In order to cultivate "English-speaking children", parents should do only one thing.

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　The popularity of English education in the child-rearing generation is rising year by year. Because since 2020, English has become a formal subject in primary schools, and in the general college entrance test that began last year, the English question-setting model will be refreshed, etc., great changes have taken place around the English learning environment. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to go directly to overseas universities instead of Japanese universities. Therefore, in order not to let their children fall behind in school or fail in the college entrance examination, many parents will worry about "how to teach English at home" and "how to improve their English ability". Therefore, it is worth referring to the book "the smartest Children's English in the World" (Diamond Company) by Saito Chun, a former associate professor of Yale University and now a representative of English cram school. This article excerpts and edits part of this book to explain the important points of cultivating "English-speaking children". Increasing self-confidence is the most important for primary school students. By honing English ability as a skill, it is more important to cultivate self-confidence that "I can speak English" and "I am good at English". Whether you can give this confidence or not is the core of raising a child. Let's take baseball batting as an example. 1) realize that "I am not good at hitting the ball" 2) take the actions needed to improve the shot 3) what is the motivation source of the child who leaves the result by hitting the ball in the actual game? People have to go through this process in order to gain self-confidence. To say why this is important, by repeating the process, "you can personally take the necessary actions to improve yourself!" "because such awareness will be enhanced. Is it good to say "you can do your own life"? This is called self-efficacy (Self-efficacy) in the psychological world. Self-efficacy is the source of motivation to continue learning. How to maintain the motivation of learners has been actively studied in the world of second language learning (Second Language Acquisition, hereinafter referred to as SLA). Therefore, this is the self-determination theory (Self-determination Theory) developed in the field of cognitive psychology. Accordingly, in order to improve people's intrinsic motivation, the three elements are indispensable: "do you have the sense of reality that you can do", "whether you are willing to choose your own learning", and "whether the relationship with the learning environment is appropriate?" What are the three main points to cultivate a sense of self-efficacy? It can also be seen from here that children can improve their English ability by their own ability. "having such a sense of reality is also very important in terms of staying motivated. English is also suitable for cultivating a sense of self-efficacy on the point that any child can get good results if he continues in a proper way. Mom and dad have to be aware of that. On this basis, there are three more things I want to remember. 1) grades in other subjects do not have much to do with English ability. 2) slowly adopt the logical understanding of words. 3) do not stick to paper, actively use IT and digital machines. 1) grades in other subjects have little to do with English ability. First of all, English is not a "subject" in nature. Among people with primary school children, some people may sigh for poor grades in other subjects. Keep in mind that even so, there is a possibility of a "big reversal" in English. The power of the second language is closer to the nature of music, sports, graphic craftsmen and other skills than Mandarin and arithmetic. Even children who are not good at learning will steadily increase their English ability as long as they are prepared for proper methods and environment. So, I hope you never give up. Maybe English will become the seed of self-confidence that will influence the child's life. To this end, first of all, "this child can speak English!" Parents believe, and "support" as if nothing has happened is indispensable. 2) the second point to gradually introduce the learning and logical understanding of words is to improve the weight of learning through words and logic. Having said that, the main axis is sound-based learning. In early childhood, "sound: text = 9:1" gives people the impression that it gradually changes to "7:3" or "6:4". Please do not forget that, still in the primary school stage, the sensitivity to sound is very sensitive, so it is still more efficient to "learn through the ear". 3) not sticking to paper, the risk of actively using IT and digital devices to "bully LINE" and "divulge personal information" will also cause a stir, and not a few parents will have a negative impression on their children's digital devices such as smartphones and tablets. As far as language learning is concerned, the choice of not using digital devices is impossible. There is almost no reason why devices that can freely output images, sounds, and words match the learning methods conceived by SLA. If you want your child to learn English well, the first step is to "Unlearn" the learning image of the parents' generation. It is no longer only "facing the table, opening textbooks and notes" is the study of English. You can relax on the sofa and practice your pronunciation on your tablet computer. Watch the English animation of your favorite animated characters and imitate your lines. Although you may get hurt, it is difficult to do without a kitchen knife in the cuisine. In the final analysis, the tool depends on the person who uses it. In order to enable children to study with peace of mind, digital equipment should be actively introduced on the basis of a safe environment. (this article is excerpted from and edited from the really Smart World's Best Children's English.)

Saito Juni (son)