Early language learning

The benefits of early language learning

•  There is a good fit between the methodology used in active, communicative language teaching and the ludic approach used in nursery schools and the early years of primary.

•  Younger children are at a stage in their development where they are open to new phenomena and motivation to learn is very high.

• Children enjoy learning a new language and are receptive to it; they are less self-conscious than older learners and therefore may be more able to absorb language rather than block it out.

• They are in the phase of "natural" language acquisition, particularly between the ages of 2 and 4 where the brain is in a critical phase in relation to natural language learning; for example, they have the propensity to pick up good pronunciation easily.

•  Starting early helps sensitize children to "otherness" and to the introduction of plurilingual and intercultural education from a very young age.

•  It also contributes to language awareness and supports the development not only of a second, but also of the first language of the child. It enhances cognitive growth through communicative activities which help to develop linguistic skills as well as memory and concentration.

• It supports the social and emotional development of the child by means of motivating tasks in pair and group work.

Moreover, there are pragmatic, curriculum-related reasons for starting early such as:

•  It makes it possible to lower the age at which students start to learn another second or foreign language.

• Time gained through early language learning provides space for other requirements of schooling.

What are the challenges faced when introducing a programme of early language learning?

Introducing early language learning programmes raises a number of issues:

•  How sustainable are the language competences acquired in early language learning? Are they maintained when children begin with more formal methods? Is there a risk that teachers start again from the beginning, and that children lose the early enthusiasm?

• How do schools meet the needs of their learners when some will have started early whilst others have not?

• What skills are required by those teaching languages to young learners? What kind of training do they need? Should there be specific qualifications?

• What are the specific language learning outcomes of early language learning? Can CEFR descriptors be used? What quality criteria can be used to assess early language learning?

These are issues which require further research and exploration.