The Process of Language Learning.
Natural developmental order of Listening ,Speaking,Reading,and Writing, the true process of effective language development.
Children need a variety of stimulus ,like listening to stories, going through picture books, listening to rhymes, repeating words of repetitive order.
Languages are learnt as a process of development right from birth . Children follow signals and cues from the care takers, the various sounds from the environment. Emerging literacy begins from sign language, signs that parents make to the infant and while at the day care centre’s from the care takers.
The more they listen to varied sounds, the more they learn about the predominant language.
language can be learnt in semantics to begin with and then followed by the syntax. Unless the experience of trying to utter words and sounds is not followed, no amount of grammar rules makes any sense.
Hence the Whole language approach, to language learning makes sense and the early toddler makes valiant attempts at telegraphic sentences and holo phrases.
At school, preschool to be precise, the language learning is partly structured and partly unstructured through role play, assembling blocks etc. The structured analysis follows the alphabet differentiation, phonic drill, the reading of flash cards and the sequence of story flip charts, filling in the missing cues. It is then followed by the Basal Reader approach , that makes reading easy because of the string of commonality between words. The Rhyme and rhythm makes it fun and enjoyable.
Vygotsky, Bruner, Chomsky , Piaget
Vygotsky attributed language learning to be the result of the intersection of the thought processes and the speech functioning. Thoughts and sounds together bring about language development. Thinking is an important element to further learning.
Jerome Bruner , discovered three phases,the enactive, the iconic and the image, unless an interactive environment is provided ,no verbal commands take place, stimulus and response go a long way in helping the child speak aloud.
Chomsky developed a theory whereby ,stage by stage ,through imitation and reinforcement , the structure of language develops in a sequential manner, from babbling,cooing, gurgling, sounds does the infant graduate to repetitive words, one word is uttered for a number of objects, it is followed by two word contextual references, eg mama go, baba go, papa go ... Soon “ I go school” is like a telegraphic message ,needed to be decoded.
literature is all around us , and with books available, eg Dr Seus...the children pick up a host of vocabulary. It is also interesting to note the scribbling,doodling that goes on as a measure of the first step to writing.
Jean Piaget, the genetic epistemologist, discovered the various stages of development and reinforced these as necessary steps to not only language but also cognitive development.
Beginning from the sensorimotor reflexive actions, to the pre operational state, to concrete operational stage the young school going child finally moves to the abstract operational stage. Reading a poem or an extract ,the student , can now critically analyse the poet’s style of writing, can follow descriptive passages and write imaginatively .
Grammar rules have been learnt inductively and contextually. Yet one must understand that British English is different in structure when compared to the American English. Indian English is even more different.
Culture plays an important role in language development. Many dialects have been born out of the many cultural influences.
language learning is a process and one needs to understand the process ,well enough to be then embarking upon the teaching of especially a foreign language.
The above pictures would make for interesting picture conversation, building on vocabulary, sentences, imagination, logical reasoning, and creative decision making that is needed towards effective communication. Poetry could be correlated, with action songs and drama on the life cycle of a butterfly, the elephant ride in the park, the Valiant king and Out in the playground, chasing the football , team building ...etc.
A good teacher would not lose out on any of the innumerable learning opportunities.
