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MAKING THE MOST OF AN EARLY START TO L2 INSTRUCTION - Coggle Diagram
MAKING THE MOST OF AN EARLY START TO L2 INSTRUCTION
Literacy skills, previous languages and interdependence
contradictory evidence between L1 & L2 literacy skills
BUT :!:
important:
mastering literacy skills in the primary school years for
students attempting to learn L2s
stronger effect of (bi)literacy skills
weaker effect of AO (age of onset)
an earlier starting experience in an
additional language proved to be beneficial for --->simultaneous bilinguals who were already biliterate and who received substantial parental
support
(very specific learner group)
questionable widespread belief:
the L1 needs to be developed to a certain level
in order to guarantee successful cognitive + linguistic benefits from L2 education
developmental thresholds are difficult to
define independently
--->
yield predictions that cannot be refuted
Transition from primary to secondary school
an important moment in a child’s L2 schooling: the transition - primary :arrow_right: secondary school
ISSUES of students according to some reasearch:
transition in FL learning
PROBLEMS :warning:
the shift from student-centred, “implicit”
methodology to more teacher-directed classes
L2 proficiency outcomes from primary schools feeding a
given secondary school may vary greatly
the lack of adequate training exhibited by primary school L2 teachers in some countries
an absence of coordination/communication between primary and secondary school
teachers
the possibility of a mismatch
between student and teacher expectations regarding teaching methods
primary level :speaking_head_in_silhouette: ~ more communicative and and holistic approach to FL learning ---> secondary level :books: ~ more formal and
consciousness-engaging approach
secondary
school involves the risk of loss of what was learned in primary school
the frequent
repetition in secondary school of material covered in primary school
Q: Is this repetition valued or not?
Secondary level students: no problem with covering familiar content
The motivational dimension of early instructed FL learning
common view:
younger learners show significantly better attitudes toward
learning foreign languages than older learners
WHY :question:
possible reason:
response to new challenges:
young learners= enthusiasm
:left_right_arrow:
adolescents= self-consciousness
BUT :!:
Qable idea: primary school beginners demonstrate more positive attitudes to L2 use than secondary learners
early learners may begin with enthusiasm BUT the teaching approach and/or skills experienced may not be such as to sustain that
not that ideal conditions ( e.g.large groups, two lessons per week, unqualified teachers) ---> young L2 learners quickly develop negative attitudes
1 more item...
Early adolescence is associated with
flux
– a period when learners “struggle
to achieve a coherent sense of self ”
sometimes: older learners reject the school system in general / being less motivated by the use of more traditional methods in high school
older starters
ubiquitously
experience a
faster rate of learning than younger starters
initially**
reasons for that:
2 more items...
the motivational state of younger beginners
may
relate to their biological age
rather than their age of encountering the L2
age of onset
is
confounded with length of instruction
the type pf motivation may change
with age
secondary school students
have
increasingly
higher levels of instrumental motivation
some recent research indicates:
2 more items...
Intensity versus quantity of instruction
intensive language learning experience
can lead to
----> substantial progress in an L2
in a relatively short amount of time
FOR: children + adults and early + late starters
There is a Q of the mode in which L2 exposure is best delivered at primary level
recent focus on:
CLIL
C
ontent and
L
anguage
I
ntegrated
L
earning
provides teaching via the
L2
of some of the
school subjects
BENEFITS :check:
the minimization of the role of individual differences
an increase of L2 exposure without taking up more time
efficacy whatever the degree of teaching intensity
a preservation of the level of content knowledge to that learned through the L1
better communication skills
very similar L1 skills development to that attained in non-CLIL classes
the fostering of implicit learning (--> highly effective way
of learning and age-appropriate at primary school)
PROBLEM :warning:
difficult to assess the claims regarding the benefits of them beacause:
of diversity of CLIL programmes
the conflation
of the two variables type of instruction and exposure
the fact that students are
often selected for these programmes and are thus ab initio motivated to succeed
the puzzle of which other input variables might be associated with long-term
L2 performance