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William Lily wrote a
standard grammar
which was in Latin and
mandatory for all child
between 7-8 years old. -
From the mid 16th century onwards, ducational reformers said that Education should grow out of the child ́s experience of the mother tongue and foreign languages, particularly Latin should be relegated to a subsidiary role.
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Teacher Richard Mulcaster said that English was the language of "Our liberty and freedom" defending its use in his First Part of the Elementarie
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English did not appear on any school curriculum until the late 17th century.
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Wolfgang Rakte opened the first German mother tongue school at Koethen in Saxony in the 1620s.
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Comenius, Ratke ́s follower underlined the central role of the mother tongue in his Great Didactic
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John Locke published Some Thoughts Concerning Education.
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Formal education in Europe consisted almost exclusively in teaching languages like Latin, Greek and Hebrew to young boys between 8-14 years old.
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Lowth ́s Short Introduction to English Grammar was published. Emile by Rousseau was published the same year.
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The traditionalists from the private schools wanted to continue the "early-start" practice of teaching foreign languages yo eight-year olds.
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The "Natural Method" of language teaching was founded, associated later with the "Direct Method".
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The Board of Education conclude that the early beginning of foreign languages at school is advantegeous.
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A large-project to introduce the teaching of French to primary school children began.
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In the 1960's, a research helped to develop the Foreing Languages in the Elementary School program. At the same time, Canadian schools pioneered the notion of "immersion" were the children used the second language for all scool purposes for a specific part of each day or for a specific time of the day.
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Until then, foreing languages were reserved for bright adolecents, the 20% or so who had passed the entrance test to the grammar schools.