Teaching English to young learners: patterns of history

By dmj1331
  • 1500

    Standard Grammar

    William Lily wrote a
    standard grammar
    which was in Latin and
    mandatory for all child
    between 7-8 years old.
  • Period: 1551 to

    Education grow out

    From the mid 16th century onwards, ducational reformers said that Education should grow out of the child ́s experience of the mother tongue and foreign languages, particularly Latin should be relegated to a subsidiary role.
  • 1582

    First Part of the Elementarie

    Teacher Richard Mulcaster said that English was the language of "Our liberty and freedom" defending its use in his First Part of the Elementarie
  • Period: to

    English on school curriculum

    English did not appear on any school curriculum until the late 17th century.
  • Period: to

    First German mother tongue school

    Wolfgang Rakte opened the first German mother tongue school at Koethen in Saxony in the 1620s.

  • The Great Didactic

    Comenius, Ratke ́s follower underlined the central role of the mother tongue in his Great Didactic

  • Some Thoughts Concerning Education

    John Locke published Some Thoughts Concerning Education.
  • Period: to

    European formal education in the 18th century

    Formal education in Europe consisted almost exclusively in teaching languages like Latin, Greek and Hebrew to young boys between 8-14 years old.

  • Short Introduction to English Grammar & Emile

    Lowth ́s Short Introduction to English Grammar was published. Emile by Rousseau was published the same year.
  • Period: to

    Early-start in the 19th century

    The traditionalists from the private schools wanted to continue the "early-start" practice of teaching foreign languages yo eight-year olds.

  • Natural Method & Direct Method

    The "Natural Method" of language teaching was founded, associated later with the "Direct Method".

  • Board of Education conclution about the early beginning

    The Board of Education conclude that the early beginning of foreign languages at school is advantegeous.

  • Teaching of French in primary school

    A large-project to introduce the teaching of French to primary school children began.
  • Period: to

    FLES

    In the 1960's, a research helped to develop the Foreing Languages in the Elementary School program. At the same time, Canadian schools pioneered the notion of "immersion" were the children used the second language for all scool purposes for a specific part of each day or for a specific time of the day.

  • Foreing languages were reserved

    Until then, foreing languages were reserved for bright adolecents, the 20% or so who had passed the entrance test to the grammar schools.