more accurately. After two or three days, the student seldom makes mistakes when he encounters the same sound again, because he pays attention to correcting it. Each child understands the problem at different speed and has different sensitivity to pronunciation. Therefore, parents with good English level had better not "correct mistakes", and it is very important to encourage their enthusiasm.
Teaching children to learn English should be flexible, and a lot of knowledge is learned through games. Teacher Wang said, "There is also a children's stage at home. I often teach students in Grade 12 and Grade 12 some English poems and let them recite them in front of their parents and grandparents when they get home. Some students sing English songs with piano accompaniment at home. As soon as I put this recording assignment in class, the students applauded, and some students applauded. Being interested is the best start to learn English well. "
The secret of baby learning a foreign language
0-3 years old is the golden age of language learning. As long as there is the necessary language environment, babies can learn several different languages easily. On the contrary, adults can't learn anything without communication.
Children in many immigrant countries can speak at least three languages from different countries since childhood; If parents come from different countries and insist on speaking different languages with their babies, communicate with parents in two languages.
Patricia Kuhl, a professor of language and auditory science at the University of Washington, tested two groups of 9-month-old American babies. The first group stayed with Chinese-speaking adults, played with toys and chatted. After 12 times, this group of babies learned to recognize Chinese pronunciation. Another group of babies who are only exposed to English can't hear another voice except their mother tongue. In the same experiment, Chinese lessons were played on videotape instead of adult speech, so the baby learned nothing.
From the above facts and experiments, we know that babies' ability to learn foreign languages is extraordinary, but they lack emotional contact, and the teaching content played by tape recorders is no different from the noise made by vacuum cleaners. Little people learn from adults, which is the exclusive "secret door" for babies to learn foreign languages.
Therefore, it is very important for the baby to have such a context. What is important is that someone communicates with him in this language. If there are no foreigners at home, the way to let your baby learn a foreign language is to invite a foreign nanny or foreign teacher to communicate with them alone. Of course, if anyone in the family has mastered a foreign language, they can insist on talking with their baby in a foreign language, and the same goal can be achieved. In addition, there are some excellent foreign language early education institutions or English international kindergartens. On the premise of ensuring that a teacher adopts pure foreign language education, parents can send their baby in, which can also ensure that he can learn a foreign language.
Besides, there is no way to achieve the same goal by watching foreign language cartoons and listening to tapes. Maybe some babies can memorize some words and nursery rhymes by rote, but they can't express their ideas in this language and communicate with others in this language. But when they finish reciting a few words, they will be speechless. Therefore, this is not really learning and learning. Because you don't try at ordinary times, the words memorized will soon be forgotten.
Most families in China are not qualified to invite foreign teachers or enter international schools, so there is no need to encourage them with cartoons and repeaters. When the baby is 0-6 years old, let them spend more time playing and spend precious time learning more useful knowledge. As for foreign language learning in the entrance examination, you can wait until your child goes to primary school, sign up for a foreign teacher class or encourage him to participate in the English corner to increase communication opportunities and help him learn.