Early GFL Learning – German as a Foreign Language in Kindergartens and Primary Schools
Children in a kindergarten in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, where the German language is taught at an early age. Copyright: picture-alliance/ dpaLearning the first foreign language at the age of four? In Eastern Europe, in particular, more and more children are learning German in kindergartens and primary schools. Acquisition of a foreign language at an early age is regarded as a definite advantage.
“Interest in the early learning of German is growing throughout the world, particularly in Eastern Europe,” says Beate Widlok, GFL expert at Goethe Institute. Every day enquiries pour into the Institute: since setting up a special primary-school department in 1990, it has in store an abundance of information, material and offers for interested teachers and educators. “We would like to see early acquisition of a foreign language become the standard throughout the world,” says Ms. Widlok. In recent years much has happened, particularly in countries with a great affinity to German. “In Croatia alone there are meanwhile 15 kindergartens that operate all day in the German language with the children.” Above all in Central-East and South-East Europe, for example in Estonia and Hungary, the demand is growing rapidly. In Japan German is gradually expanding from the university sector into the school sector. “From Uruguay, via Australia, Egypt and right up to Finland, small islands of learning German are emerging,” according to Ms Widlok. Yet it is not always easy for the German language: “English is, of course, always the first choice, and due to its dominance it often diminishes the interest in learning other foreign languages.”
Early practice makes perfect
In the kindergarten “Spatzenhaus” in Frankfurt (Oder) children get to know the Polish language. Copyright; picture-alliance/ dpaIn her desire for general recognition of the benefits of early language learning, the expert from Goethe Institute does not restrict her concern merely to the promotion of the German language. “We welcome all foreign-language projects in the elementary sector.”
With good reason: linguistic researchers believe that the best time frame for learning languages is between the ages of three and five. For during this time the brain is developing rapidly and the nerves are forming a complex network of connections. Eclectic and varied experiences at an early age stimulate the synapse formation and strengthen the usage of intellectual potential. Thus children who grow up with more than one language have proved to be more flexible and competent in their perception. And they are able to learn further languages more easily than children who grew up in a monolingual environment. Moreover, language lessons offer good possibilities for intercultural learning. Even the youngest children learn much about the culture of the other country through songs and stories. A key item of education in a globalized world.
Not necessarily English
English is the lingua franca, and it has already arrived as a foreign language in primary schools throughout Germany. Yet new studies show that English as the first foreign language is not always the best choice. Professor Ingrid Gogolin from the Institute for International Comparative and Intercultural Education of the University of Hamburg has found out in studies that the cognitive stimulation process in language learning functions the more thoroughly the less resemblance there is between the target language and the mother tongue. Hence the German language could become the first choice in many countries: “If you begin with a language other than English, then you have the disadvantage that at first communication progresses more slowly, but the advantage is that the learning process is more sustainable and more on the level of general language learning abilities.” Thus in Slovakia, for instance, German is taught in many primary schools from the first class, while English is not taught until the third class. And with great success: the teachers report unanimously that the children learn English better, faster and more easily if they have already had some experience with the German language.
Perspective and trends
AT PRESENT GERMAN HOLDS THIRD PLACE BEHIND ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN THE POPULARITY RANKING IN EUROPEAN SCHOOL CLASSES. Whereas, according to information from Eurydice, the Education Information Network in Europe, the German language is highly rated, above all, in Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium and Eastern Europe, for some years now interest has been dwindling in Sweden and Southern Europe. “We can’t yet foresee whether or to what extent German will establish itself even more firmly in the pre-school and primary school sector,” says Beate Widlok.
The fact is that to achieve really sustainable effects foreign language lessons in the pre-school and primary-school sector must be as intensive as possible. Here the immersion approach has proved its worth in kindergartens. The children gain language experience most effectively with the concept “one person – one language”, i.e. one educator in the native language, the other one in the foreign language. Learning occurs intuitively and playfully, without looking at grammar or syntax. And still it provides a valuable “feeling”: children from bilingual kindergartens are often able to imitate the sound and rhythm of the foreign language perfectly. And – as studies have proved – they learn it much more easily later on.
For the provision of this language learning on a comprehensive scale, however, there is a world-wide lack of suitably trained educators. In Germany, too, the specialised training of pre-school educators as foreign language teachers is still in a fledgling stage. “Here there is a lot to catch up on,” says Beate Widlok. In addition to the expansion of university and further education courses, it is also essential for kindergartens and primary schools to set up a nation-wide system of networking. “This is the only way to ensure the optimal development of common guidelines and learning strategies.”
Goethe materials
Journal “Frühes Deutsch” (Early German), Copyright: Goethe-Institut
Young children do not swot up vocabulary, they learn playfully and without performance pressure. How this can work is shown in the book Schnupperangebot: Deutsch als Fremdsprache im Kindergarten (Sample Offer: German as a Foreign Language in the Kindergarten), guidelines for educators wishing to avail children of a first contact with the foreign language German. In addition to important advice on teaching practice, the manual also provides lesson modules and many practical tips. Information on how to order and on the various chapters of the book is to be found online under
Children in a kindergarten in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, where the German language is taught at an early age. Copyright: picture-alliance/ dpaLearning the first foreign language at the age of four? In Eastern Europe, in particular, more and more children are learning German in kindergartens and primary schools. Acquisition of a foreign language at an early age is regarded as a definite advantage.
“Interest in the early learning of German is growing throughout the world, particularly in Eastern Europe,” says Beate Widlok, GFL expert at Goethe Institute. Every day enquiries pour into the Institute: since setting up a special primary-school department in 1990, it has in store an abundance of information, material and offers for interested teachers and educators. “We would like to see early acquisition of a foreign language become the standard throughout the world,” says Ms. Widlok. In recent years much has happened, particularly in countries with a great affinity to German. “In Croatia alone there are meanwhile 15 kindergartens that operate all day in the German language with the children.” Above all in Central-East and South-East Europe, for example in Estonia and Hungary, the demand is growing rapidly. In Japan German is gradually expanding from the university sector into the school sector. “From Uruguay, via Australia, Egypt and right up to Finland, small islands of learning German are emerging,” according to Ms Widlok. Yet it is not always easy for the German language: “English is, of course, always the first choice, and due to its dominance it often diminishes the interest in learning other foreign languages.”
Early practice makes perfect
In the kindergarten “Spatzenhaus” in Frankfurt (Oder) children get to know the Polish language. Copyright; picture-alliance/ dpaIn her desire for general recognition of the benefits of early language learning, the expert from Goethe Institute does not restrict her concern merely to the promotion of the German language. “We welcome all foreign-language projects in the elementary sector.”
With good reason: linguistic researchers believe that the best time frame for learning languages is between the ages of three and five. For during this time the brain is developing rapidly and the nerves are forming a complex network of connections. Eclectic and varied experiences at an early age stimulate the synapse formation and strengthen the usage of intellectual potential. Thus children who grow up with more than one language have proved to be more flexible and competent in their perception. And they are able to learn further languages more easily than children who grew up in a monolingual environment. Moreover, language lessons offer good possibilities for intercultural learning. Even the youngest children learn much about the culture of the other country through songs and stories. A key item of education in a globalized world.
Not necessarily English
English is the lingua franca, and it has already arrived as a foreign language in primary schools throughout Germany. Yet new studies show that English as the first foreign language is not always the best choice. Professor Ingrid Gogolin from the Institute for International Comparative and Intercultural Education of the University of Hamburg has found out in studies that the cognitive stimulation process in language learning functions the more thoroughly the less resemblance there is between the target language and the mother tongue. Hence the German language could become the first choice in many countries: “If you begin with a language other than English, then you have the disadvantage that at first communication progresses more slowly, but the advantage is that the learning process is more sustainable and more on the level of general language learning abilities.” Thus in Slovakia, for instance, German is taught in many primary schools from the first class, while English is not taught until the third class. And with great success: the teachers report unanimously that the children learn English better, faster and more easily if they have already had some experience with the German language.
Perspective and trends
AT PRESENT GERMAN HOLDS THIRD PLACE BEHIND ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN THE POPULARITY RANKING IN EUROPEAN SCHOOL CLASSES. Whereas, according to information from Eurydice, the Education Information Network in Europe, the German language is highly rated, above all, in Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium and Eastern Europe, for some years now interest has been dwindling in Sweden and Southern Europe. “We can’t yet foresee whether or to what extent German will establish itself even more firmly in the pre-school and primary school sector,” says Beate Widlok.
The fact is that to achieve really sustainable effects foreign language lessons in the pre-school and primary-school sector must be as intensive as possible. Here the immersion approach has proved its worth in kindergartens. The children gain language experience most effectively with the concept “one person – one language”, i.e. one educator in the native language, the other one in the foreign language. Learning occurs intuitively and playfully, without looking at grammar or syntax. And still it provides a valuable “feeling”: children from bilingual kindergartens are often able to imitate the sound and rhythm of the foreign language perfectly. And – as studies have proved – they learn it much more easily later on.
For the provision of this language learning on a comprehensive scale, however, there is a world-wide lack of suitably trained educators. In Germany, too, the specialised training of pre-school educators as foreign language teachers is still in a fledgling stage. “Here there is a lot to catch up on,” says Beate Widlok. In addition to the expansion of university and further education courses, it is also essential for kindergartens and primary schools to set up a nation-wide system of networking. “This is the only way to ensure the optimal development of common guidelines and learning strategies.”
Goethe materials
Journal “Frühes Deutsch” (Early German), Copyright: Goethe-Institut
Young children do not swot up vocabulary, they learn playfully and without performance pressure. How this can work is shown in the book Schnupperangebot: Deutsch als Fremdsprache im Kindergarten (Sample Offer: German as a Foreign Language in the Kindergarten), guidelines for educators wishing to avail children of a first contact with the foreign language German. In addition to important advice on teaching practice, the manual also provides lesson modules and many practical tips. Information on how to order and on the various chapters of the book is to be found online under