Chapter 1.

The role of teaching primary school learners

1.1. Why is teaching children important?

English language is crucial for children to learn. Teaching English from the very
beginning will help children with communication and reading skills. By possessing proper
English skills, older learners will be able to understand more complex works and to write
effectively. The knowledge of proper English will help young learners to achieve more in
different fields of their lives. As English has become one of the prime languages in the entire
world, foreign language teachers should pay attention to develop their young learners’
language abilities.
The theory of Second Language Acquisition is vital to be described as an answer to the
question why teaching children is significant. The subject has been discussed a lot in recent
times. Krashen’s theory has had a huge impact on foreign language teaching since the 1980s.
Krashen states that “Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language –
natural communication – in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their
utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding.” 1 Krashen defines
differences between ‘acquisition’ (developing competence by using language for ‘real
communication’) and ‘learning’ which is defined as ‘knowing about’ or ‘formal language.’ 2
According to the author, ‘the acquired system’ and ‘the learned system’ appear as two
independent systems of second language performance. ‘The acquired system’ or ‘acquisition’
is the product of subconscious processes which are close to children’s ability of acquiring
their first language in a natural way.3 On the contrary, ‘the learned system’ is the product of
formal teaching and learning which is a conscious process and it results in conscious
knowledge about the language. “Formal teaching is necessary for ‘learning’ to occur, and
correction of errors helps with the development of learned rules. Learning, according to this
theory, cannot lead to acquisition.”4
Another important matter connected with Second Language Acquisition is the Critical
Period Hypothesis, developed by Eric Lenneberg, which is a limited developmental period
during which learners are able to acquire a language. If a learner misses this period, it might

1
S. Krashen, Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning, Oxford University Press, Oxford
1981, p. 18
2
Ibid, p. 26
3
Ibid, p. 27
4
Richards, Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
2001, p.13
be not possible to acquire a language to the native-like levels any more. 5 Noam Chomsky, an
American linguist, referred to this theory claiming that language learners possess innate
principles building a ‘Language Acquisition Device’ (LAD) in the brain mentioning
“universal grammar” in first language and second language acquisition. The Chomsky’s
theory explains that there are some universal laws concerning all human languages. 6
Chomsky’s idea rejected the structural linguistic point of view which states that language is
treated as a habit. “Chomsky viewed language as a generative process existing innately in the
human brain and based on syntax, which consisted of a surface structure, or the apparent form
of an utterance, and a deep structure, the mental concept underlying a particular semantic
interpretation.”7 The end of the critical period, connected with a kind of neurological change
based on losing plasticity in brain and hemispheric specialization, comes to the age of
puberty. It proves that some learners who learn a language after the Critical Period Hypothesis
may not learn a language properly when it comes to pronunciation.8
Children have a possibility become the best learners as their abilities help them to acquire
a language, which means that young students could learn a language subconsciously and more
easily develop skills in their further education.

5
A. James, J. Leather, W. de Gruyter, Second-language Speech: Structure and Process. Foris Publications,
Berlin 1997, p. 147
6
W. Klein, Second Language Acquisition. CUP, Cambridge 2003, p. 6
7
E. Hinkel, S. Fotos, New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Publishers, Mahwah, New Jersey 2002, p. 3
8
A. James, J. Leather, W. de Gruyter, Second-language Speech: Structure and Process. Foris Publications,
Berlin 1997, p. 148