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本文作者以克拉申语言习得理论：“学习者学习语言可以通过两种方式——语言习得与语言学得，前者在语言学习中尤为重要”为依据，认为孩子学前在家的那段时间是最好的语言习得阶段。针对这一阶段，作者提出了设计学习者家庭作业的几点建议，以使学习者语言习得的效果更佳。又/Wendy Arnold
How learners learn their first
What is homework？language？
Children between the ages of birth andsix years old when they first start schoolhave had a total of 52，560 hours oflife.
365 days in a year * 6 years = 2，190days
2，190 days in 6 years * 24 hours a day= 52，560 hours
Assuming they have slept some ofthat time， let's say they have been awake 14 hours a day of those six years， then theyhave been conscious for 30，240 hours！
In those 30，240 hours they have learnttheir mother tongue. No one has explicitlytaught them. They have “acquired” thelanguage in the Krashen （2006） sense， thatis to say they have taken in their languagesub-consciously by using it. And they haveused it because everyone around them hasmade it "comprehensible" （Krashen， 2006）.
The ability to produce language is theresult of language acquisition， the resultof obtaining comprehensible input， notthe cause ……talking is not practicing andwriting is not practicing： we do not learn tospeak by speaking， and we do not learn towrite by writing. （Krashen， 2006）
Why give homework for languagelearning？
Language learning， however， is aconscious process （Krashen， 2006）！ In thebest examples the learners know what theyare learning and that they are attemptingto learn. It is when rules of language andgrammar are talked about.
Language learning happens in school，in small units of time， some effort is madeto make it comprehensible but NOTHINGwill match the 30，000+ hours it has taken to“acquire”the first language！
In order to TRY to add more time tothe learning process homework is given.One cannot compare 30，000 hours to thepossible 40 minutes/lesson * 5 lessons/week* 26 weeks/year of school = 5，200 minutesor 87 hours/year！
We cannot compare the l：1 ratiobetween mother/father/brother/sister orgrandparents that a small baby/child has“acquiring” their first language， to the l：35+in a classroom with one teacher.
So let's be realistic about our expectations！Homework design
The classroom is used by the teacherto INPUT content. If it is done well thelearner ENJOYS the process because it hasa context （a setting， e.g. family） and theylearn words， e.g. mother， father， baby andstructure， e.g. This is my mother.
We won't touch on the WASTE OFTIME if it is done badly but it will includewords like GRAMMAR， verbs， adjectivesbeing used to explain how the languagegoes together like a mathematical formula.Imagine if you tried to learn your firstlanguage like this： And this is a noun and when you wantsomething you use the grammar structure， Iwant + noun ！
Everyone in the world would be dumb！
So what starts in the classroom andbecause there is only enough time duringthe school cumculum to give a lesson/day，the rest needs to be carried on at home. Butit's the QUALITY and the QUANTITY ofwhat the homework contains that makes thedifference between a WASTE OF TIME andsome REAL "acquisition".
Let's go back quickly to what makeseffective language "acquisition" compre-hensible input. Language "learning" foryoung children is generally incompre-hensible input because their brains areusually not developed enough to understandthe concepts of grammar.
So CLEVER homework needs to besomething which is：- NOT stressful， if it is NOT enjoyable = WASTE OF TIME- Highly motivating = the leamers WANT to do it = GOOD USE OF TIME
Language "acquisition" is a build ofskills. And it's worth remembering thiswhen designing homework. The figureabove shows this process.
How assuming that the teacher hasmade GOOD USE of the classroom time，the learners will have had LOTS OFlistening and speaking practice. This isvery， very， very， very， very IMPORTANTbecause：
You need to HEAR a word before youcan say it. WHY？ Because how can youknow how it sounds？
You need to SAY a word before youcan read it？ WHY？ Because how will yourecognize it when you see it？
You need to READ a word before youcan write it？ WHY？ Because what's thepoint of writing something that you don'trecognize？
Now setting listening and speakinghomework is very TRICKY， unless thelanguage programme comes with CD's or is linked to a computer or Internet programme.But the following is HIGHLY recommendedfor homework：
Ages 6 to lO years old
practice songs = great way to learn language as you learn it in "chunks" or "strings" ofwords and research has shown
that the music/tune helps you to remember
it = PARENTS AND FAMILY LOVE IT！
practice rhymes， chants， poems = same reason as above.
draw pictures about the song， thyme， chant， poem = VISUAL LITERACY = making the words "comprehensible" toothers.
drawing maps to help learners describe to others what they have been "learning" in class.
learning how to draw "mind maps" = these are supposed reflect how your brain collects ideas together. It is a well researched method for study skills of allages.
collect together items from home to share in the classroom， e.g. family photos. favourite story， special gift， favourite toy， leaves/flowers， items with a particularcolour.
drawing a story to share in the classroom= using the words the teacher has taught in a topic.
Ages 11 -12 years old
ONLY if the learners has had atLEAST four years of English， or put itanother way 348 hours， should you go to thenext stage.
Assuming the learners are now moreconfident about listening and understanding，speaking and understanding then this is thetime to develop READING. Pushing readingwhen the learners have little listening/speaking skills = WASTE OF TIME.
reading short stories with LOTS OF
pictures to help make meaning.
REMEMBER： if the homework between 6 - 10 years has included LOTS OF VISUAL LITERACY then they are ready to be making the link between words andpictures.
Labeling pictures and these can now be quite sophisticated and linked to other subjects in the curriculum， e.g. science = plant cycle， butterfly cycle.
When you are sure that they arerecognizing LOTS OF words they under-stand when they hear and can use speakingTHEN and ONLY THEN introduceWRITING.
As the writing system and learning tobe literate in Chinese and English is verydifferent， e.g.
directionality （English = left to right； Chinese = right to left）.
symbols （English = letters and sounds； Chinese = pictographs and meaning）.
learning （English = need to listen/speak before read/write； Chinese = learn to write before read）.
Then it stands to reason that the wayEnglish is taught in a Chinese classroomneeds a fundamental re-thinking.
The purpose of writing is about convey-ing a message to the reader. It is not copying，that is calligraphy！ DON'T use homeworkto WASTE THE LEARNERS' TIME unlessthe purpose is penmanship， but tell themthat is the reason.
So who will start to change the typeof homework they give their learners ofEnglish？ Who is willing to invest the timein listening/speaking and visual literacyBEFORE attempting to push writing first（usually with absolutely no understandingbecause that's the way Chinese is learnt）.
BE BRAVE！
How learners learn their first
What is homework？language？
Children between the ages of birth andsix years old when they first start schoolhave had a total of 52，560 hours oflife.
365 days in a year * 6 years = 2，190days
2，190 days in 6 years * 24 hours a day= 52，560 hours
Assuming they have slept some ofthat time， let's say they have been awake 14 hours a day of those six years， then theyhave been conscious for 30，240 hours！
In those 30，240 hours they have learnttheir mother tongue. No one has explicitlytaught them. They have “acquired” thelanguage in the Krashen （2006） sense， thatis to say they have taken in their languagesub-consciously by using it. And they haveused it because everyone around them hasmade it "comprehensible" （Krashen， 2006）.
The ability to produce language is theresult of language acquisition， the resultof obtaining comprehensible input， notthe cause ……talking is not practicing andwriting is not practicing： we do not learn tospeak by speaking， and we do not learn towrite by writing. （Krashen， 2006）
Why give homework for languagelearning？
Language learning， however， is aconscious process （Krashen， 2006）！ In thebest examples the learners know what theyare learning and that they are attemptingto learn. It is when rules of language andgrammar are talked about.
Language learning happens in school，in small units of time， some effort is madeto make it comprehensible but NOTHINGwill match the 30，000+ hours it has taken to“acquire”the first language！
In order to TRY to add more time tothe learning process homework is given.One cannot compare 30，000 hours to thepossible 40 minutes/lesson * 5 lessons/week* 26 weeks/year of school = 5，200 minutesor 87 hours/year！
We cannot compare the l：1 ratiobetween mother/father/brother/sister orgrandparents that a small baby/child has“acquiring” their first language， to the l：35+in a classroom with one teacher.
So let's be realistic about our expectations！Homework design
The classroom is used by the teacherto INPUT content. If it is done well thelearner ENJOYS the process because it hasa context （a setting， e.g. family） and theylearn words， e.g. mother， father， baby andstructure， e.g. This is my mother.
We won't touch on the WASTE OFTIME if it is done badly but it will includewords like GRAMMAR， verbs， adjectivesbeing used to explain how the languagegoes together like a mathematical formula.Imagine if you tried to learn your firstlanguage like this： And this is a noun and when you wantsomething you use the grammar structure， Iwant + noun ！
Everyone in the world would be dumb！
So what starts in the classroom andbecause there is only enough time duringthe school cumculum to give a lesson/day，the rest needs to be carried on at home. Butit's the QUALITY and the QUANTITY ofwhat the homework contains that makes thedifference between a WASTE OF TIME andsome REAL "acquisition".
Let's go back quickly to what makeseffective language "acquisition" compre-hensible input. Language "learning" foryoung children is generally incompre-hensible input because their brains areusually not developed enough to understandthe concepts of grammar.
So CLEVER homework needs to besomething which is：- NOT stressful， if it is NOT enjoyable = WASTE OF TIME- Highly motivating = the leamers WANT to do it = GOOD USE OF TIME
Language "acquisition" is a build ofskills. And it's worth remembering thiswhen designing homework. The figureabove shows this process.
How assuming that the teacher hasmade GOOD USE of the classroom time，the learners will have had LOTS OFlistening and speaking practice. This isvery， very， very， very， very IMPORTANTbecause：
You need to HEAR a word before youcan say it. WHY？ Because how can youknow how it sounds？
You need to SAY a word before youcan read it？ WHY？ Because how will yourecognize it when you see it？
You need to READ a word before youcan write it？ WHY？ Because what's thepoint of writing something that you don'trecognize？
Now setting listening and speakinghomework is very TRICKY， unless thelanguage programme comes with CD's or is linked to a computer or Internet programme.But the following is HIGHLY recommendedfor homework：
Ages 6 to lO years old
practice songs = great way to learn language as you learn it in "chunks" or "strings" ofwords and research has shown
that the music/tune helps you to remember
it = PARENTS AND FAMILY LOVE IT！
practice rhymes， chants， poems = same reason as above.
draw pictures about the song， thyme， chant， poem = VISUAL LITERACY = making the words "comprehensible" toothers.
drawing maps to help learners describe to others what they have been "learning" in class.
learning how to draw "mind maps" = these are supposed reflect how your brain collects ideas together. It is a well researched method for study skills of allages.
collect together items from home to share in the classroom， e.g. family photos. favourite story， special gift， favourite toy， leaves/flowers， items with a particularcolour.
drawing a story to share in the classroom= using the words the teacher has taught in a topic.
Ages 11 -12 years old
ONLY if the learners has had atLEAST four years of English， or put itanother way 348 hours， should you go to thenext stage.
Assuming the learners are now moreconfident about listening and understanding，speaking and understanding then this is thetime to develop READING. Pushing readingwhen the learners have little listening/speaking skills = WASTE OF TIME.
reading short stories with LOTS OF
pictures to help make meaning.
REMEMBER： if the homework between 6 - 10 years has included LOTS OF VISUAL LITERACY then they are ready to be making the link between words andpictures.
Labeling pictures and these can now be quite sophisticated and linked to other subjects in the curriculum， e.g. science = plant cycle， butterfly cycle.
When you are sure that they arerecognizing LOTS OF words they under-stand when they hear and can use speakingTHEN and ONLY THEN introduceWRITING.
As the writing system and learning tobe literate in Chinese and English is verydifferent， e.g.
directionality （English = left to right； Chinese = right to left）.
symbols （English = letters and sounds； Chinese = pictographs and meaning）.
learning （English = need to listen/speak before read/write； Chinese = learn to write before read）.
Then it stands to reason that the wayEnglish is taught in a Chinese classroomneeds a fundamental re-thinking.
The purpose of writing is about convey-ing a message to the reader. It is not copying，that is calligraphy！ DON'T use homeworkto WASTE THE LEARNERS' TIME unlessthe purpose is penmanship， but tell themthat is the reason.
So who will start to change the typeof homework they give their learners ofEnglish？ Who is willing to invest the timein listening/speaking and visual literacyBEFORE attempting to push writing first（usually with absolutely no understandingbecause that's the way Chinese is learnt）.
BE BRAVE！