I agree with Kao Shih-fan (
I started teaching English in Taiwan at a kindergarten in 1992. I have had the chance to see some of my first students grow up and graduate from high school. Some of them are nearly fluent; others seem to have forgotten even the simplest salutation. From my unscientific observations, it seems to me that starting young certainly does not guarantee results, but it can be part of a much larger formula to success. I believe there are some very important reasons why parents might choose early English studies for their children.
First, research suggests learning English at kindergarten or preschool is not harmful for Taiwanese students, though a few years back some professors were quoted saying that learning English too early might confuse children and impede their ability to learn Chinese.
Toddlers all over the country learn Taiwanese, Hakka and other languages simultaneously with Chinese and are not hurt by this. A language as distinctly different as English would seem to pose very little threat.
Second, very young children have fewer inhibitions or emotional baggage that adults or adolescents may have. If you want to feel humbled, try studying a new language. I study Chinese and I get laughed at all the time when I make mistakes. I try to accept the humiliation as part of the process, but as a grown adult and a teacher, it is not always easy. It is easier for children to make mistakes because people expect them to and are usually willing to help them.
Finally, young children have time. Kao mentions research that indicates that starting language studies at about eight or nine years old would be most suitable. Unfortunately, in Taiwan this is also about the time when regular curriculum studies intensify.
My eight-year-old daughter does two or three hours of Chinese homework every night. She is just too tired to study English afterwards. However, my five-year-old daughter loves to read English story books to me while her sister studies.
Although older children may be more efficient learners, there is no reason preschool children can not make positive progress. There may even be benefits to early learning not yet realized. At worse, there seems to be no harm done.
Of course other factors should be considered. Preschool studies are just the first step. Follow-up classes are necessary "ideally through high school" and that can get expensive. Also programs must be chosen carefully. Be wary of any program that wants to start training your toddler to take grammar intensive tests. But these factors must be considered with any subject and none of them are reasons to dismiss learning English early.
Nathan Lindberg
Changhua
With reference to Kao's article, I think there should be a clear definition as to whether the article refers to EFL or ESL learning in young children. As stated by Kao, ESL is supported by the second language being used in everyday activities outside of the classroom, thus giving extra strength to the learning of that language.
In EFL there is no extra support outside of the classroom, unless extra study is taken on. Thus the student must have the right motivation to carry on their studies on their own.
I would consider Taiwan to be the latter, as I cannot order my noodles or talk to my neighbor in English. If so, then the facts that Kao quotes are irrelevant as they are taken from the study of foreign students entering US schools and migrant workers in the US, which is an ESL environment.
Facts regarding the study of French or Chinese in the UK and the US (EFL) would be more appropriate. They support learning a language at a younger age, as better pronunciation (not accent), a larger vocabulary and a basic understanding of grammar are obtained. Also in younger learners there is less fear in speaking and practicing the foreign language.
This is particularly important in Taiwan as there seems to be a built-in fear, or fascination, with foreigners that they have to point, poke or pull or say something extraordinary to them. If this "fascination" can be overcome at a young age, then I am sure Taiwan will become a more comfortable place for foreigners to visit and English might reach ESL standards.
With regards to recent surveys, it has been found that ESL learning causes problems in first language learning, but EFL learning, the study of a language just as any another subject, has no effect on the mother tongue.
The recommendation is to keep English learning at the level of math, science, art, social studies or as a separate subject in a language school.
It is immersion or bilingual classes in kindergarten and elementary schools that are causing the damage to Chinese learning, not the learning of English as a subject.
Although "the critical period" of learning might well be a myth and children at a young age may not learn faster, they still have the advantages of time and freshness over adults. Their minds are not so closed. They have the ability to be more open minded to accepting new ideas and cultural differences.
The introduction of a foreign teacher and language at a young age might help in the process of learning English and fostering a better understanding of the world.
Alun Arnold
Tainan
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