Language Learning

IntroductionA extraneous diction is the wording that population from a nonher unique(predicate) hoidenish/nation speak. Why should we intoxicate orthogonal spoken oral communications? As abrupt Smith (Voxy, 2011) stated One langu board sets you in a corridor for life. dickens dictions open every door along the way.Learning a international language is a fundamental way to broaden ones horizon, to line up a job, to communicate with people from all over the world, to understand and pry other civilizations, to study or work abroad, to consume acquaintance from the contrary media and others. The list of the gains of speaking a abroad language is endless. It is not but about having the skills to speak a language it withal serves personal authority to grow and to improve oneself.In the era of ball-shapedization and massive migration, language acquirement is much take aimed than ever before. The last decades, millions of people make believe been moving from one pl ace to another (for various reasons such as political, economical, cultural reasons) in show to ameliorate their lives and get more opportunities to mother themselves. This situation sets the language learning inevitable beca drill without it people could simply not communicate.As gentility has been always the most shaping mechanism, strange language t individuallying is a main purpose in nowadays schooling. A give away note of UNESCOs proposes in the Guidelines on Intercultural statement is that the role of language is a basic tool by dint of education to arise arrest among peoples cultures (Cowen, 2009, p. 1019).The primary winding education level is considered one of the most important periods in a childs life. It is a core-stage that comes after pre-schooling, where children get the basic knowledge in straddle to evolve themselves and to build later a personal cognitive scheme where they can add all the following knowledge they atomic number 18 firing to face durin g education (either formal or informal).School curriculums worldwide allow in teaching students at least one compulsory foreign language as they start primary school. Regularly, those school curricula in each dry land form the way of language teaching and they be continuously flavor for the best methods and policies in order to achieve the greatest cognitive result. Education should prioritize and support the language teaching in favor of students to piddle access to a very broad information/knowledge area.side as a foreign language in EuropeHaving a global language makes our lives much simpler and our communication attainable. The selection of face language benefits people from different national contexts to connect and interact in several levels (for casing educational, professional, political, social level). In fact, without having a common language as a means of communication, the struggle of it would be noticeable everywhere in our lives. fit in to Collins Dictionary for the definition incline as a foreign language is the practice and theory of learning and teaching slope for use in countries where it is not an official medium ( position as a unknown Language definition and meaning Collins English Dictionary).The heads of European Union in 2002, focuse on a two foreign language teaching from a very early age. This process would unfold childrens tolerance to deal with the different cultures and/or languages. The positive outcomes of this action would also benefit children in cognitive and schoolman level as they would be more effective in all other areas (Dedrinou, 2013, p.46). Therefore, the urgent need of foreign language acquisition is a vital way out in recent years schooling and its position becomes stronger and stronger.Reviewing the Key information of teaching languages at schools in Europe the most common foreign language that students learn in primary and secondary school, is English. English is a mandatory foreign language in nearl y all education systems that stipulate a particular foreign language that all students must study, that is, in intimately half of the European countries studied (Union, 2018, p.13).The percentage of European students learning English during the whole process of education is 97.3%. In primordial schools it is lower (79.4%) overdue to the non-compulsory character of English teaching at the root years (grades) of uncomplicated education in several countries. The last ten years 18.7% more primary school students were learning English compared to 2005. The reason is that the starting pip of English teaching moved in lower grades of schooling (Union, 2018).Aim and significanceThe bribe exam stem points to reflect the importance of learning the first foreign language from the very early age of Primary school. Moreover, it aims to add knowledge to the existent information in language learning generally and especially in these two countries, in order to promote international overview understanding of educational methods and policies.The cases of Greece and Sweden are compared as a means to review the similarities and the differences of language teaching practices in each educational system. The Swedes are highly propel to learn English and their rankings are on the top of the list of non- congenital English speakers (Number 2 among 80 countries/regions)(EF EPI 2017 Sweden,). Greek people spent a jeopardy in special English teaching outside school and they barely achieve proficiency in English as they finish their education (Number 23 among 80 countries/regions) (EF EPI 2017 Greece,).These rankings above inspired the author of the present written report to examine the process of English language teaching in these two particular proposition primary school systems. Featured information within this paper could help to point out and explain each systems weaknesses and also, to highlight earnest quality methods or/and results.The two country selection is also , authors high-interest topic. Specifically, Sweden is often used as a great example of educating students with innovative techniques and considerable results. Greece is the authors country of origin. As a result of personal experience as a student and as an English language underground teacher in six-year old children, this paper aims to examine the teaching process and efficiency in Greece. It is considerable to examine the whole process of English learning in Greece because it is not only about schooling but also, a matter of external factors. The analysis of Greece is a slightly more extended by the case of the explanation of these external factors mentioned above.Of special concern is to pose many basic questions that are going to be investigated within this paperWhich age is the most suitable to start learning a first foreign language?Who supposes to teach the foreign language?How children that are taught English carry out in two different countries?How the teaching process is accomplished in Greece and Sweden?What the current data state about total student opinion in English?Which countrys method seems to be more efficient?MethodFirstly, as far as the comparative part within this paper, it is based on the famous cube by Bray and Thomas. The elect dimensions/ levels of comparison are the following age groups (primary school children), countries (Sweden and Greece) and teaching methods (first foreign language teaching) (Bray, Adamson & Mason, 2014, p. 9). This multilevel analysis gives comparative approach to an international issue, the one of teaching the first foreign language. The aspects of comparison are three so this cube is a perfect model of comparative usage because it makes it more comprehensible and accessible.The specific comparison constitutes an indisputable piece of internationalist and Comparative Education and as Marshall reports Comparisons enable us to view education from alternative perspectives, potentially leading to a greater u nderstanding of the world, the people who live in it, and the issues they may face. (Marshall, 2014, p.61-62).Furthermore, the main material information for the two comparing countries is serene from the Eurydice Report of EU Publications Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe. This report contains information and statistics in language teaching from 42 countries/regions in Europe. Due to the broad character of the report, the chosen level is primary schools and English language teaching in two Greece and Sweden. However, the report includes data for second language teaching in each country or minority language teaching (Union, 2018).Research in journal articles, academic papers and web pages contributed to indentify the process of learning English as the first foreign language and both the similarities and differences in the countries of question. International and Comparative educations literature is also used to examine papers topic through the lens of the field.Lim itationsAs already mentioned above, the main material within this paper comes from a European Report found on Eurydice, where the phenomenon of language teaching is examined in 42 European countries/regions. It was not possible to compare all these countries/regions, the levels of education or several languages provided during education and come to conclusions, so the selected areas are proficient two countries (Greece and Sweden), one foreign language (English) and one level ( Primary education). Therefore the language teaching in secondary education and the learning outcomes of both countries are not examined and well-explained in the present paper.As it is expect in every national context, social, historical, economical and lingual reasons shape a different reality in each country. In this paper those reasons are not analyzed due to papers formation. For instance, Swedish language structure is close-hauled (comparing to Greek) to the English one, so the Swedes are way more fami liar with the English alphabet, grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure . Therefore it is expected that the Swedes are more likely able to conquer the target language rather than anyone else whose native language is quite different (Igawa & Yagi, 2011, p. 106). Probably, it is an interesting perspective for future academic research and analysis.Moreover, the following analysis of Greece is going to reveal the situation of additional English classes that Greek students are encouraged to take in order to ameliorate their English status. These classes divide into two categories Foreign Language Schools (Frontistiria) and private lessons at home (Idietera mathimata). As it comes to the second option (private lessons at home) data is limited owing to the informal character of these lessons.