RRJ#2

Reference:

Vickerman, M. (2010, January 28). Never too young to start learning languages. nj.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010, from http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/living-0/126466352870450.xml&coll=3

Summary:

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages mentions that learning a second language when people are young has a lot of benefits for them. Bonneau, who built a language school, said that children who started learning a second language at their early age have many benefits because they understand the structure of the language, and get good scores on language tests and also on math tests. It is a big benefit for children to speak many kinds of languages for their career, and for their open mind. If the children experience another language earlier, they become more fluent even if they learn just a little times. Involvement of parents in learning experience for their child is another important factor of success for children. Parents have to keep working on supporting the learning process of their child. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 8.5 percent of American students study a new language for more than four years. It is not a good thing for American society in the future. To get a successful life in the future, it is important to be able to speak at least two or more languages. If the children can speak another language, they can have choices, have a good future, and learn easily from other cultures.

Reaction:

I agree with the article. According to it, children can assimilate many things more quickly than adults. When I was a child, I tried to do many things such as swimming, dancing, playing the piano and so on. It was easier to learn these things as a child than it is now. I regret that I didn’t start studying the language when I was a child. If I get a child, I will let my child learn the new language in their young ages. It will give them more good effects. It is very important to learn other languages in this global world because it affects our future or career. Therefore, children should learn the language to get many benefits before they become older.