T HE B RAIN & THE L ANGUAGE L EARNER

How do babies learn differently from us?

Why do some of us find it more difficult to learn a new language as we get older?

How do babies learn a new language ? Celestial Openness Their brains are empty or “fresh” They have the capacity to learn and take on whatever is in front of them They learn by making associations between sounds and objects or actions around them They learn by making hypotheses The process of making hypothesis and association gives meaning to their world. Language is a tool for babies in defining the world around them.

What happens in our brain as we are learning and using a new language? Activations and development of different areas of the brain Auditory  sound acquisition in early years Coherency Sensory Causality Emotions  assocations Other areas in our brain will also be activated as we try to learn more by making association with the sounds and words in a new language

Language learning slows down after we turn one… WHY?

How do we learn a new language differently? we are no longer in the discovery stage We no longer make association and hypotheses the same way babies do we are governed by the patterns in our memories learned to focus on repeated pattern Patterns such as sounds, grammar, visual of characters our brain is NOT FRESH

When we learn a new language often requires rewiring of our brain and relearning new patterns. Learning the “L” sound for Japanese Our brains have gotten so used to the patterns we know that other areas in our brain have been left inactive for years. the area in the brain that distinguish “L” sound for Japanese This is why it is difficult for us to acquire the correct sound of a new language.

This is why Young children are more effective language learners than older learners Children learn second languages quickly and easily The younger the child the more skilled in acquiring a second language Agreed?

Wait… What about bilinguals? What about people who mastered a second language whilst studying or working abroad? What about others who acquired a foreign language after their twenties from their husband/wife?

Common Myths Young children are more effective language learners than older learners Children have “fresh brain” Only limited sound acquisition Children learn second languages quickly and easily Language ability and vocabulary required from them is much lower Conversation topics are limited The younger the child the more skilled in acquiring a second language Only in acquiring elementary level oral skills adults and adolescents actually perform better because they understand the structure and rules of the language better

Immersion VS learning the rules In a study by a group of Swedish scientists 2 groups of students are taught an artificial language One group was learned the language through reading and studying about the rules (controlled group) The other group of students learned the language simple through immersion at home Results… Immersed learners perform better

Immersion VS learning the rules The brain processes of immersed learners when using the new language is more native-like. Immersed learners perform better and retain more information The way they learned the new language is similar to how they learned their own mother language as babies Constant exposure to the new language Constant practice, usage, and chances of making mistakes Only refer to the books and rules as a secondary resource Able to learn and use the new language in an interactive and social way that is able to utilize and activate multiple parts of their brains reinforce the information and skill in a more natural way.

What is the key finding that the study and both videos have talked about? It takes other human beings to help us learn It is the social brain that controls language learning It is a means of communication, not a box of rules People and human interaction is the essential key

What does it mean for us? Let people do the talking We need to include and put more emphasis on human interaction Put the communication back into our learning routine Teacher – student / reading grammar rules from a book are NOT communication It’s turkey!

What does it mean for us? What we need to do is activate the inactive parts of our brains Immerse ourselves in the language Use whatever method we find effective for ourselves (everyone has different learning style) Make assocations Use stories, songs TV, movies, anime, manga Use our mother tongue to reinforce our communicating when needed Embrace the fact that mistakes will and should happen Mistakes are the best teachers! Believe in yourself and your students

Yes you can!