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Bilingual can be defined as the ability to use more than one language in an individual
everyday live [ CITATION Gro10 \l 17417 ]. Mastering another language than your own mother
tongue is important nowadays to compete with other people from all around the world is
crucial in order to develop a country. This is to show that one country has the ability to
perform in any situation such as technology, industrial or educational field. Developing
country have high demand in fresh graduate to be their employers who has the ability to
converse in other language than his/her first language [ CITATION Fla17 \l 17417 ]. This is
where the importance of having bilingual skills in which it can help to provide needs during
work or study. However, there are factors that can influences the acquisition of second
language of an individual. Therefore, this essay will discuss on the factors that will affect the
pupils’ second language acquisition as well as to discuss the types of instructional activities
that may cater the needs of the pupils in the ESL classroom.

Teachers should acknowledge their pupil’s ability and level of proficiency. Pupils are
different by their learning styles in the classroom [ CITATION Lan18 \l 17417 ]. Some of them
can acquire the language instantly and there are some who need to work harder so that they
can acquire the language better. Teaching methods and strategies are should be varies
when the teacher are teaching in the classroom. This is to cater the pupils’ needs in
acquiring English language as their second language [ CITATION Col08 \l 17417 ]. To let the
pupils acquire their second language in the classroom, they should be given tasks that allow
them to interact during the teaching and learning. According to Vygotsky’s Social
Development Theory (as cited in Beloglovsky & Daly, 2015), children learn language better
when they interact among their social environment. Therefore, teacher should provide
interactional activities such as group discussion, peer work or presentation that allows them
to have question and answer session in the classroom. This will encourage the pupils to
converse in English language because the interaction that they are having are among their
friends [ CITATION Gra11 \l 17417 ]. Teacher should also provide different strategies for the
remedial pupils. Remedial pupils mostly have difficulty to acquire and learn the English
language especially in terms of words and sentence structure. Hence, tasks that should be
given to them are suits to their level of proficiency. For example, substitution table can be
used to teach them past tense structure if they are unable to learn through chalk and talk
method. Thus, teaching methods and strategies has to cater the pupil’s need so that they
can acquire English language in the classroom as their second language.

Next, second language acquisition of a child also affected by their prior language
development and competence [ CITATION Mil18 \l 17417 ]. Pupils are tend to be competent in
their second language if they are having a constant exposure to the language itself because
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they are able to recognize the rules and patterns of the language. However, some pupils are
not willingly to learn the language because of their personality traits. Pupils who are outgoing
and confident usually perform better to acquire the second language in the classroom
compare to those who has introvert personality. This is because the more outgoing pupils
will not worry about the inevitability of making mistakes and willingly to take the risk whereas
the introverted pupils has the insecurities of making mistake during the learning process.
Therefore, teacher should provide instructional scaffolding to guide the introvert pupils to
learn their second language [ CITATION Tan13 \l 17417 ]. Teachers should always know that
their students are different and select several of tasks which suits the pupils’ personality. For
example, use task-based learning for the introvert pupils during learning the language due to
the fact that they are more passive when having discussion activity. Doing the tasks will
somehow give the introvert pupils to interact with their peers. Sometimes, they check their
answers and check if both have the same comprehension of the question. The interaction
among them will develop the introvert pupils in their second language knowledge [ CITATION
Lim14 \l 17417 ]. Thus, giving the correct scaffold to pupils with different personal will help
them to develop their second language acquisition.

Lastly, individual age and cognitive ability influences the acquisition of second
language. Chomsky (as cited in Williamson, 2014) stated that human was born with the
innate ability to acquire language. However, the innateness of human can slowly disappear
when the individual itself has reach his/her puberty stage. Children also has a greater
capacity of memory which is a great advantage for them to memorize the language that they
are learning [ CITATION Rad16 \l 17417 ]. Language aspects such as pronunciation and
intonation can be acquired easily during early childhood which makes them more competent
to be a native speaker-like. According to Bishop & Leonard (2014), children are likely to
imitate the language in their childhood day. Imitation occurs when there are formats and
routines of an activity. That is why, during the teaching and learning in the ESL classroom,
teachers are tend to do repetition when teaching English language. As a result, the pupils
follows exactly as what the teacher has spoken has become a routine for them. Furthermore,
children are more flexible and spontaneous when in their young age [CITATION Nia17 \l
17417 ]. Their curiosity and willingness to know and learn the language makes them easier to
communicate with other people in which the social interaction among them develop their
language aspects over time. Thus, teacher should teach the young learner as much as they
can so that they will be able to acquire their second language better.

As a conclusion, second language can be acquired naturally, but to increase their

ability to use the second language in context, they need guidance from skilled ESL
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educators. As an ESL educator, it is crucial to know different types of method and strategies
in teaching, to know the needs of pupils who has different personality traits, and also to use
the impactful stage of young learners so that they can learn and acquire English as their
second language better.

(1017 words)
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