THE BRAIN &THE LANGUAGE
LEARNER
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!