Benefits of Early Foreign Language Learning and Language Awareness

Principles of language awareness and raising awareness at an early age

The aim and objectives of early foreign language learning are language awareness
and promoting openness to different cultures or intercultural competence. In general,
this learning focuses on linguistic and cultural aspects. The linguistic aspect includes
the following:

 Phonemic awareness (i. e. becoming aware of specific sounds of letters

and words);
 Looking at basic familiar topics from a slightly different perspective: the
weather, the family, fruits, numbers, vegetables;
 Learning the letters of the alphabet and words related to familiar topics;
 Learn by doing or practice active learning (i.e. learning that is child-
centred and combine play, songs, games and rhymes with real situations).

Other highlighted features are the respect for the learners’ rhythm of learning and the
notion that comprehension comes before production and oral competence precedes
the written one. Importance is ascribed to stimulating the interest of the children, and
creating conditions in order to stimulate communication. Grammar is not taught
explicitly and written words are introduced mainly for recognition purposes.

Foreign language offered at a pre-primary level needs to be simple, active and

entertaining. Choice of words should be adapted to the age of a child/group and
those should be repeated as often as possible in different contexts in order to enable
children to connect and expand meanings on their own. Music and movement should
also be integrated into the teaching unit in order to maintain the interest of a child.

A tentative ELL (English Language Learners) curriculum might include names and
saying hello, colours, farm animals, jungle animals, numbers, feelings, body parts,
family and folk tales. Vocabulary would consist of, for example:

 Animals: bear, bird, duck, horse, frog, cat, dog, sheep, goldfish, elephant,
lion, giraffe, monkey, snake, camel, spider;
 Natural elements: water, rain, sun;
  Everyday objects that can be easily found in the child’s surroundings:
chair, table, bed, lamp;

There are also suggestions for using particular picture-books in the English
classroom, namely when they use repetition and have an easy-to-follow plot.
Preferably they should include some invitation for the child to engage actively in
“reading” the pictures of the book and become eager to turn the pages. A good
example is the picture-book is I spy by Susan Beasly.

Teachers and parents may wonder how best to introduce the child to the content of
the alphabet books and to the activities that accompany them. This is called, in
pedagogy, methodology and no doubt it is important to follow the best advice of
those that research in this area. S. Mourão1 recommends the EEE Model:
Encounter/Engage/Exploit Language as the appropriate methodology for ELL. First,
children ENCOUNTER the foreign language and they listen and show
comprehension by physically reacting to the words. During the next stage, children
are ready to ENGAGE in the foreign language by using it with the teacher’s support.
They continue to react physically, but also respond verbally to a greater extent:
repeating, chanting, and occasionally participating with spontaneous verbal
responses. In the third stage children begin to EXPLOIT the foreign language by
using it independently. They exploit what they know to communicate effectively.
They use the foreign language in context to play games, listen to and interact with
stories, and participate in activities.

This takes time, however, and neither teachers nor parents should be discouraged if
a child remains in stage one for a long time. After all, learning a foreign language is a
highly individual learning time.

Balboni (2002)2 highlights stages in approaching any learning unit that could be used
by teachers and parents:

 Motivation: to create the motivation towards the language and the activity
proposed;

1
Sandie Mourão and Gamboa. 2009. Best Buddies Teacher’s Edition 1. Mexico: Ed. Macmillan Mexico. Coelho
D., Mourão, S. 2009. Little Hoola Teacher’s Guide. Porto: Porto Editora.
2
Balboni, P. (2000). Le microlingue scientific-professionali. UTET, Torino.
 Approaching: in this phase children are guided for a first general contact
with the activity (preferring techniques related to the use of senses and
mainly to the practice)
 Focusing: the teacher can promote activities for the memorization of some
linguistic structures s/he can select:
 Re-using: this phase is also for memorization, but in this case the children
test the language by playing such activities as dramatization, games,
songs, role-plays, role-making and so on.