Teaching English in Early Childhood Education

Introduction

In this era of globalization, English has been considered to be the third liaison language after mother tongue and the area studied for students in Indonesia. As Fromklin says, “English has been called' the lingua franca of the world”. With the changing times, the development of technology and information that demands the need to master English from an early age. With the existence of an educational curriculum in the world, it has begun to experience changes. English which was initially introduced only for junior high school students, now elementary school students have been introduced, even students who are still in kindergarten or playgroups have begun to be introduced to this foreign language even though the learning context is still learning while playing. Phil McKnight (2010), who discusses the role of foreign languages in enhancing global competitiveness, and Jing Gayle Gao (2010), discusses the role of English in human resource development, including aspects of job ownership, training, career development, and promotion. Thus, the commencement of the importance of English language education to children from an early age so that in the future they can face the world of work and competition in globalization and have no difficulty in understanding and knowing English because they have started early.

As a teacher, you must pay attention to the approach method that is suitable for teaching English to elementary school students, so that the benefits of teaching are truly obtained by the child. For example, the teacher uses a communicative approach, meaning an approach that aims to create communicative competence as a language learning goal, also develops procedures for learning four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing), recognizing and appreciating language interdependence, then the general purpose of language learning is so that students can communicate fluently in reciting English as a provision in the future to face the global world as it is today. Life requires good order and order, the regulation requires thinking, and thinking requires language. In essence, English is very important to be introduced to elementary school students so that they better understand and know about English so they do not find it difficult when they get the next level of English because they already feel familiar with English.

English language education from an early age has good and bad effects depending on the context of its application. This paper aims to examine the advantages and disadvantages of English language education from an early age. Then, related to the context of teaching Indonesian, this paper discusses early language education in accordance with the right approach.

Opposing Arguments

Delay in language development

Bilingual children are those who need more energy to refine pronunciation and usually, they are rather slow in making decisions about language, although this does not hinder communication. However, it can be concluded that the loss of bilingual children is far less than the benefits of mastering more than one language, such as the opinion of Taylor & Taylor (1990). According to Psychology Professor Erika Hoff (2013), early childhood has the cognitive capacity to learn about 20 new words a month.

When inputting toddler language comes in two languages, he can only learn 10 words in the original language and 10 other words in a foreign language. This risks making children unable to grow according to the milestones of language development. Thus, learning Bilingual languages early has a negative impact on children, because it is caused by word limitations that can be remembered by children and the need to launch the main language before being able to learn bilingual languages.

Children become stressful

Teaching foreign languages too early can also cause children to become stressed. He who must be active talking has a tendency to be quiet. Therefore, as a parent, you should not force children to understand foreign languages early. There will be a time when they thirst for knowledge and eventually learn many things by themselves including foreign languages. According to Jefferson (1922) that the ability of the brain to master and remember two languages will reduce a child's ability to learn other things that are possible and should be studied, Jefferson's explanation suggests that a child's thinking capacity is limited, and his thinking is less effective because the brain stores two linguistic systems. Thus, it can be concluded that providing bilingual education of children can make children depressed because of the lack of effectiveness of the child's brain to store two languages and remember other things that need to be learned.

Supporting Arguments

By educating children to learn English from an early age, children can know many structures from two or more languages that make it easier for them to communicate. Children can get two or more languages well when there are consistent social patterns in communication, such as who speaks what language, what language they speak, or when they speak. Therefore, if there are similar patterns in the main language/mother-tongue, it is easier for children to learn foreign languages early. And by knowing and understanding bilingual early on especially English, making children more careful in deciding the meaning of speech and sentences that can change in both languages .

If mastery of English has been achieved, the child will be more sensitive in some pragmatic aspects of the two languages , Children can know and use language in accordance with written language or manners verbally through various media for various language functions. Thus, the child will easily learn a bilingual language if there are similar patterns from the main language, and better know the language according to manners because children have been educated to use good and correct language.

Recognition and recognition of initiatives and active involvement of children in learning activities affect children's mentality. Mental flexibility needed as a concept in the task that sees from the rearranging instructions needed by nonverbal intelligence to show its strengths in flexible tendencies and creativity. Children who get the opportunity to get to know their world and experience for themselves what is happening in their world must certainly get recognition and appreciation from the teacher. With such a teacher's attitude, the child becomes the spirit to continue to explore and have the motivation to learn languages.

Unlike individuals who start learning English when they reach puberty, they will be influenced by psychological problems. Because they have different motivations with children. If children learn English while playing and in a relaxed atmosphere, this is not the case with adults who learn English. Individuals who have reached puberty have the ability to read and analyze the situation they face. So they feel that their abilities and progress in mastering the foreign language are evaluated. Thus, it can be concluded that early English education has benefits because their pleasant learning without fear of pressure from the surrounding people and having the motivation to explore in learning is still quite high.

Bilingual children have a better analytical orientation than monolingual children. According to Lenneberg (1967), early childhood has an important period (sensitive period) to be able to easily and quickly master the language, which is called the 'critical period' when the child has not entered puberty. When puberty comes, the 'critical period' fades so that it will have difficulty mastering the foreign language. Bilingual children have a prompt ability to interpret sentences that have better ambiguity than monolingual children. Thus, it can be concluded that early childhood taught bilingual has a better orientation in interpreting sentences and is able to master the language better than monolingual children.

Conclusion

Learning Bilingual languages in early childhood have a negative and positive impact on children, the negative one that is word limitations that can be remembered by children and the need to launch the main language before being able to learn bilingual languages. Besides that, providing bilingual education of children can make children depressed because of the lack of effectiveness of the child's brain to store two languages and remember other things that need to be learned.

Apart from that, teaching bilingual languages to children also has a good impact, namely:

• First, learning English from an early age will prepare it to be more mature in facing the future. English is a global language used by most of the world's population, in almost all professions, in almost all situations. English is the language of communication, the language of knowledge, and the language of business. If the child wants to continue his education abroad, mastering English since early will certainly be very profitable.
• Secondly, the child will not feel familiar with English. Because I have learned it from childhood, English is no longer a frightening specter. In fact, English will feel more familiar because they can listen to it every time they watch children's cartoons from foreign channels.
• Third, the gate of knowledge is increasingly wide open. As is known, English is the language of knowledge, the latest scientific language of instruction, both online and offline. Armed with mastery of English, a child can access more information and knowledge from abroad which makes it easier to update on the latest scientific developments. The impact is the higher value and greater analytical power than his friends who do not know the information.