The need for early second language exposure | Tharessa Kehl | TEDxPascoCountySchoolsED

Modern education is becoming more dynamic and engaging. Learning multiple languages has shown to have cognitive benefits. The earlier in life a person is, the easier it is to learn multiple languages.

Tharessa is an 11th grade student at James W. Mitchell High School.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Hello, my name is Tharessa Kehl.

I am from James W. Mitchell High School.

And today, I will be speaking to you
about the need

for early second language exposure.

But before I get into all of that,

I would like to ask you all
a couple of questions.

By a show of hands,

how many of us have taken
a foreign language during high school?

So, pretty much all of us.

Now, raise your hand again

if you've taken more
than two years of that language.

Good amount. OK.

Now, last question.

Please raise your hand

if you feel that you have gained
fluency in that language.

No one.

These results are directly correlating

to the issue I'll be speaking about today.

In today's globally interconnected society

it's becoming increasingly important
to learn multiple languages.

Thus, the school systems have instituted
foreign language curriculums

in most of the nations' public schools.

However, as you've just shown,
these methods are not efficient.

Also supporting this claim is the fact

that according
to the general social survey,

only around 0.07% of students learn
their second language during high school.

With such abysmal results,

it's no wonder why people
are starting to question

the importance
of foreign language learning.

However, research has shown

that learning a second language

increases your cognitive abilities,

multitasking skills,
and has also been linked

to the delay in onset
of mental degenerative diseases

such as Alzheimer's.

Not only this, but the use ability

to communicate in other languages

is pivotal in the US's ability
to maintain its position

on the global market.

With this information, we can conclude

that the problem lies not in the concept

rather these methods
we go about applying it.

Therefore, the solution becomes

to institute mandatory
foreign education programs,

from grades kindergartens to twelve.

By extending the period of exposure

and focusing on the listening, speaking,

and comprehension abilities
of our students,

we are able to let them learn
in a more natural way,

and let them be continually exposed
to this language,

which simulates a type of emergent effect.

Also, by taking advantage of a young age,
we're able to take advantage

of the increased cerebral plasticity
of the brain.

The areas highlighted in the brain

show the regions associated
with language learning.

At a younger age, these regions

are increasingly more susceptible
to external stimuli,

and therefore it makes
the learning process a bit easier.

Also, going along with this, is the idea

of a critical period hypothesis,

which is that
there's a period in a child's life,

usually all the way up
until before puberty,

in which children are able
to learn languages more efficiently.

This is due to the lack
of cerebral lateralization in the brain,

which is, for another words,
language dominance.

They are not having to constantly
filter the new language

through their mother tongue.

Also, due to a more flexible
state of the brain,

the younger children are able
to mimic and hear different sounds

enabling them to create
more native-like pronunciation.

As research showed,
that tracked US immigrants,

that the younger the child
came into the United Sates,

the more natural and the more native-like
their pronunciation was.

They also saw an increase
in the proficiency of the language.

With this being said, we can conclude

that the United States school system

has to rearrange the way
they look at foreign language learning.

We need to put in new systems
that start in grades kindergartens

and go all the way through twelve,

in order to maximize the potential
of our nation's youth.

We need to increase the number

of bilingual and multilingual students
in the nation,

in order to create a more
globalized and connected society.

So, I'll leave you guys with a quote,

"The limits of your language
are the limits of your world."

How many languages
are you willing to learn?

How far are you willing
to limit your world?

Thank you.

(Applause)