Features of the acquisition of a foreign language by children at the preoperative stage of cognitive development

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Features of the acquisition of a foreign language by children at the preoperative stage of cognitive development

А.М. Климчук,

м. Київ, Україна / A. Klymchuk, Kyiv, Ukraine

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ ІНШОМОВНОЇ КОМУНІКАТИВНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ У ДІТЕЙ НА ПЕРЕД ОПЕРАТИВНОГО ЕТАПІ КОГНІТИВНОГО РОЗВИТКУ

Анотація. У статті розглянуті теоретичні та практичні аспекти формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності у дітей на перед оперативному етапі когнітивного розвитку. Шляхом аналізу попередніх психологічних та педагогічних досліджень, проаналізовані особливості формування навичок іншомовного мовлення у дітей перед оперативного етапу когнітивного розвитку. Метою дослідження є обґрунтувати теоретичні аспекти формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності дітьми на перед оперативному етапі когнітивного розвитку, врахувавши особливості їх розвитку, проаналізувати практичні аспекти на кожному з етапів комунікативного розвитку та довести доцільність створення позитивної та заохочувальної до навчання атмосфери в класі. Актуальність дослідження зумовлена широкою зацікавленістю серед педагогів та вчених сьогодення, а також пов'язана з сучасними світовими тенденціями до розвитку ранньої освіти та вивчення іноземних мов у ранньому віці. Наведені приклади формування у дітей навичок іншомовного мовлення шляхом впровадження стратегій ініціювання, повторення та спонукання до іноземного мовлення. Представлені основні етапи комунікативного розвитку, особливості формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності та запропоновані шляхи імплементацій методів та прийомів, покликаних оптимізувати процес вивчення іноземної мови. Доведено ефективність створення позитивної та заохочувальної до навчання атмосфери у процесі формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності у дітей на перед оперативному етапі когнітивного розвитку.

Ключові слова: когнітивний розвиток, комунікативна компетентність, перед оперативний етап, ранній розвиток, іншомовне мовлення, позитивне середовище навчання.

Annotation. This article touches upon a variety of the foreign language acquisition aspects as well as pedagogical and psychological peculiarities of teaching a foreign language to young learners. The aim of the article is to substantiate the theoretical aspects and peculiarities of the foreign language acquisition by children at pre- operational stage of cognitive development, to analyze the practical aspects at each stage of communicative development and to put an emphasis on a significant role of creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere in classroom. In the course of the article several important teaching strategies and techniques were suggested to put into practice of the foreign language teaching in order to create positive environment and encourage children for the further language learning. Applying techniques and strategies which are relevant to their communicative development are regarded crucial in teaching young learners and is aimed to be one of the essential requirements. By means of comparative analysis different stages of cognitive development were analyzed and proved to be essential to take into consideration in the process of the foreign language teaching. The research is updated as it concerns the current problems of pedagogical science which remain unchanged. The number of creative tasks and significant methodological issues were provided for in order to optimize the studying process and to improve the communicative skills of the learner.

Key words: foreign language acquisition, young learners, cognitive development, techniques, positive learning environment.

communicative competence foreign language class

The second language acquisition process is a particular developmental pathway and cognitively challenging stage in the intellectual development of a young learner. Many famous scientists and linguists such as L. Vygotsky, N. Chomsky, G. Doman, Bill VanPatten's, Stephen Krashens and others were investigating the problems of the second language acquisition at the preschool age and nowadays it is still one of the most significant issues in the scientific field. The early language teaching has acquired new tasks and goals nowadays therefore we consider the topic of the article to be updated.

The aim of the research is to substantiate the theoretical aspects and peculiarities of the foreign language acquisition by children at pre-operational stage of cognitive development, to analyze the practical aspects at each stage of communicative development and to put an emphasis on a significant role of creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere in classroom.

There are two variables related to second-language acquisition and age: cognitive capacity and cognitive demand. Swiss psychologist and scientist, Jean Piaget, known for his great contribution to the studying of children's cognitive development, distinguishes four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor stage (from birth to the age of two years old), pre-operational stage (2-7 years old), concrete operational (7-12 years old) and formal operational stage (12 years old and on) [1].

Doctor of Education at Saint Mary's University in Canada, Mary Ashworth, has described children's cognitive abilities to acquire a language at this age by such words: "Perhaps the most fascinating way that children use language to explore and expand their knowledge of the world is through imaginary play. Most children at this stage willingly engage in "pretend" activities...They freely use past experiences, substitutions, predictions and conjectures. The world they create is vivid, exciting and engrossing" [2; 28].

Among young learners there are two types of second-language acquisition: simultaneous, when young children are exposed to two languages from birth, and sequential acquisition, when children learn a foreign language after the basis for their first language has been established. In this article we will proceed with sequential language acquisition as simultaneous acquisition is none of our interest. Three major factors: an aptitude factor, a social and a psychological factor make difference in second-language acquisition and should be taken into consideration as individual characteristics of young children may play an important role [3; 12-13].

Moreover, being placed in a foreign language environment, a child may face a period called by researchers as the silent or mute period. The following phenomenon had been described as one of the observation made by the Canadian ESL teacher: "Some children maintain complete silence, sometimes in both languages, until they feel comfortable in the strange surroundings. This silence should not be misunderstood; it is probably the silence of stress rather than a silence that indicates inherent difficulties in learning". The researcher affirms that upon their first arrival to a preschool or school young learners should not be required, but encouraged to respond, "when they are comfortable making one kind of response, encourage them to extend their language to include others". The following psychological and pedagogical recommendations can be useful to apply during the mute period. For example, try not to hurry up the child, most of the young learners prefer to watch classroom activities quietly for a while. They will join in gradually, however, it is important to show awareness of the child's presence - talk to him often, smile at him frequently, and draw his attention to new things. As many researchers remark "this will help avoid the unpleasant feeling recalled by many older students - the sense that they were "invisible" at this stage of their adjustment" [2].

Puppets are considered to be a sort of mask a child might hide behind. Using puppets at the lessons will give children a feeling of being safe especially at the first stage of language acquisition when the youngster's speech is hesitant. The investigations show that children who refused to utter a word in foreign language can become quite loquacious once puppets appear in their hands.

By using body language, the teacher helps a second-language learning child to understand what he is saying. Patton O. Tabors calls this technique buttressing communication. When a teacher's speech is supplemented by gestures it helps a learner to grasp the meaning of the delivered message. In addition to buttressing communication, Dr. Tabors suggests using repetition as an efficient technique in communication with second-language learners or fine tuning which means reiteration of the message in a much more comprehensible way. Since children are capable to demonstrate certain language skills a teacher comes to the point when there is a strong need to "up the ante" or in other words "insist on verbal communication". It is highly recommended to combine all techniques mentioned above, as they cannot be used separately and usually are applicable according to the given situation [3].

Returning to the foreign language acquisition process let us reveal the basic stages of young learner's communicative development. After having gathered the data concerning a new language eventually children face the need to use this language in diverse communicative situations. At this stage they undertake using so-called telegraphic speech, which "refers to the use of a few content words as an entire utterance...also typical of a period of acquisitionРозділ 2 by very young children learning their first language". Telegraphic speech is based on a simple naming of objects and their identification. A typical question that a teacher will ask to involve a child into a primitive dialogue is "What is it?". The next step in developing a child's telegraphic speech is an extension of his vocabulary by supplying with more words. For example, "What is it?" - "A plate" and then elicit the answer by asking "Is it a clean or a dirty plate?" - "A dirty plate".

Using these strategies, initiating, repeating and provoking children's answers in order to create a communicative situation, where a child is capable to use such basic skills as counting, naming objects, identifying colours and others using a foreign language, make it possible for a child to start using formulaic speech.

Formulaic speech is determined as unanalyzed chunks or fixed phrases which can be used by young learners in same situations as they have heard them using before by others. These are usually word combinations, exclamations and conversational speech formulas.

Dr. Patton O. Tabors, who directed a research in American preschool educational establishments, describes the process of foreign language acquisition by young learners. Dr. Tabors points out formulaic speech and admits that "These high-utility words were extremely helpful in getting the second-language learners in to and out of social situations in the classroom" [5].

Since preschool children have already acquired a number of vocabulary items the process of productive language use takes its place. At this stage young learners start building their own sentences instead of using only formulaic speech or simple names of the objects. We consider it to be the most creative stage in the whole process of foreign language acquisition because from now and then children use all their knowledge to make guesses about a new language construction. Patton O. Tabors admits, that "children learning a second language do not move discretely from one period to the next...young children add skills to their repertoire but maintain the previous techniques as well" [3; 69].

Noam Chomsky in his book "Aspects of the Theory of Syntax" analyzes the empiricist and rationalist approaches of language acquisition. In one of the chapters called "Linguistic Theory and Language Learning" N. Chomsky recalls Humboldt's view of this problem ".one cannot really teach language but can only present the conditions under which it will develop spontaneously in the mind in its own way". Though philosophical and linguistic aspects are not the matter of this paper, it is worth mentioning that conditions are significant in organizing a foreign language learning process [4; 51]. Therefore, the wise foreign language teacher will create an atmosphere in which the initial efforts of new utterances are welcomed, encouraged and surrounded by positive attitude and attention.

There has been a thought that even a teacher's communication style has an enormous influence on the efficacy of a learner. It is however one of the crucial though delicate points that every teacher should be aware of. Since children have started learning a new language they need to experience success and have a sense of self-esteem which can be provided by accepting positive atmosphere in a classroom.

Speaking about positive language one of the most popular on-line resources for teaching American English encourages teachers to foster appropriate body language and tone of the voice: "Project positivity with relaxed, open body language. Use a calm, warm, and professional tone of voice that is age-appropriate for our students. Speak in an authentic way even if you slow your speech rate down a bit for lower levels" [6].

Taking into consideration cognitive peculiarities of pre-operational stage of children's cognitive development in particular predomination of egocentric thinking we should admit that learning a foreign language is more efficient when preschool learners are engaged in activities that interest them, "in which they are eager to participate and in which they must interact with other children" [2].

Consequently, celebration activities could be incorporated into the school routine. These activities are usually going together with dressing-up, music, art, drama and could require prior preparation. It gives young learners the opportunities to share their knowledge about customs and traditions they experience at home and which are of their personal interest. One of the examples is a widespread practice to organize cooking classes when children are encouraged to broaden their knowledge about particular dishes, products, health and nutritional values of food. Other festival and holiday celebrations involve children into a variety of activities where they acquire the same knowledge as they were supposed to in a completely different environment.

It is a common knowledge that children learn best through play, games, make-believe, story-telling and songs. Due to the "easy nature" of these activities young learners do not undertake stress on the contrary the positive atmosphere of play stimulates the imagination and can be extended into almost every aspect of children's intellectual growth and development.

Sharing stories makes an ideal bridge into a positive learning environment, it is also considered to be an implicit way to encourage children to ask and answer information and interpretive questions. Notice, that every response, no matter how weird, deserves acceptance and respect. If their responses are treated this way, children will eventually become comfortable, trusting, open, and eager to explore and discover a new language. Furthermore, the sound of children's laughter sparkled by humorous text or pictures represents more than amusement. It's also anindication of their growing self-confidence and enjoyment. The way children expand and extend to the new information they receive depends on the opportunities, stimulation and encouragement received from adults and the learning environment [2].

On the whole the process of teaching young learners a foreign language is always challenging and requires many efforts to make it natural and interactive for a child. It encompasses different theoretical and practical aspects which should be taken into consideration by a foreign language teacher. The awareness of cognitive development and communicative skills of a child provides with a significant knowledge about his language abilities and facilitates the process of foreign language acquisition. The following analysis of different stages of foreign language acquisition allows us to conclude that teaching young learners requires applying techniques and strategies which are relevant to their communicative development. Hence, creating a positive environment in a foreign language classroom is crucial factor for the future language learning especially at first when children may experience silent or mute period in their communicative development.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.Jean Piaget Six йtudes de psychologie. - Folio essais, 1964.

2.Ashworth, Mary Teaching the world's children: ESL for ages three to seven/Mary Ashworth, H. Patricia Walefield. - 2nd-ed. - Pippin Publishing Corporation, 2004. - 84 c.

3.Tabors, Patton O. One child, two languages: a guide for preschool educators of children learning English as a second language. - Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co, 1997. - 195.

4.Noam Chomsky Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. - The M.I.T. Press, 1965. - 261 pp.

5.https://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/WhatECENeedToKnow.pdf

6.https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resourcefiles/topic 4 - positivelanguage final.pdf

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