Teaching Second Language Essay

‘Good’ education should prepare children to engage with the present world and society in a meaningful way (Pritchard,2013). So it is very important to educate children according to the needs of the 21st-century. But what exactly are these needs are? Teaching English as a second language to all Sri Lankan children is a major policy of Sri Lankan government since 1950. English language was made as a compulsory second language by the government with the aim of “English for all” in Sri Lankan schools. The current situation in Sri Lanka is some of the students come from English speaking backgrounds and easily communicate in English while some have few experience of using English other than at school.

We learn English for the purpose of ‘better

Second language learners apply knowledge of their mother tongue to learn a second language. This may help to understand and to use the target language properly with fewer errors of pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax. Learners’ culture can sometimes be a barrier when learning a foreign language (Potter,2013:3). Sometimes, there can be confusions and cultural misunderstandings with cultural differences. Learners may find it difficult to communicate with native speakers because of these cultural

Teaching children about global issues and encouraging them to see the world is really important (Teachers TV,2009). In an increasingly interconnected world, today's young generation need to be able to engage in communicating with people from a wide range of different cultures and traditions. Global education helps students to effectively acquire a foreign language to solve global problems while empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and commitment required by world citizens. Schools should help young children to think more