In many other countries, learning a language is compulsory until the final year of schooling. In contrast, Australian students may study a language other than English in primary or secondary school but few actually continue language study once they are able to tailor their subject choices in their senior years. Learning a foreign language should most definitely be compulsory at all Australian schools. Being bilingual makes children smarter, foreign language skills give teenagers more job and university prospects, and foreign language skills provide more opportunities for children.
Firstly, learning a foreign language should be compulsory in Australian schools because it makes children smarter earlier on. As reported in the New York Times article titled Why Bilinguals Are Smarter, “Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.” Victoria is
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Language study will not only provide your child with the skills to speak, write and read a foreign language, but will typically also give insight into the history and culture of societies where the language is used. This can broaden your child’s view of the world and open their eyes to cultures and societies outside of Australia. It can provide opportunities for international travel: Learning a second language can offer students a number of opportunities for international study. This may mean embarking on an exchange trip in secondary school (taking the opportunity to study at a sister school, for example) or completing a semester abroad or a student exchange program in tertiary years. These programs can be highly competitive, so speaking another language may not only increase your child’s chances of selection but also means they are not limited to an English-speaking country or courses conducted in
Bilingualism can be defined as the ability to speak and/or write in two languages. In Australia English is the main language although in 1996, statistics show that 15% (2.5 million people) of the Australian population communicate in a language other than English at home and 42% of the population is born overseas (Australian Bureau Statistics, 1996). Most recently there are around 22 million Australians that speak in approximately 400 different languages (Australian Bureau Statistics, 2009). These statistics highlight the fact that there is an increasing rate of people who communicate in more than one language hence language is increasingly changing throughout society (Arthur, 2001). This suggests the need for support and understanding of bilingualism within children, families and the community.
When a baby is born, he/she comes into this world eager to learn. Always taking in information and absorbing it like a new computer. Every experience he/she encounters could possibly stick in that baby’s mind. However, some of the things that a child hears or perceives can either benefit or corrupt their learning. Teaching a child a second language has the same concept as putting in new software in a computer. Many advantages come with a safe and powerful computer and the same would come with knowing a second language. If a child was not taught a second language in their early years, that child might be at a disadvantage in their future, and as that child grows up not knowing a second language could potentially hold him/her back with grades and obtaining a job. Knowing a second language can benefit from those things and can also help with keeping strong ties with their family, culture, community, and even music.
That can benefit you because you won’t have to struggle later on when you’re trying to find a job. Many federal agencies and geographical regions asset the knowledge of a foreign language. Foreign languages can help you when communicating with witnesses or clients who speak a different language. Police
Exposing children to different cultures is necessary, and our culture needs to face that soon. It is proven that foreign language study can create more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward different cultures, which shows just how important foreign language really is (Latimer). Additionally, international travel is made a lot simpler (Latimer). Not to mention, speaking a foreign language can help to save money and improve a person's overall experience during their travels. Plus, foreign language can lead to appreciation of cultural diversity, which is much needed in
It has become common knowledge that the United States is falling behind the rest of the world. Economically, Industrially, and educationally, the rest of the world pushes forward and welcomes change while the United States clings to what it has known for decades. One of the largest gaps between the US and the rest of the world is its policy about second languages, and it puts the US at a disadvantage. Those who oppose change believe the US can better itself without making secondary language learning mandatory; they argue that it will cost more money, “turn students off” to learning a second language entirely, and that the benefits are not worth the costs. Unless a change is made in the United States’ language education, the country will continue to fall behind. Making learning a second language mandatory not only helps students, but the country as a whole by “raising the bar” and improving the country’s competitiveness with the rest of the world.
Spanish should not be a language American schools require because as many know, Spanish is not the only other language; yet we have all been told we are required to take Spanish as our foreign language. Well, there are a lot of faults with what we have been told. We have also been deprived of some information about why we have to learn Spanish. There are so many other languages to learn, others more important and useful. Not only more important and useful, but also with not learning Spanish, it will make life easier and not as stressful.
In my opinion, the monolingual approach is a more applicable language model program than bilingual education in most Australian early years settings, especially in those culturally diverse communities. With the rich language diversity in Australia today, it is impossible to ensure every child in the classroom share the same home language. If bilingual education is to be applied in the early years settings, how could educators ensure the inclusion of children without English background? For ELs to be successfully integrated, educators should ensure the provision of high quality teaching practices. López & Iribarren (2014) demonstrate that teachers create engaging learning opportunities for ELs by building on children’ prior knowledge and valuing their native language as a resource that could be used by students.
Bilingual education is important to enforce in schools because it not only helps students but their parents as well. Since their first language is not English, bilingual education will really help them because it not only helps them succeed in mainstream classes that give instructions in English, but also aims to preserve the native language as on is mastering English; they cannot learn if they do not understand what the teacher or professor is saying.
These children success is good evidence for bilingual education. “Many parents are not committed to having the schools maintain the mother tongue if it is at the expense of gaining a sound education and the English-language skills needed for obtaining jobs or pursuing higher education.” When asked about if people support bilingual education, 60 to 99 percent of respondent’s teachers and parents say they support it. “In a series of studies, Shin (Shin, 1994; Shin & Gribbons, 1996) examined attitudes toward the principles underlying bilingual education. Shin found that many respondents agree with the idea that the first language can be helpful in providing background knowledge, most agree that literacy transfers across languages, and most support the principles underlying continuing bilingual education (economic and cognitive advantages).” People that are opposed to bilingual education is most likely more less than the results say, people who say they are opposed are actually only opposed to certain practices such as inappropriate placement of children or are opposed to regulations connected such as forcing teachers to acquire another language to keep their
Speaking a language other than your mother tongue opens a door onto the world. Becoming proficient in a foreign tongue equates to a wider range of options in love, career, and friendships.
Of course, opponents of mandatory foreign language courses will say that immigrants and naturalized citizens should learn and speak the "de facto" official language of the United States--English. It is a valid point, but misses the bigger picture. People who speak English as a second language are already bilingual, while American-born students typically are not. Language is the most fundamental aspect of a culture. Students who learn the not-so-foreign language of the predominant minority group in their region of the country will gain at least some insight into the different cultures of their neighbors and perhaps have a better understanding of them at the personal level.
Therefore, this is able to encourage the ability to communicate and appreciate the depth and diversity of the world. Communication with two different countries, or three, or four, will further bring the world closer together, in hopes of closing the divide between some countries. By learning a second language, it can significantly broaden your native language as it gives you stronger vocabulary skills, improved literacy skills and a better understanding of the grammar and construction of your own native language. Furthermore, this can help you in other educational studies. Though it is possible to travel to another country without acquiring the native language, the experience you will have is greatly diminished as you will not see beyond the surface of their culture. Additionally, knowing the native language makes travelling easier, by being able to order meals in restaurants, ask and understand directions. Additionally, it makes it easier to find accommodation, it’s more enjoyable, informative and more satisfying. You are able to further understand and appreciate international literature, music and films, by being able to understand word plays, innuendoes, cultural references, metaphors and further improve your ability to speak the
At this juncture, the importance of learning a second language becomes compulsory. Hence, learning a second language helps you to communicate across the world to conduct business, learning education, exporting and importing things from one nation to another nation. In addition to that, the importance of second language learning emphasized everyday when we see the diversity of world cultures that make up all human beings as global communication.
In 2009, teachers of a New Jersey school banned foreign languages and stated, “any language other than English will not be tolerated" (Debaron 1). This situation was soon no longer allowed. While over ten percent of the total adolescent education systems contain emergent bilinguals, a whopping sixty percent of those students are educated in only English (Bale). Maria Estela Brisk, a Boston College Education professor, believes, “schools has wasted much energy in the search for a "perfect" model and the best way to learn English” when they could just focus on proving “quality education” to every student in the system (1). Teacher’s main priority should consist of effectively teaching their students to prepare them for the future, but currently there are a lack of certified bilingual education teachers. When students are taught more in different ways, they can educationally benefit their cognitive abilities, involving the brain with “mathematics, problem solving, logic and memory”, can be improved to create an overall better student. Even by learning another language at a earlier age can contribute to __________. Learning another language will be
I offer several groups of these benefits below, which may help to convince you to take the plunge, if you need such persuasion. One groups of benefits represent economic and practical reasons, others have intellectual and even sentimental content, but whatever reasons you choose, you will have a clear idea of why learning foreign language so important and how it can help to motivate you in your studies. First group is personal benefits. Learning foreign language, people develop their brain`s capabilities, in particular your memory. The researchers from University College London has shown that learning other languages altered grey matter – the area of the brain which processes information – in the same way exercise builds muscles.