Surprisingly, according to this article, teenagers and adults can learn a foreign language faster (in terms of total hours of instruction) than younger children. A major difference in learning for younger children is that when they are surrounded by a foreign language, they pick it up with ease and may acquire better pronunciation than older learners.
There are a few common ways that children are taught foreign language in the United States.
Dual Language Programs
Dual language programs are often close to total immersion. Children are taught all, or almost all, subjects in the foreign language. There is almost no English spoken at all.
A program in a Jacksonville, Florida, elementary school has children spending one half of the school day in one classroom using only the foreign language and the other half of the day in a classroom using English. Academic subjects are rotated so the same lessons are taught in both languages, but on different days. Half of the students are native speakers of the foreign language, so their immersion experience is in the English classroom. No matter which classroom they are in, half of the class are native speakers and half are learning the language.
These programs work best if the children enter them before second grade, and often they are not allowed to enter such a program if they miss entrance in kindergarten.
Even children in immersion programs will need more instruction at an older age in grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and pronunciation.
Native speakers of a language other than English always experience immersion in a foreign language if they attend school in the United States, of course. At school and in other interactions, they must use English, where at home they often use their native language - although their parents may make a rule that they also use English at home.
Electives
Many schools or parents teaching at home use the elective approach to teaching a foreign language. This method means that the language is taught, mainly through vocabulary at the younger ages, on an occasional basis or for only up to a few hours per week.
With this method, children learn how to give greetings and talk about the weather, clothing, colors, numbers, and perhaps even common phrases that can be used in places like restaurants or libraries.
I don't believe that this amount of learning is very important to learning how to actually speak another language. I do believe, however (and the article backs me up), that it teaches children confidence in learning other languages. It is also - usually - a fun way to learn another language, so it can add to their motivation when these children want to learn more at an older age.
These children will have to learn more about grammar, pronunciation, conversation, and vocabulary if they want to actually speak the language.
Games and Media
There are now video, computer, and online games and videos that purport to teach children a foreign language. There are also VERY popular children's TV shows that teach vocabulary and phrasing throughout each episode.
In my opinion, these tools for language learning do the same thing as the elective method. They add to motivation by making the learning fun and desirable. They give exposure to the language so that children might feel confident about their ability to learn a foreign language in the future.
I have not seen research that shows children truly learning to speak a foreign language through media alone. Please feel free to share in the comments if you know of other research.
Older Children and Adults
The American Educational Research Association article includes a graph showing the number of hours of instruction English-speaking adults will need to learn a foreign language. The numbers are: 600 hours for a language similar to English (they mention Dutch, French, and Spanish), 1,300 hours for a language "different from English (e.g., Farsi, Russian, and Urdu)," and 2,200 hours for a language "far from English" like Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese.
College Instruction
One of the most interesting statistics in the article is the fact that a normal year-long college course in a foreign language is only 180 hours of instruction a year at the most.
That's three years to learn an "easy" language and twelve years for an extremely difficult one!
Based on these numbers, I would suggest that college students who want to learn a foreign language should minor in the language if it is a more similar-to-English language and major in it if it is dissimilar.
Learning Outside of College
What should you do if you are a teenager or adult who did not take or is not taking foreign language instruction in college? First, find the motivation that will allow you to commit yourself to 600 hours of instruction in a language that is close to English or 1,300 hours in a language that is different from English. If you are a native English speaker who wants to learn a language that is extremely different, such as Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese, commit yourself to 2,200 hours of instruction and study. Then, visit a place where that language is spoken to solidify your learning and reward your study.
Advantages to Any Exposure to Foreign Language
I want to make it clear that I don't think any of these methods of foreign language instruction is a bad method. They have different advantages. Any exposure to a foreign language or culture is helpful in broadening a child's (or adult's) perspective. That kind of learning is priceless.
And to be very practical about it, knowledge of any words at all in another language can 1) make a person good company when other speakers of that language are around, 2) enliven conversation, and 3) help a person to read books and other materials that quote or draw from other languages.
*American Educational Research Association, "Foreign Language Instruction: Implementing the Best Teaching Methods," Research Points (Spring 2006).
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