Post on 23-Feb-2016
description
The Multiplier Effect of Language
LearningELT Horizons 2013Mary Lou McCloskey,
Ph.D.Atlanta, Georgia, USA
mlmccloskey@gmail.com
Handout: www.mlmcc.com
What Children Bring
Children Bring… Innate “programming”
to acquire language (Chomsky , Pinker, 2000)
Critical Period for language acquisition?
AssimilationKitty
AssimilationKitty
Accommodation
KittyDoggie
Critical Period?
The Effects of Learning an Additional Language
1. The Obvious Effects
The ability to- talk to more people, - read more books, - experience other cultures
Language use on the
Web
techinasia.com
2. Cognitive Effects
for Young Learners
Recent Studies of the Brain
Differences in brain activity during language tasks between
adults (18-35) and children (7-10)(Schlagger et al 2002)
Children had more activity in left extrastriate cortex
Adults had more activity in left frontal cortex.
Language Areas of the Brain
(Kim, 1997)
Broca’s Area: Wernicke’s Area
Differences in where language is processed:
Languages learned early in life: Processing occurs in overlapping regions of Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas
Languages learned later: Wernicke’s Area for what words mean; Broca’s Area for grammar and syntax.
Broca’s Area: Wernicke’s Area
Mary Lou McCloskey, 2013 www.mlmcc.com
Piagetian Stages and Brain Development Stages (Sprenger, 1999)
Piaget’s stages of development
Stages of myelin release and brain growth
Sensorimotor (birth-2 years)
Large motor system and visual system
Pre-operational (ages 2-7)
Language acquisition
Concrete operational (ages 7-11)
Manipulation of thought and ideas
Formal operations (ages 11-15)
Higher-order thinking
3. Expanded ability to
learnand
manage learning
Cognitive flexibilitySome aspects of cognitive
development accelerate to manage two languages
Improves “executive function” –ability to organize, plan, prioritize, shift attention, suppress habitual responses
How reading changes language learning
School performance of students learning a second
language
Learning additional languages
7. Refined cultural awareness and adeptness; cognitive
flexibility
3. Cognitive Effects for
Older Learners
Color-Shape Task-Switching Game
Bilingual Fountain of
Youth!Older adult
bilinguals show greater cognitive flexibility
Bilingual elders dementia diagnosis 3-4 years later
When to Start EFL?Why start early?
– Potential for native-like pronunciation
– Easy and natural acquisition of language structures during critical period
– Opportunity to develop positive attitudes toward the language
– Cognitive advantages for life
When to Start EFL? Why wait?
– Older learners can learn very rapidly and effectively using their higher-level cognitive abilities
– Native-like pronunciation is not necessary for effective communication
– Resources may be better used to provide needed quality and intensity for older learners
– There may be concern about language loss of L1 if English use is highly prevalent
Mary Lou McCloskey, 2013 www.mlmcc.com
When to Start EFL? It depends on quality and model
– Quality of program and of teaching are the most important variables
Many effective bilingual models, but Balanced bilingual model
shows most positive results
Principles for developing
a new language (with demonstrations)
Principle 1Offer learners enjoyable, active
roles in the learning experience
Principle 1Offer learners enjoyable, active
roles in the learning experience
Example: Lineups
Principle 2Help students develop and
practice language through collaboration
Principle 2Help students develop and practice
language through collaborationExample: I have, who has?
Principle 3Use multi-dimensional,
thematically-organized activities
Principle 3Use multi-dimensional,
thematically-organized activitiesExample:
The Camel Dancesby Arnold Lobel
Principle 4Provide comprehensible input with
scaffolding
Principle 4Provide comprehensible input with
scaffoldingExample: Anticipation Guide
Anticipation GuideYou Text Topic
The camel wanted to be a football player.She practiced very hard
The audience thought she was excellent
The camel only performed to please others.
Principle 5Integrate language with content
Integrate language with content
Example:
pirouette
arabesque relevé
:
The Camel Dances
Principle 6Validate and integrate language and
culture learners bring
Validate and integrate language and culture
learners bring “Right there” questionsWhat was the camel’s goal?
“Think and Search” questionsWhat steps did the camel take to reach her goal?
“Author and You” questionsWhy did the author choose to tell this story with animals instead of people?
“On your Own” questionsIs it more important to do what you’re good at or what you love? What changes might you make to this story to make it more relevant in your culture?
Principle 7Provide clear goals and feedback
on performance
Principle 7Provide clear goals and feedback on performanceRubric for discussion
Beginning Getting there Expert
Connect to othersSpeak in turnFocus on task
Principle 8Develop learners own strategies for
language development
Develop learners own strategies
Examples from today’s activities: Take notes Use an advance organizer
(Anticipation Guide) Use a rubric Ask and answer questions for
various purposes– Discuss selection using QAR– Form a line based on personal info
Implications &
Considerations
Learning languages is exponentially beneficial
Improved cognition & brain development
Improved L1 proficiency Improved academic performance Improved abilities in social,
cultural understanding
When to begin language learning?
There is no simple, “younger is better” answer.
What about literacy? Usually best in L1 first but effective programs also teach both simultaneously.
What are the variables? Time, capacity, commitment, quality.
Principles for Effective Language Teaching/Learning
1. Offer learners enjoyable, active roles 2. Help students collaborate3. Use thematically organized activities4. Provide comprehensible input with
scaffolding.5. Integrate language with content.6. Validate and integrate home language and
culture.7. Provide clear goals and feedback on
performance.8. Develop learners’ own strategieswww.mlmcc.com
Anonymous-Martin Steingesser
I know a poem of six lines that no one knowswho wrote, except
that the poet was Chinese and lived centuries before the birth of Christ. I said it aloud
once to some children, and when I reached the last line suddenly they understood and together all went-- "Ooo!"
imagine that poem, written
by a poet trulywho is Anonymous, since in the strict corporeal sensehe hasn't existed for thousands of years--imagine his little poem traveling
without gas or even a single grease jobacross centuries of space and a million miles of time to me, who spoke itsoftly aloud to a group of children who heard and suddenly all together cried "Ooo!"