SARAH PHILLIPS (1993:5) IN THE INTRODUCTION TO HER BOOK 'YOUNG LEARNERS' DESCRIBES YLS AS… …  children from the first year of formal schooling (five or six years old) to eleven or twelve years of age.  However, as any children's teacher will know, it is not so much the children's age that counts in the classroom as how mature they are.  There are many factors that influence children's maturity: for example, their culture, their environment (city or rural), their sex, the expectations of their peers and parents.

Factors that influence children’s maturity activities each culture city life enjoy rural parents environment sex learning environ experience peers mother tongue

Susan Halliwell (1992:3)  Young children do not come to the language classroom empty- handed.  They bring with them an already well-established set of instincts, skills and characteristics which will help them to learn another language.  Young children do not come to the language classroom empty- handed.  They bring with them an already well-established set of instincts, skills and characteristics which will help them to learn another language.  are already very good at interpreting meaning without necessarily understanding the individual words;  already have great skill in using limited language creatively;  frequently learn indirectly rather than directly;  take great pleasure in finding and creating fun in which they do;  have a ready imagination;  above all take great delight in talking!  are already very good at interpreting meaning without necessarily understanding the individual words;  already have great skill in using limited language creatively;  frequently learn indirectly rather than directly;  take great pleasure in finding and creating fun in which they do;  have a ready imagination;  above all take great delight in talking!

Questions:-  Do children learn a language better the younger they start? What is the optimum age for beginning a foreign language?

What’s your opinion?  there are people who have argued convincingly that the younger you start studying a foreign language, the more likely it is that you will achieve native-speaker proficiency.  This may be because it is believed that younger minds are more open to learning or simply because learners have longer to acquire the language.  Others, in turn, claim that there may be an ideal age when learning a foreign language is easiest,  in other words, that there is a critical period after which language learning is not likely to lead to full proficiency.  Naturally enough, there are also those e.g. Abrahamsson (1999), who argue that the age factor is not a major issue in learning a foreign language.

TASK TO DISCUSS Given your own knowledge of YLs, try and complete the following characteristics, identifying the key differences between the three different age groups and the implications for teaching. You may want to add to the list of characteristics (e.g. their experience of language in use; typical activities they enjoy) and to change the age groups to fit in with your local context. Characteristics  Experience of formal tuition 5 year-olds 8 year-olds 10 year-olds  Knowledge of the world 5 year-olds 8 year-olds 10 year-olds  Ability to read and write 5 year-olds 8 year-olds 10 year-olds Compare what otherS had written. Reflect why you and they may have written different things.  Ability to read and write 5 year-olds 8 year-olds 10 year-olds Compare what otherS had written. Reflect why you and they may have written different things.

Characteristics (An experienced YL teacher's response ) Experience of formal tuition 5 year-olds -no school readiness skills -no experience of formal tuition -only in pre-school or kindergarten context which does not follow 'formal' tuition 8 year-olds -some have had 2 years of primary school -learning to read and to write, etc. -some school readiness 10 year-olds -complete or completing primary school -4 years of formal education -because of above, expectations with regards to teachers/learning, etc. -awareness of how to behave Knowledge of the world 5 year-olds Limited - depends on home background 8 year-olds Some but still mainly concerned to own reality 10 year-olds More extensive - influenced by educational process/outside factors, etc. Ability to read and write 5 year-olds Not able to or beginning to learn 8 year-olds Confident but for some still very much in the learning process 10 year-olds Proficient