Pros and Cons of Teaching English to Young Learners

The English is getting more and more important for our life. Often we need to talk with a native English speaker or even with a Franchise or Japan or any language speaker, that's the reason for what learning English for any culture is so important. Because there are much different languages in the world and we need one in common to use when you are for example a business traveler, a teacher who could have international students, an international airline pilot or if you are the Argentina's president doing a visit to Usa for an UN meeting, know English is essential for today.

But can you imagine how difficult learn English can be? It's too difficult, but it maybe depend on how old are you...

In fact, the most important advantages of learn English at young ages are:

1. They have more time. Because English need time to learn a very good reason for teaching young learners is that. Also researchers had proven the children are more efficient learners.

2. They are more able to attain native-like pronunciation with the help from appropriate instruction

3. Children can become more intercultural. Through learning another language They can be interested in other languages and cultures and also in their own culture

4. Being bilingual provides cognitive advantages. For Young learners know another language  provides mental advantages such as Mental flexibility and the ability to see a problem from different perspectives.

It´s important to share with different cultures

Teachers from all the world were improving the TEYL for years. They made different EYL programs: FLEX programs, FLES, Immersion programs, Dual language programs, Transitional and maintenance bilingual programs.

Each program is different to another in how much English lessons the child have per week, how long the lesson are and how the English is used.

• Flex (foreign language exploratory or experience) Programs

This type of programs just give to the child short sessions where they just learn basics like the colours, numbers and greetings, the focus is to increase children´s interest in study another language. But this programs are not enough to obtain useful English skills.

• Fles (foreign language in the elementary school) Programs 

In Fles programs children study another language as a regular school subject, this program can help the child to continue to study English in secondary school.

• immersion programs

In this are two different types, Total and partial immersion. In total immersion the children use the English as their main language in all school subjects, and in partial immersion half of the subjects are teach in english and the another half in their own language. In this type of programs the children develop a very good listening and reading abilities

• Dual-language programs

In Dual- Language or two ways immersion programs the children who speak an language and those who speak another language take lessons together using each language 90 percent and gradually move to 50 percent for each language. the advantage is the both group of children become more social and learn each language more naturally.

• Transitional and maintenance bilingual program

This program is to help the child to switch to the new language which they are going to study, normally after 3 years of bilingual instruction.

In the past I used to had English as a subject in primary and secondary school, I think I didn´t learned enough English there, really I can´t remember what I learned in School :P

The Normal School, Chivilcoy City

I haven´t experience in schools like the Normal School at Chivilcoy city which has the English and other languages as important subjects but normally the state-run Schools offer TEYL programs that give you the basics and It´s not enough for example if you want to study English in a TTC  or if you are interested in English you can´t learn just in the school and you should go to an English academy

Thank you!