- Published: September 23, 2022
- Updated: September 23, 2022
- University / College: Ohio University
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 39
The paper ” Education: What Is the Best Age to Start” is an exceptional example of an educational essay.
There is an intense debate among researchers regarding the appropriate age for learning. However, most of them are of the opinion that there exists a critical period for learning and I share similar belief regarding a specific age for learning. As second language instructors, it is essential to comprehend that there are various fundamental factors which affect L2 learning which includes: intelligence, aptitude, personality, motivation, learner preferences, learner believes and the most important element is of all is the age of acquisition.
As discussed in the previous lectures, there are two main ways in which people learn a second language i. e. simultaneously or sequentially. Learners who start learning a second language at an early age i. e. age 3 years and under and are exposed to two languages at the same time are referred to as Simultaneous learners. The question to be taken into consideration in this context is “ Whether young learners are better than the adult learners in terms of acquisition of a second language?” To answer this question, the issue of L2 learning must be looked at from diverse perspectives”. Such a question needs careful deliberation on the part of second language teachers and must not be answered hastily with a “ Yes” or a “ No”.
From my previous experience in English teaching for intermediate, high school and at the university, I have observed that adult learners learn and develop faster in aspects such as syntax and morphology. While in terms of speaking and imitating native speakers, the younger learners behaved as semi-natives when exposed to a second language in during their early stages of learning. I specifically recollect a personal experience of one of my cousins – a young child barely two and a half years old; who always watched English movies and animations. She displayed remarkable speaking skills and was able to response respond in fluently in English however, after enrolling her in a school where she had the opportunity of formally learning the language she found it so difficult to cope or grasp the language. At the same time, her older brother: a 15-year-old had no such difficulty and could grasp the technicalities of English grammar but could speak with an accent as his sister acquired from watching movies and children’s cartoons.