Children Learning Patterns

[Niko]

First Language Learning by Children

It's always interesting to note the ways in which children learn, as opposed to the ways in which adults learn. By comparing both learning methods, and taking the best of both worlds, we can then teach second language learners in a more optimal way.

Children learn the fussy details through long exposure. By the time they are getting these details right most of the time, they have had years of passive experience. This allows them to sense that some phrasings do not "sound right".

Children can monitor their own speech and they need expend little conscious effort in mastering all these details. Second language learners ought to be able to learn the fussy details with no more struggle than children. However, second language learners don't have the luxury of time on their side, nor the daily exposure to the language being learnt.

In some ways, however, adult learners have advantages over children, and we ought to capitalise upon these advantages. The primary adult advantage would seem to lie in the ability to see the large picture. Broad patterns can be explained to adults and they can quickly grasp generalisations that might take long hours to induce from examples.

The English-speaking student of French can be told that adjectives follow nouns and that pronoun objects preceed verbs, and in this way he will avoid a good deal of puzzlement that might arise if he had examples. The nature of the gender system can be explained, but the details of which nouns are masculine and which are feminine can be left for slow, childlike absorption.

The nature of the tense system can be explained, but the multiplicity of irregular details in a language such as French can be left to a much more extended learning process.

The main objective for second language learners is to focus on communication skills rather than grammar skills. The grammar will slowly fall into place over time.

[rwall7943]

I teach both children and adults and it is very ture that all learn in different ways. For some adults it takes them longer to pick something up then children, children seem to me to like little sponges.

[Potter]

It's something that was proven: children have higher learning capacities than adults.
Some studies even suggest that 0-6 years is the most crucial period in the educational process.

[Tutor]

Studies have proven that children can easily grab knowledge quickly. Infact if started early children tend to grasp things very quickly.

Due to the freshness of mind and ability to relate children learn things more quickly than adults.

[cool ice]

Hmmm.... tell me something new. I think we all realise that children learn faster than adults.

Give a man another drink!

[reviewer]

However, adults have more patience with advanced concepts. With children, repetition is everything!