Comments on: Learning Foreign Languages http://www.ethnography.com/2010/02/learning-foreign-languages/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=learning-foreign-languages A group blog on a wide variety of topics realted to anthropology Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:50:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tony http://www.ethnography.com/2010/02/learning-foreign-languages/comment-page-1/#comment-4734 Tony Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:19:42 +0000 http://www.ethnography.com/?p=541#comment-4734 Hi Benjamin: I would not be surprised if proficiency in math/science helped people learn languages, too. But the relationship breaks down when it comes to funding, at least in the United States. Funding of foreign language instruction is in long-term decline, and is no longer required for high school or college graduation in most cases. The same cannot be said for science and math which continues to be tested for and required at early ages. In mainland Europe, English instruction is being expanded into the very earliest years. English instruction in Finland, which tops international comparisons in math, starts very early. The same goes for a number of countries in Asia like China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, etc. There is also an assumption that most students will take up a third language. The article in the NY Times describes this well. Tony Hi Benjamin:
I would not be surprised if proficiency in math/science helped people learn languages, too.

But the relationship breaks down when it comes to funding, at least in the United States. Funding of foreign language instruction is in long-term decline, and is no longer required for high school or college graduation in most cases. The same cannot be said for science and math which continues to be tested for and required at early ages.

In mainland Europe, English instruction is being expanded into the very earliest years. English instruction in Finland, which tops international comparisons in math, starts very early. The same goes for a number of countries in Asia like China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, etc. There is also an assumption that most students will take up a third language. The article in the NY Times describes this well.

Tony

]]> By: Benjamin B http://www.ethnography.com/2010/02/learning-foreign-languages/comment-page-1/#comment-4730 Benjamin B Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:39:13 +0000 http://www.ethnography.com/?p=541#comment-4730 I'm guessing that experts in math and science could just as easily say the same things about the state of math and science education in the US. I’m guessing that experts in math and science could just as easily say the same things about the state of math and science education in the US.

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