What’s the best way for a child who is five years old to learn a new language?
Originally written on Medium: November 9, 2018

What’s the best way for a child who is five years old to learn a new language?

If the parent doesn’t speak the language, then that child should setup 4–6 times a week with a native speaker or teacher of that language. They would speak that language to the child as often as possible, engaging with them, and teaching them to understand step by step. And those daily lessons would be about 15–20 minutes at most (especially during the early years). It would also be smart to teach that child’s parent some fundamentals and help them understand how to help their child at home if needed.

Seven years later, maintaining about 4–6 times a week with a teacher, would that child be fluent in the language (able to speak, understand, read and write)?

Absolutely.

And this child’s positive outcome would happen regardless of the child’s talent to learn languages, their parents previous experience in that language, or even the teachers bias. That child would be an independent learner of that language by age 12.

And if you could do this experiment for 1000 children, what percentage would become literate and independent assuming that parents were consistent with bringing them to the language lessons?

I’d argue that the success rate would be somewhere around 95%+ .

Okay, now let’s imagine a different setup for a similar child learning that same language.

The parents of a five year old child is looking for their child to learn a new language.

They sign up with a top teacher who is a famous speaker. She has given hundreds of speeches around the world and has written well-known books. The teacher really knows how to teach and relate to kids. Kids love this top teacher. Lots of positive energy, charisma and inspiration.

Because of this teachers energy, she has attracted lots of students. Each of her students come to learn with her once a week in a 1 on 1 session for 30 minutes. Some students also come for 45 minutes a week for grammar class.

Each visit that the students have, the teacher listens to students recite words both new and old and gives the students advice on how to speak more beautifully or read better.

The process itself is beautiful in the classroom. Very enjoyable to see the student learning to speak and read this language. They definitely improve in this lesson. But they only do it together once a week.

The child then goes home and the parent asks the child to practice the language on their own for 30–45 minutes every day. Sometimes the parents help and sometimes they’re busy. But every day they ask the child to practice speaking their language to themselves and sometimes reading it.

If the child meets once a week with the teacher to practice speaking, does the child continue to speak and practice this language at home on their own for 7 years?

Maybe.

I’d argue that it depends on the child. Maybe they love the language and really want to please their teacher. Then I would say yes. But that percentage is quite low. It’s not as high as 95% and it also requires the child to be a certain way (like that language).

In that teaching model, what variables could we change to increase the success of the child?

That would help.

2. It would also help if that child could call someone every day who speaks the language. Not someone who can teach the child, but just help them practice speaking their new words or phrases in conversation.

3. A third option would be to create a software to have the child record their speaking of the language and have the teacher or someone else check it out for any errors in practice.

That would also help a little.

But as any parent knows, what would happen for most children is that they would get bored practicing this language by themselves. They wouldn’t like the open ended language assignments that are required for them to improve. Many of the assignments may be frustrating and challenging. Students who are impatient would complain and try to get done with the assignment or mess around until their language practice time is up. Parents are spending so much money for these language lessons and they don’t understand why their child won’t practice speaking it by themselves and conversating by themselves.

So taking a step back, and looking at these two systems for learning a new language, which makes more sense?

It’s obvious. And it’s not even close.

The first system of 4–6 lessons per week would produce a high rate of literate and independent speakers of the language. I believe it would be around the 95% rate if parents were consistent and around the 80% success rate in reality (a drop from inconsistency).

The second system would produce a significantly lower success rate over the seven years. This would be caused by constant fights over solo practice of the language at home and confusion and frustration from the days between lessons. The success rate for that popular teacher after three years would be around 50%. Half her students would fail and dropout at learning the language after 3 years. And her less popular colleagues would average about 80% after 3 years.

How do I know that for sure?

Because music is a language.

And that popular teachers rate of 50% is my beginning students dropout rate over three years. And the average dropout rate of beginning students in piano is around 80%. Over 90% when you extend it to 7 years.

The best way for teachers to lower their dropout rate is to stop accepting new beginner students and only accept transfer students who have learned over 3 years and are literate (not often the case).

Ask any honest teacher who accepts beginners and keeps track of their dropout. What’s your rate of drop out for beginning piano students?

So is this dropout caused by the teacher? Maybe a little.

Is it talent or patience or anything like that? Yes, but why not design a system so that that isn’t a factor?

Is it because students get busy? That’s what some people say.

But the truth I believe is that it is the piano education system. The design is ridiculous. Doesn’t anyone else see it?

“But your studio is always full! And so is every other piano teacher!”

Of course, babies are born each year. If every three years you lose half (or even 4/5) of the new students, but attract 20 new ones (each year) and retain a collection of the ones who “make it” and stay for 10+ years, you’ll always have a full studio (40 students). Do the math.

That’s why piano teachers don’t change this system. Why change a teaching system if your business is doing well?

Well, my business isn’t teaching piano, it’s building a piano education system that actually works for those parents and students committed to learning this beautiful language called music.

The tortoise always wins,

JT