The Importance Of Language In Education

Language is an object that is central to human lives as it is perhaps the most significant cultural tool that separates humans from any other species (Evans, 2014). As language is multimodal, it is often described as a combination of words, sounds, gestures and images created by the mind, used in context with the assistance of objects, actions and interactions (Gee & Hayes, p. 7, 2011). The topics discussed in this essay will demonstrate the importance of language as both an object and as a social process, as a teacher’s approach to diversity in the classroom can be either damaging to a student’s educational experience or uplifting and positive.

Language is universal with many dialects across the world. Many people consider language as being spoken or written, but it is much more than that. It can be viewed as unchanging and conventional, or regarded as dynamic and changing. Language and literacy can be analysed and examined, broken down to reveal how it is made up of all its intricate parts that form language. The impact of language in different perspectives, affect people in their daily lives, either in a good or bad context. Language has developed over time, and we now live in a digital world. This has affected people in a social and business life, diversifying how language is communicated. Language has many functions and roles. In the past, theorists have debated how language is developed, be it behavioural, cognitive or linguistic. Language is a form of communication that it is a complex and a unique human quality that is diversified throughout the world.

The importance of language crucial to every facet and interaction of our daily lives. People use language to learn about the world around us and to inform people how we feel and what we desire. When we learn new languages, our communication skills broaden even more, and we are presented with many new opportunities and experiences. It builds stronger relationships internationally and allows us to better understand other cultures, history, and foreign ideas. Anyone can learn a new language regardless of how old or young you are. On the contrary, losing the fluency you once had in a language has no benefits and can result in losing the ability to have a different perspective and context.

“The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources-because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples” (Johnson). In today’s society, immigration is a controversial topic. Regardless of current views towards immigration, the nation is experiencing a daily influx of immigrants, particularly those with Hispanic heritage. To address this dramatic increase, a new program, The Influential, is effectively working to educate both U.S. citizens and immigrants. Instead of students taking two years of Spanish in high school, students will be mandated to take Spanish in the fifth grade and above. The Influential program focuses primarily on school aged children, affecting change in the mindsets of the nation’s youth that will carry the country into a more culturally aware future.

Entrepreneurship is regarded as one of the most important determinants of the industrial growth of the country.The dearth of the entrepreneul and managerial skills is one of the most common problems being faced by all under developed economies.Moreover,the potential for the employment of students graduating from professional colleges is enormous,but one major handicap which many of them face is poor communicative ability in English.Proficiency in English is recognised globally as a pre-requisite for entry into the work place.Since English plays a key role in the domains of entrepreneurship,corporate sectors and international business,its use has to be standardised,simplified,made more functional and intelligible. Students of professional colleges need a great deal of help in improving their ability in English language proficiency so as to entrepreneur and obtain easier entry into the corporate world.Proficiency in communication skills develops ability to grasp opportunities to offer economic advantages, maximising gains and above all building confidence in every individual that one could make things happen.

As a child born in the U.S. growing up with parents who come from a completely different country, knowing a language that is distinct from what they know, and with an education similar to a child in the third grade. It was very hard to learn how to read or write in my early childhood. My parents would have helped if they knew good enough English and have had a higher education level than a third grader but unfortunately they did not. There was a huge language gap between my parents and I. They would speak in their Guatemalan dialect, I would be in school speaking in English, and come back home to my parents speaking Spanish, it was extremely challenging in my adolescent years. Yes, I had teachers in school that would help me out, but there were so many other students that needed their help as well. I never really had a teacher that really influenced me into getting better. Many of them thought I was doing okay in the subject and did not think I needed help at all. As I grew older language arts and writing was not my strongest subject throughout elementary school, even to this day it is still not my best subject. I did not care much of the subject because I could never really understand on what I am supposed to write or do, what I would do is do the bare minimum enough to get me an A or a high B, because it was not the subject that I was the most interested in. Fortunately, there was the PBS network, on the T.V. we had, with animated shows such as Martha Speaks, Super Why,

As English being my first, and only language it has had a larger impact on my life than anything else. It is how I have learned to express myself, the way I listen, and how I think. From my point of view English isn’t just a language it is a way of thought, it’s a major factor of our personalities, and has heavily influenced our society. I see English as a language of options, you have up and down, left or right, and day and night. Making choices like this is how we develop into the people we are, I think every decision that I have ever made has helped formed my personality. English does have words to describe the middle ground, but they don’t seem as strong as other words, they seem like a path to stay out of the way. Some may see this a bad thing, but I think you can never really have the best of both worlds so you may as well choose one. Not only has English been a great way for me to express, and think for myself, it has also been one of my biggest downfalls.

Language is a powerful weapon used for a variety of purposes. It is a way for people to communicate effectively and voice their thoughts, ideas, opinions, view and beliefs. We live in a world of seven thousand languages to communicate with and a great percentage speak more than one. For this reason, there is only one language that truly defines us; our native language. Our native language is a part of our culture, and creates the foundation of who we are as individuals. It is a way to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the world. The opportunities provided to those with multiple languages are far greater than those who are not. Although, speaking multiple languages is beneficial, individuals with multiple languages still face criticism, judgement and rejection from their own people. Therefore, importance of proper word selection, correct grammar is quite significant depending on who you communicate with.

As with any school, especially in Florida, the toughest thing for a teacher to overcome is teaching to student who do not speak or hardly understand your language. Being that Florida's Consent Decree for teachers ensures all ESL students are to receive a quality and well accommodated learning, capable of papering them with the tools and skills needed to be successful. With no official language within the country, this means all languages and all students are to be accommodated for. A rather daunting task. Luckily, there exists so much research and a plethora of strategies, suggestions, and tools at a teacher’s disposal to help achieve this goal. Three very important areas in particular can be used to further this mission, behavioral, cognitive, and socio-cultural.

In American, it is a given that there will be moments in life where a person may encounter barriers. A car can only go so far without gasoline and there is only so far in life a person can go without encountering a language barrier in America, the land of the culturally diverse. Most of today’s American youth are not being equipped the skills that can be more valuable to them in their futures besides the basic core focuses. The American education system lacks arts and language education programs that are needed that help enhance student performance in more than just their studies. To improve the communication and understanding skills that children have, the American education system needs to improve foreign language education in all grade levels and schools need to focus more on arts education to improve the overall student performance.

because it is more logical, more expressive, simpler or perhaps has a more richer vocabulary

Your mind is reading this sentence in English because it has been taught how to. As children, we learned the alphabet and the sounds each letter made. Then we learned how to put the sounds together to make words. The words we learned are the language we speak today, which is English. We are taught how to speak, read, and write in English. However, where did the English language come from? Despite the fact that English has become our primary language, Latin was the language English derived from.

Educators need to understand what language is and how it can be developed, as it can impact the way they teach in a learning environment. An educator plays an important role of a child’s life, the child listens and copies what an educator or parent does, as they are a model of language for them (Fellowes & Oakley, p.48). Language is a method of communication between individuals, that can be verbal or written involving words, sentences and speech. Language is developing and growing every day all around the world, as you hear older generations complain about how younger people speak, which is a sign of language always changing (Leiden University, 2015). “We can’t stop language changing, language has a life of its own” Vera Regan (Professor

* In the educational field, the teaching learning cycle is a model used in contemporary teaching in both school and adult educational settings. Rothery (1996 in Derewianka & Jones 2012, pg 43) who originally developed the model used this to aim at disadvantaged children for teaching literacy and writing in the KLA (Key learning areas) who were from socially disadvantaged areas. Over time the model has been phased across other areas of the English language such as listening, speaking, reading as well as writing. The key involvement of the teacher also known as ‘expert other’ in the teaching learning cycle is guiding the learner to understand key concepts in academic literacy through use of scaffolding strategies to transform students

As children grow and develop, they’re developing their language skills. Some children learn to speak and comprehend faster than others. Language development is important because it is the way we communicate and exchange information with others in our everyday lives. If there are any language delays, issues with communication and relaying of information can occur. There are many different components of language development.