Natalia Fabisz – linguistics and beyond

It is common knowledge that young learners participate in foreign language lessons more keenly and briskly than adolescents. Moreover, they are eager to take part in exercises even if they do not quite apprehend what it is for, or what is the precise manner they ought to do it in. In addition, it is more important for them to make teachers happy rather than show off. On the other, hand their attention span is much shorter, which makes them uninterested faster than older learners. Moreover, if they find a task too difficult, children are not usually persistent enough to solve it on their own. They also do not possess sufficient schemata to benefit from metalinguistic explanation.

One other advantage of learning a foreign language in young age is children’s evident willingness to try to talk in the target language which is useful when it comes to acquiring pronunciation (Lynne 2001:1).

Child not only can learn directly from instruction, but also indirectly through interacting with others from what they can interact with. That is why the majority of tasks for young learners ought to contain movement and stimulate various senses. Using different activities by child in acquiring foreign language is a crucial factor which makes his learning fun (Scott and Ytreberg 1990:5).

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The third presented theory is closely connected with Vygotsky’s view that interaction and language learning are correlated with expansion of awareness and comprehension (Brumfit, 1995:3).

He presents a new idea named LASS which stands for Language Acquisition Support System. Brumfit, Moon and Tongue (1995:3).

“Burner is one of the most notable contemporary exponents of the view that children’s language and learning development takes place through the process of social interaction. […] Burner proposed that for language development there needs to be a child component, incorporating an innate propensity for active social interaction and language learning, together with an adult support and help component. The international partner provides a structure of framework which Burner referred to as scaffolding”.

This idea is possible thanks to the concepts which Bruner named as: formats and routines which by combination of a well – known situation with anticipation of something new enable scaffolding to occur (Lynne 2001: 9). Language that child produces during the routine is known, however a new situation which may not be easy to predict, gives opportunity for child to produce his own chunks of language. This space perfectly corresponds with Vygotsky’s ZPD, and what is more, Bruner adds that routines and their tuning with “the new” provides chances for cognitive development. Recognizable situations provide chances for linguistic improvement, additionally allowing child to develop languages. In other words, routines serve as opportunities for expanding knowledge (Lynne 2001:11).

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A theory that focuses on child’s development, emphasises different aspects of child’s development in comparison with Piaget’s one. The second year of child’s cognitive development is thought to be crucial. It is then when child commences to use language, which provides him with an instrument allowing him to interact and arrange new knowledge. At first child uses language mainly to obtain help, which an adult may give, or a hint the solve a problem. According to Vygotsky it is the hinting, not helping that contributes to its learning most efficiently (Lynne 2001:5).

This led to his inventing of a theory called ZPD which Brumfit and Tongue (1995: 271) named as: “ the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem-solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem- solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”.

Exemplifying the role of ZPD Vygotsky portrays an image of teacher who ought to provide learners with an exemplary phrases or structures which would serve as a basis for learning. Encouraging students to make a similar sentence the teacher can ask for feedback. In case of emerging ZPD hints ought to be given from which different students should benefit (Lynne 2001:6).

In this view child is perceived as the first and foremost cooperating with other people. Only with time and progress does child start being independent rather that reliant on others. What is more, Vygotsky maintains that guidance and teaching are vital when it comes to assisting child to learn to focus its attention and acquire knowledge effectively (Brumfit, et al 1995:8).

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