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Opportunity not to pass up
By Michael Johnson |
May 30, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
YCIS Shanghai IGCSE coordinator
In this modern, competitive global village in which we live, language proficiency is a keenly sought skill. Expats have an excellent opportunity to help their children develop their language skills. Here in Shanghai, the chance to learn one of the most spoken languages in the world is one that I feel should not be passed up. Multi-cultural family situations are at a distinct advantage, but that does not mean that others are excluded from becoming bi- or even multi-lingual. Here are some tips to help your children get ahead in the language stakes.
Be a good role model: One of the most important aspects in learning any language is having accurate and authentic language to learn from. Children not only need role models to develop into responsible citizens, but also to develop a strong base in their language proficiency. Where possible, only speak to your child in your mother tongue, using grammatically correct language. For multicultural families, this may mean that there are times when parents do not understand what each one is saying to their child, but it will work out in the long run.
Provide opportunities to use the language: Anyone who has tried to learn a language will be able to attest to this piece of advice. If you cannot use the language in authentic situations, retention levels will be very low. Even if you do not speak the other language your child is learning, providing access to TV programs, books, music and people will enable your child to use and retain the target language.
Always be consistent in your approach: This is especially important for children of multi-cultural families. When deciding on who will speak which language with your child, it is vitally important that you do not deviate from that. Children are very easily able to decipher which language to use with which person and in which situations; if you are not consistent with your own language use, they will also become confused as to when to use which language.
Code-switching is normal: When children are developing language, it is extremely normal for them to insert different words into their speech - even in mono-lingual children. If they don't know the word for it in one language, they will make something up, use gestures, or, in the case of multi-lingual children, use the word from a different language. This is not something to be concerned about. By listening and responding with the correct word in the desired language, your child will quickly expand their vocabulary and the code-switching instances decrease.
Choose an appropriate educational setting for your language goals: The educational setting is another important aspect when learning languages. Schools which give equal footing to different languages breed a culture where being multi-lingual is the norm. Children will have the opportunity to use each language in an authentic way and will have the support of the school community to ensure that their language development is consistently nurtured.
Becoming multi-lingual is an achievable task for all children from all backgrounds if they are given the right environment in which to develop. Praise, strong support and good role models will help ensure that your child can make use of the most important skill humans have developed: communication. Once mastered, their proficiency in different languages will open doors for them all over the world.
In this modern, competitive global village in which we live, language proficiency is a keenly sought skill. Expats have an excellent opportunity to help their children develop their language skills. Here in Shanghai, the chance to learn one of the most spoken languages in the world is one that I feel should not be passed up. Multi-cultural family situations are at a distinct advantage, but that does not mean that others are excluded from becoming bi- or even multi-lingual. Here are some tips to help your children get ahead in the language stakes.
Be a good role model: One of the most important aspects in learning any language is having accurate and authentic language to learn from. Children not only need role models to develop into responsible citizens, but also to develop a strong base in their language proficiency. Where possible, only speak to your child in your mother tongue, using grammatically correct language. For multicultural families, this may mean that there are times when parents do not understand what each one is saying to their child, but it will work out in the long run.
Provide opportunities to use the language: Anyone who has tried to learn a language will be able to attest to this piece of advice. If you cannot use the language in authentic situations, retention levels will be very low. Even if you do not speak the other language your child is learning, providing access to TV programs, books, music and people will enable your child to use and retain the target language.
Always be consistent in your approach: This is especially important for children of multi-cultural families. When deciding on who will speak which language with your child, it is vitally important that you do not deviate from that. Children are very easily able to decipher which language to use with which person and in which situations; if you are not consistent with your own language use, they will also become confused as to when to use which language.
Code-switching is normal: When children are developing language, it is extremely normal for them to insert different words into their speech - even in mono-lingual children. If they don't know the word for it in one language, they will make something up, use gestures, or, in the case of multi-lingual children, use the word from a different language. This is not something to be concerned about. By listening and responding with the correct word in the desired language, your child will quickly expand their vocabulary and the code-switching instances decrease.
Choose an appropriate educational setting for your language goals: The educational setting is another important aspect when learning languages. Schools which give equal footing to different languages breed a culture where being multi-lingual is the norm. Children will have the opportunity to use each language in an authentic way and will have the support of the school community to ensure that their language development is consistently nurtured.
Becoming multi-lingual is an achievable task for all children from all backgrounds if they are given the right environment in which to develop. Praise, strong support and good role models will help ensure that your child can make use of the most important skill humans have developed: communication. Once mastered, their proficiency in different languages will open doors for them all over the world.
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