Page 49 - E-Modul Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris SD

3. Respond to the need to belong to groups and be influenced by them.

Provide activities that allow interaction with peers. Encourage group
planning and group work. Teach him or her to be sensitive to those who

are not accepted by others. Give responsibilities and assignments, and

help ensure follow-through. Use examples and lessons to teach
sensitivity and kindness. Praise courtesy, unselfishness, loyalty, and

friendliness.
4. Do not compare him or her to others. Encourage him or her, and praise

accomplishments. Show confidence in him or her as an individual.

Reinforce positive behavior, and try to ignore negative acts of small
consequence. Allow for independence and expression of personal

feelings. Try to understand his or her worries and what makes him or
her unhappy

K. Critical Age For Foreign Language Learning

Regarding the age of the earliest acquisition and learning point as

birth, the best moment to start teaching a child the second foreign language
is the age of 4-5. This is because of children’s flexible larynx which allows

for nearly ideal imitation of sounds and the most efficient brain which all

together create a great opportunity for language acquisition. Nevertheless,
only until the age of 12-13, children keep their flexibility and natural

readiness for language acquisition. Lenneberg shows through extended case

studies the stages of physiological maturity processes taking place in the
brain’s hemispheres (especially the left one), which is dominant. What is

more, if it happens that the left hemisphere is damaged before the age of 12-
13, it is possible that the right hemisphere takes over the domination and

speech problems can be reduced. In addition, after this age such a process
is almost impossible (Brzeziński 1987: 28-29).

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