Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
It is believed by some professionals that
children
should start learning other than their mother tongue in elementary school
instead
of waiting until middle school
to introduce a foreign language
. Although
this
might be confusing and stressful for youngsters, it definitely contributes to enhancing their linguistic skills. In my view, I believe that the perks overshadow the cons.
On the one hand, the greatest benefit of introducing a foreign language
in the primary school
curricula is that the students' potential to master a language
at such
a young age
is really high compared to those in secondary school
. Primary students are not as self-conscience as they are in their teenage years, so they are not afraid to practice out loud and be judged on their mistakes. For example
, my niece started learning french at a private elementary school
and he is way more fluent now compared to me when I was his age
because he has all the time to practice and learn from his mistakes. Therefore
, introducing a foreign language
at such
young age
rather than in the secondary school
allows pupils to significantly develop their linguistic skills.
On the other hand
, one of the main disadvantages of this
trend is that it might be extra pressure on children
with all the school
subjects they have to study. In other words
, some pupils are already struggling to cope with the stress of learning all of that being taught at once, hence
, adding a foreign language
can be overwhelming and raise a feeling of disappointment and resentment. For instance
, children
might fail and get confused trying to learn other than their mother tongue making them hate going to school
since they will relate that place to stress and pressure. Consequently
, teaching a foreign language
at primary school
rather than secondary school
may be detrimental for children
.
To conclude, Some experts deem that adopting more than one language
in primary school
instead
of postponing it to secondary school
is way more beneficial for students. In my belief, despite the possible pressure children
might have to bear, it doesn't hold much significance compared to the linguistic experience gained at such
young age
.Submitted by majdouline.azouzoute on
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