Brazhnikov Alexander. School No. 1, Akbulak, Orenburg region, Russia
Essay in English with translation (topic in English)

What can you say for and against learning foreign language in a native speaking environment?

They say that it is better to study a foreign language in a native country, but there is another opinion: it is possible to learn it without going abroad. So we have different opinions which we’ll try to discuss.

Some people think that learning English abroad is more productive. Let’s discuss arguments “for”. Firstly, children, living in English-speaking country, have the opportunity not only to study the language at school, but communicating with foreigners. Secondly, they may visit various concerts, shows and brush up English there. Thirdly, to know the language properly is impossible without knowledge of the native country’s history and its sights. How wonderful it is to visit historical places listening to excursions in English language!

But there are some arguments “against”. Firstly, it’s difficult to live far away from your family. Then, in my opinion, not every person could pay for such kind of education. And lastly, there is no necessity to study English abroad if you are not going to be an interpreter.

As for me, I may simply prove my English using special programs on-line. In the center City & Guilds, for example. I have Internet at home and my parents will give me money for such courses. From the one hand, I would be with my family. From the other hand, it would be much cheaper.

They say that it is better to study a foreign language in your native country, but there is another opinion: it is possible to study it without traveling abroad. So we have different opinions that we will try to discuss.

Some people think that studying in English Abroad is more productive. Let's discuss the pros. Firstly, children living in an English-speaking country have the opportunity to learn the language not only at school, but also by communicating with foreigners. Secondly, they can attend various concerts, shows and improve their English there. Thirdly, it is impossible to know the language perfectly without knowing the history and sights of the country - a native speaker. How amazing it is to visit historical sites while listening to guided tours in English!

But there are also several arguments against it. Firstly, it is difficult to live away from your family. Then, in my opinion, not every person can pay for this type of education. Finally, there is no need to study English abroad if you do not intend to be a translator.

As for me, I can simply improve my English through various online programs. In the City & Guilds centre, for example. I have Internet at home and my parents will pay for such courses. On the one hand, I could be with my family. On the other hand, it would be much cheaper.

Daria Popova

Have questions? Ask them in the comments!

Passionate about English from the cradle, the mother of her daughter Radmilka, a psychologist-educator and English teacher by training, has been teaching developmental classes for children from 1 to 8 years old, including in English, for 10 years.

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Comments

At what age is it best to start learning a second language?

We live in Malaysia and the children study at a British school, my youngest, he is 2.5 years old, categorically refuses to listen to fairy tales in English or speak to me in English. But when we come to school and he finds himself in an English-speaking environment, he speaks in English what he already knows. Why doesn’t he want to study English at home, I don’t know?

1. It’s not very clear what you mean by “categorically refuses”: does he protest aggressively, or answer in Russian, or is silent, or...? if in general, then children are a) energy-intensive b) logical. Because of the energy consumption, they refuse to speak a foreign language if they already understand it in their native language. Because of logic, children form a system for themselves where to use which language. At school - English, at home - Russian. On the street, your baby probably hears another language. So maybe you have it English at home are you confused? Think: a) how necessary is it to connect English at home? Talk to your teachers about this. If a child spends more than 6 hours at school (as I understand it, it’s still more of a nursery school, isn’t it?) this is more than enough to master the language as a native one. You should be more worried about Russian then - after all, in another country it is he who is foreign. b) if there is still a need, find an opportunity to watch your child at school or ask the teachers about his favorite pastimes, games, nursery rhymes, try playing with him first on the school grounds (when you pick him up, for example), and then after some time Houses. Often, if he protests, he says, “I have too much,” “too much,” “I want to rest.” Remember that a second language is stressful and burdensome. It is more important to love and support than to teach a language. In your conditions, then everything will “catch up” by itself.

And we started learning French (according to principles, we’ll learn English anyway, since for me it’s the same as living in Russia and not speaking Russian), but everywhere they look at me like I’m crazy... and ask: “Why? »
But as a matter of fact, a child of 2.3 years old does not really “respond” to classes: he listens attentively with pleasure, but does not reproduce himself... We have been studying for the second month now. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? What kind of reaction should one generally expect? How often should you exercise for real effect? When could Italian and Spanish be introduced?

1. if a 2.3-year-old child listens with pleasure and attentively, then he is the one who “responds” to the lessons)). Kids don't immediately start repeating. Children have a so-called “quiet period”. Wait. First, something in the brain must “click” and mature. But, as with your native language, be sure that you are not wasting your time. As for the questions of others, “Why?” It would be nice to answer them and decide on your motivation: why am I teaching my child a new language? Why do I want to teach him more Spanish and Italian? Who am I doing this for? For yourself or for the baby? Is the baby happy from my activities with him? Am I overloading it? As far as I understand, you don’t waste your energy on Russian and English, since the child is growing up bilingual (Russian in the family, English outside the home or what?). It’s great if you manage to convey your language skills to your child in a playful, relaxed and fun way. But you need to realistically assess your capabilities: will you be able to differentiate between language environments? (for example, English outside the home, Russian - in the family, French - alone with mom) will you be able to wait as long as necessary, believing in the result and not putting too much pressure on the child with excessive expectations? Will you be able to spend your personal time on self-improvement and reading about methods, bilinguals, the experience of parents of such children, etc.? As for the 4th and 5th languages, your baby, having such a diverse linguistic background from childhood, will be able to learn these languages ​​in the future, when he himself determines that he needs them. Adults learn languages ​​no less successfully than children.

   1. thank you very much for the answer! many of your questions structured my “brain” (I can’t find another word)
      first of all, I teach my child languages, so that later during his school years he can not waste time on this, but spend it on his other interests/hobbies: for example, physics or something else that will be interesting to him, and knowledge of languages ​​will give him the opportunity study literature, experience, participate in conferences, congresses, etc. all over the world, not limited)))

      and also, Daria, a huge request (I think, not only mine!!!), could you devote a series of articles to methods, structure of classes (what must they include??), when to teach reading and writing and how to relate it with your native language (you touched on possible options, but did not dwell on them in more detail), game options! Thank you!
      And yet, can you recommend at least a couple of sites/blogs/groups in contact, etc. intelligent about the experience of parents of bilinguals (preferably where one language is French)?? and my most important and important question for me!! Is it necessary to differentiate the language environment??? and how to create five versions of it: 1. at home, 2. on the street, 3. alone with mom??? But what can we come up with if we introduce two more languages ​​later??? I don't have enough imagination((

My daughter and I tried to study English at home from birth (I sang, read poetry, turned on cartoons in English), but she categorically did not like it - she began to be capricious, demanded a different cartoon, etc.
From the age of 2.5 we went to the group “I can sing” (2 times a week for half an hour) and lo and behold! The child fell in love with English - now she listens to cartoons with pleasure and sings along to songs and uses a lot of speech patterns in conversation if I switch to English with her.
Apparently she categorically did not like my pronunciation - I studied German at school and college, and studied English for exactly a year in adulthood :) Now we “learn” songs together - fortunately, parents are allowed to quietly attend the “lessons”

And, if so, when and where to start?” There is an opinion that early start of language learning is an unforgivable complication of the content preschool education, and harmful because it “deprives the child of childhood.” However, the existing experience of domestic and foreign research in this area proves that the study foreign language, when proper organization activities, develops children, raises their educational and cultural level.

Thus, as a result of an experiment conducted in schools in England and Wales, involving 6,000 children, it was found that foreign language classes have a positive effect on knowledge of their native language; many children with weak general abilities showed excellent success in speaking a foreign language. Research from leading universities in the USA and Canada has shown that Bilingual children develop better cognitive abilities than monolinguals. The beneficial effect of learning a second language on the development of native speech was proven by L. S. Vygotsky, noted by L. V. Shcherba, and other domestic scientists. Long-term experimental teaching of a foreign language, carried out by the staff of the laboratory for teaching foreign languages ​​at the Research Institute of General and Secondary Education of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the Russian Federation, confirmed the “beneficial influence of the subject on children: on their general mental development(memory, attention, imagination, thinking), to develop in children ways of adequate behavior in various life situations, to better proficiency in their native language, to speech development children in general."

Of course, research on the impact of learning a foreign language on general development the child cannot be considered complete, however, it seems possible to say that learning a foreign language does not have a negative impact on the formation of the child’s personality. Rather, based on the results of experimental schools, we can talk about the positive impact of a foreign language on the development of children.

At what age is it better to start learning a foreign language? Many parents wonder if they started teaching their child a foreign language too early, and what age is most favorable for starting classes. There is no clear opinion on this matter. Some practicing teachers are confident that “the best thing is to speak with a child in foreign languages ​​from the day he is born. This develops hearing and gives an understanding of the sound diversity of the world.” (Karine Nesheret, director of the Intellect school).

Let's turn to theory. Both in domestic (L. S. Vygotsky, S. I. Rubinshten) and in foreign psychology (B. White, J. Bruner, V. Penfield, R. Roberts, T. Eliot) there is evidence that a child learns a foreign language more easily than an adult. The duration of the sensitive period is characterized differently by different authors: Penfield and Roberts define it from 4 to 8 years, Eliot - from 1.5 to 7 years. Physiologists believe that “there is a biological clock of the brain, just as there are stages in the development of the endocrine glands of a child over time. A child up to nine years of age is a specialist in mastering speech. After this period, the brain’s speech mechanisms become less flexible and cannot so easily adapt to new conditions. After the age of 10, there are many obstacles to overcome. The child's brain has a specialized ability for a foreign language, but this decreases with age." (Penfield V., Roberts L. Speech and brain mechanisms. - L.: Medicine, 1964. - P. 217.)

Most researchers agree that special foreign language classes can be carried out with children 3 - 10 years old, before 3 - it is pointless, after 10 - it is useless to hope for a positive result, which is possible only for a small part of students, those who have communicative and linguistic characteristics above average. It is best to learn a foreign language at the age of 5 - 8, when the system native language the child has already mastered it quite well, and he treats the new language consciously. It is at this age that there are still few cliches speech behavior, it is easy to “encode” your thoughts in a new way, there are no great difficulties when making contact in a foreign language. If methodological system is constructed quite competently from a linguodidactic and psycholinguistic point of view, then success in mastering the limited language material offered and creating the necessary prerequisites for the further acquisition of any foreign language is ensured for almost all children. (Teaching a foreign language to preschoolers / review of theoretical positions. Foreign languages ​​at school. No. 1. 1990. P. 38 - 42.)

Karnikova E.A.,

English teacher

Municipal educational institution No. 124, Samara

So you wake up in the morning and realize: the only thing you lack for a full-fledged happy life, - This is English.

After surfing the Internet and interviewing friends, you sadly realize that tutoring courses will cost you a pretty penny. Are you a frugal person, and the holidays are just around the corner - you’ll need money for good vacation and gifts for friends.

Independent study of a foreign language is becoming more common at universities around the world. Original “laboratories” for language learning are being created: media libraries with computers and headphones, where you come at a time convenient for you and teach yourself what you have planned.

So, as a self-confident and frugal person, you think: “Why do I need these tutoring courses? I can learn this English of yours myself!”

There are really a lot of advantages to this solution.

The benefits of learning English on your own

Saving money

On average, we are talking about savings from 3,000 to 10,000 rubles per month (it all depends on your wishes regarding the method and place of study).

Truly free and flexible schedule

You don’t have to warn your tutor 24 hours in advance that something isn’t working out for you. You don’t have to think that you, again, are losing the funds you’ve already paid for training.

Today you can study for 2 hours, and tomorrow for 30 minutes - it all depends on you!

In any case you have to

To be honest, even if you take courses or with a tutor, real progress is noticeable only with additional independent work. And I’m not necessarily talking about doing some grammar exercises in workbook, I’m talking about something else, namely, about “building” English into your life, into your schedule. You will master the language only when you start using it: read your favorite(!) and useful magazines, blogs, books, watch movies, TV series, news, TV shows in English.

Some students say: I don’t watch, I don’t read, I don’t listen to ANYTHING. I can only envy them, because it’s hard for me to imagine modern life without any media influence: news, the need to read at least for personal development, pleasure, or about listening to music (well, the one with words).

Another popular excuse is that there is no time. I advise such students to schedule every minute from waking up until they “go to bed.” You can do it in the evening, or you can do it in the morning, as soon as you wake up. I'm almost sure that you will find a lot of free time. At the very least, it will definitely be there for 20-30 minutes every day. Or don’t take up English at all then – do you need it?

In one of the following articles we will definitely talk about time management in learning English.

Variety of learning tools and methods

Choose which one you want!

Learn English by watching TV series and listening to songs (the ones you like) through social media, specialized websites, various mobile applications, podcasts and much more.

I can only advise one thing: if you don’t like this or that resource, don’t torture yourself, choose another one. You should like learning.

There are a lot of resources for learning English online, just a lot.

Do you feel like you don't have enough practice speaking to a native speaker? No problem! There are many resources for “speaking” English. For example, italki.com. You choose a native speaker, arrange a language exchange with him on Skype: speak with him for 30 minutes in English, then 30 minutes in Russian. Free and fun!

Personal development

Since the creation of platforms such as coursera.org and futurelearn.com ( free online courses in various subjects from leading universities around the world), you can study what you like in English: economics at Yale University, psychology at Stanford University, physics at MIT. At first, perhaps not everything will be clear, but over time you gain the desired knowledge and begin to understand everything you need English vocabulary in the right context! English and personal development are a very good combination!

Disadvantages of learning English on your own

Not for beginners

Of course, you can learn English on your own at the elementary level, but it is very important to lay the foundations CORRECTLY. Therefore, at the initial stage, experts advise seeking the help of a qualified teacher. At the same time, it does not matter whether it is individual or group training. The teacher will answer questions and tell you exactly what you need to know to get started.

Uncertainty

It’s like with words in a dictionary: there are a million translations, and you don’t know which one you need. And none of them seem to fit the context.

A qualified teacher will usually tell you what is needed at this stage and what is not. And what exactly to study next.

Time and self-organization

If you are a disorganized person and can easily exchange a planned “hour of English” for a spontaneous meeting with friends, going to a movie premiere, a date or just “for a walk,” then learning English on your own is not for you.

Self-study requires regular (ideally daily) English lessons. If you miss 3 scheduled classes a week and decide to “catch up” with these 3 hours in one day, self-study is not for you. Yes, maybe you will learn some list of words and a set of rules, but without using English at least 3-4 times a week, you will not learn the language.

Lack of control

Yes, it is the lack of control that discourages self-study language.
You study and don’t know whether you understand certain words correctly. You don't know if you are using this or that time correctly, and you want someone to monitor you. And you certainly don't want to learn anything incorrectly.

We should not forget that we all learn differently. And perhaps even with high level Being organized is important for you to communicate with other people. Maybe this is exactly why you go to group classes. But if you choose to study with a teacher or in a group precisely because of a lack of organization, you should not forget that your personal efforts outside of class determine most of success.

Whether you like it or not, self-study is the key to good English, and in combination with the guidance of a qualified teacher, it significantly reduces the time to achieve the desired “fluent English”.

English on your own: 5 arguments FOR and 6 arguments AGAINST

To learn English on your own, answer yourself these questions: do you have enough patience, will and, most importantly, a serious motive for learning English?

It is the presence of a motive that can be decisive.

Sometimes a person who has the ability, patience, and diligence gives up learning English halfway through. The reason for this is the lack of a serious motive for studying.

You can’t start learning English if you want to “ just learn english" or " do something useful" or " kill time" and so on. With this attitude you will last no more than two months study.

Analyze your motives for studying: preparing for work, living abroad, traveling, obtaining the necessary material from.

Let us repeat once again - if something doesn’t work out for you, if you’re not getting along while learning English, don’t blame yourself and your abilities - reconsider your motives . And keep learning :)

Teaching English will not give the desired result if it is not supported by regular, purposeful, independent work.

So, what to choose: self-study or training with an English teacher (courses, tutor)

Arguments FOR independent learning of English

1. Independence. It's hard to argue with this. You independently choose the rhythm of learning, the time of study: - at least at 6 am. There is no schedule or lesson plan hanging over you in English courses or with a tutor. You can on one's own create an English language learning program for yourself, according to their interests and preferences, and sometimes professional needs.

2. Money. By not counting the time spent studying, you can save on teacher labor.

3. As a rule, those who study English on their own use two or more English language manuals and self-instruction manuals in parallel. In courses or with an English tutor, one textbook is often practiced. In this case, the student is within the framework of one teaching method and concept.

4. You work independently with textbooks, tutorials, dictionaries and other materials - which develops the ability to analyze and summarize information, which is so necessary when learning a foreign language.

5. After some time, you will have a huge advantage over graduates of English language courses, namely, you will have self-education skills and will continue to improve your English. It will be easy and understandable for you. Graduates of courses or after studying with a tutor, as a rule, abandon English classes, which negates the resources already expended.

And now the arguments AGAINST self-learning English

1. There is no control over you - and you can “skip” classes and not complete exercises. The thoughts “I’ll do it tomorrow”, “How many times can I repeat the same thing”, “I don’t need these exercises” and dozens of similar ones will be spinning around you.

2. It is difficult to find an interlocutor for speaking practice - and without it, it is not correct to consider training complete. Even if you have an ideal English language tutorial, you need to speak English with someone - the tutorial will be silent.

3. Questions during training and control of material mastery. In any case, the student has questions. And these questions, even the simplest ones, need answers. Often, when studying independently, a person cannot find answers to questions or spends a lot a large number of time to search through textbooks, forums, communities, social networks.

4. When self-education, you simply cannot avoid mistakes and their consolidation at the level of automatism. It’s a shame and annoyance to realize after six months or a year that you have learned incorrectly, for example. When studying with a teacher, mistakes are immediately noticed and attention is drawn to it.

5. No one will stop you from quitting your English lessons. At a minimum, you would be held accountable for the fact of pre-payment for the course.

6. Document confirming completion of English language courses. On relative disadvantages self-study of English This may include the inability to obtain a document, certificate or diploma of graduation from an educational institution.