2016-07-21

Two different language environment.

TESOL 139th

Teacher : Jasmine

Name : AMANDA

Two different language environment.

I'm going to write my second language environment that I have experienced and my son's second language environment that what I give. And I will compare who's learning English environment is more successful and why.

Firstly, I am going to write my learning English experience. I have learned English after I became a middle-school student. I haven't learned English before. I even didn't know alphabet. But at the first of English class the teacher taught students greeting sentences like 'Hello','Hi, nice to meet you.', '	Nice meet you, too.'. I was very embarrassed because I thought that teacher would teach me from alphabet. So I found a  private educational institute to study English immediately.

That institute's way to teach English was Grammar-Translation method. They gave me textbooks and audio tapes which are matched my level. I had to listen audio tape from Monday to Friday about 30 minutes per day. In the audio tape there were two teachers. One was native teacher and the other was korean teacher. Native teacher just red dialogue and then korean teacher described meaning and grammar. I didn't need to repeat any English. I just listened and memorized words and grammar and then I had test. I felt boring but I did because I hoped get good score. I was a patient student. But many other my friends didn't keep learning because it was not interesting. I studied very hard, so I could get good score from school. They tested reading skill and grammar. I have studied English very hard for about 18 years but I always feel that I'm not good at English because I can't speak English fluently and I can't understand English article and movie very well.

Secondly, I am going to write my son's learning English environment that he has had. I have wanted that he acquire English, not learn. So after he was born, I have played a lot of children's English song CDs and some videos that matched his age. And I have red a lot of English books. I also gave him same Korean environment. But one big difference between English and Korean environment was I said in Korean. Sometimes I used English but not much. After he became 4 years, I am trying to talk in English as much as I can. And I am playing some games in English. Now he knows alphabet and many words. And sometimes he is saying some English words and Korean meanings. He is trying to express his thinking in English but there are many errors. I think if I used English equally like Korean, he would speak English more fluently. But I think this way is enough to acquire English.

Now, I am going to compare my second language environment and his.

First is the time. I listened only 30 mins but my son is listening more than 2 hours per day.

Second is the sound. I listened translated English and grammar explain. But he heard only English sound not mixed with Korean.

Third is the feeling. When I learned English, I felt boring, but my son looks happy. Because I played movies what he want and I used interesting games to teach English.

Fourth is the materials. I used only text books and audio sound what explained. There were no movie and game. But he use all kinds of materials. For example, songs, movies, picture, animal figures, paints, colored papers, scissors, glues, instruments, cook materials and so on.

Finally I want to say who's learning English environment is more successful and why.

As you can see I think my son's learning English environment is more effective. Because English is a language. I think purpose of learning language is communicating.

I have learned English for long time, but I have problem to communicate in English easily. I always nervous when I talk in English and I translate my thinking and I have no confidence.

But if my son is keep exposing this environment, I am sure that he can communicate easily and fluently. Because he is exposed unconscious sound and he feels happy when he use English.

I want to name my second language environment is grammar-translation method and my son's second language environment is communicative language teaching method.

So I think communicative language teaching method is more successful than grammar-translation method.

-Thanks for reading.*^^*-