Thinking is a Blessing for all Humans, and Kids are Humans!

Acquiring first language has been the center of interest for most linguists who developed many theories concerning this acquisition. Skinner, who was a proponent for the behaviorist theory, believed that children acquire language through imitating what they hear in their environment and when they receive positive reinforcement, they would continue to imitate and practice until they form habits. Due to the errors that most linguists perceived in this theory, Chomsky strongly disagreed with the behaviorist’s theory for language acquisition. Chomsky considered language as an innate universal principle that every child has since birth. He gave less attention to the environment that he believed was only the case when people talk to a child and the rest is related to the biological endowment of the child. The developmental theory proponents criticized the innatist’s removal of the environment and they believed that the innatist’s supporters only depend on the final stage and not the developmental stages for language acquisition. It is true that there is an inner system that helps children acquire the language, but the environment has a major role in this acquisition. Piaget, who was a proponent of this theory, believed that when a child interacts with people and objects around him, he will express terms related to his experiences. On the other hand, Vygotsky, who is also a proponent for the developmental theory, believed that language is an inner speech and is expressed during interaction but it is not built from interaction as Piaget said.

 As teachers, it is hard to stand for one theory because they all have some errors. But I personally see the developmental theory Is the most convincing theory because I believe that the environment as well as the child’s brain play a major role in language acquisition. What made me think in this way are the countless examples I see every day while watching my younger relatives acquiring language. Kids discover, relate, and then learn! We can't oversee kids' brains and oblige them to think the way we want. Their experiences, thoughts, and environment highly influence their thinking. If we actually let our students think, they will surprise us! These small "creatures" have incredible brains that most people don't really value. As teachers, we must motivate learners to think, create, and connect.