How Do Children Learn English Effectively?

When is the best time to start learning English and what is the best method for children? Dr Nguyen Minh Duc, Head of the School Consulting Centre under the Vietnam Education Management Institute; Mr Gavan Iacono, General Director of Language Link Vietnam; and Hoang Hai Linh, 9^th grade student at Hanoi - Amsterdam Gifted School, spoke on this topic. Thu Huyen reports.

 

- Mr Gavan Iacono: In my opinion, the best ages for a kid to start learning English are from five to seven. International research shows learning English at a young age not only has no effect on the ability to learn Vietnamese, but can also help the student speak their mother tongue more logically. The age to learn a foreign language best and quickest is under 10. Beginning later will require more time for study, because comprehensibility is slower. Therefore, many parents send their children to English classes at pre-school age.

 

- Hoang Hai Linh: At the age of 5, I studied English and Vietnamese at the same time. I started to play with English through pictures at a younger age. In think it is better for children to develop speaking and listening skills when they learn from native teachers. Learners must practice all four skills, namely speaking, listening, reading and writing, at the same time. The best way to practice listening is to watch movies or listen to music in English. Repeated sentence structures need to be noticed because they are common in English. A better way is directly communicating with foreigners.

 

- Dr Nguyen Minh Duc: Children’s potential intelligence should be stimulated before six years old. In addition to allowing children to take part in English teaching programmes, parents can help children learn English to a reasonable degree through English songs, poems and games associated with daily activities. When they go to kindergarten and primary school, parents can organise interactive games in English to help children strengthen communicative skills learned at school where children play an active role (playing as teachers, doctors, vendors, etc.) and parents play roles at their children’s discretion.

 

- Mr Gavan Iacono: In my opinion, there are no best books or bad books because students can learn and teachers can teach from any of them. But, to have a high study result, there is a need to intermingle books and methodologies fitting children’s physiological psychology, levels and objectives. Parents should avoid changing language centres or buying many different sets of books. Instead, they should carefully explore strengths, weaknesses, teachers, curricula and other factors about language centres before sending their children there. Here, children will have the opportunity to learn and practice with native teachers and peers. This helps them enhance reflection to English skills even if they do not go to international schools. I think English learning must be a constant and continuous process.

 

- Mr Gavan Iacono: Each family has different circumstances and parents, and must also take economic conditions into account when making decisions. However, if you can afford it, you should choose a high-quality centre from the beginning. This guarantees the connectivity of learning programmes and curricula. In addition, teachers at these centres are trained systematically and professionally and meet requirements of standard teaching programmes for students.

 

- Dr Nguyen Minh Duc:: If you cannot afford it, you can buy tapes and documents for your children to study English at home. If you can afford it, you should allow your kids to study with native speakers to learn listening and speaking and practise reflection to English and ways of speaking as natives. Parents should not think that basic knowledge means only certain vocabulary and grammar, but they should focus on practical skills like pronunciation, for confident and standard communication in English from the beginning.

 

- Mr Gavan Iacono: Children are typically hyperactive, energetic, hard to focus, passive to remember and unidirectional. The best way to make them get interested in English is having programmes that are relaxing. Learning and playing are better than only focusing on theory. Besides, music and games also help children feel that English is less boring. Language Link combines learning programmes with brief introductions of short stories, songs, cartoons and language games. This stimulates children to love studying and feel more confident with using English. Children are typically hyperactive, energetic, hard to focus, passive to remember and unidirectional. The best way to make them get interested in English is having programmes that are relaxing. Learning and playing are better than only focusing on theory. Besides, music and games also help children feel that English is less boring. Language Link combines learning programmes with brief introductions of short stories, songs, cartoons and language games. This stimulates children to love studying and feel more confident with using English.

- Dr Nguyen Minh Duc: First of all, you should find out why your children are not interested in the courses they took part in to overcome their problems with English. If classes are not suitable for your kids, you should try sending them to some extracurricular English learning programmes, especially which combine playing and learning. New teachers, new methods, new themes and new classmates will excite them. If the cause is psychological, you should allow your kids to study English on the basis of psychotherapy, like choosing classmates to learn in groups, choosing subjects or games they love to practice English. Do not force your kids to learn English by just rigidly memorising vocabulary and grammar.

 

- Mr Gavan Iacono: With the Pre-starters programme for preschool children, Language Link employs Vietnamese teaching assistants to organise class hours while foreigners play the primary role of teaching. Learners at school age study completely with foreign teachers. Parents should not be worried that their children cannot understand what foreign teachers teach.

 

Foreign teachers always stimulate active learning. If they do not understand something, they must use English to ask their teachers. Thereby, they will be accustomed to using English, feel more confident with English, and formulate active learning methods - something Vietnamese students miss. Language Link does not use Vietnamese teachers during class hours because it wants to create a rich speaking environment for learners. When they have confidence and active learning habits, they can absolutely proactively approach and exchange with foreign teachers at the centre, or with Vietnamese teachers at their schools about English issues.