Parents Taking Language Class Into Their Own Hands
New York Times
In affluent suburban areas from New York to San Diego, children are studying second and even third languages at ages when they are still learning English.
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Exposure To Two Languages Carries Far Reaching Benefits
Science Daily
People who can speak two languages are more adept at learning a new foreign language than their monolingual counterparts, according to research conducted at Northwestern University. And their bilingual advantage persists even when the new language they study is completely different from the languages they already know.
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Parents say ‘oui’ to teaching toddlers a second language
Growing interest in bilingual education has even 1-year-olds in immersion programs
Emilie Moskal sits crossed legged on the floor and begins singing commands to her students in French. ‘‘Une main. Deux main.Bravo!” Her class of 3- to 4-year-olds follow her every move and immediately respond, raising one hand, then two, before clapping them together.
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A Cure for Monolingualism
Elementary-level foreign language instruction helps create global citizens.
Globalization has led to unprecedented interest in expanding foreign language instruction in U.S. schools, particularly at grade levels where traditionally it has not been an option. Languages that previously have been rarely taught, such as Chinese, are frequently the choice of new programs at every level in the K12 range. As No Child Left Behind has become a familiar refrain in our schools, few have noticed that the United States is already far behind the rest of the world in preparing our students for their responsibilities as global citizens. In fact, bilingualism and multilingualism are more the norm than the exception throughout the rest of the world.
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Can Preschool Children Be Taught a Second Language?
Jeanette Vos Ed.D.
For years it has been thought that teaching a foreign language to preschool-age children would be futile. However, recent studies indicate that the best time for a child to learn another language is in the first three to four years of life. Here are some important reasons for exposing children to early second language learning.
Language Learning Is a Natural Process When Children Are Young
Adults often try to learn languages in a contrived way. Most people, for example, can recite the verbs in French'je suis, tu es, il est, elle est, nous sommes, vous 'tes, etc. Yet they find it much more difficult to speak French naturally when they visit France. Yet when people immerse themselves in a language like children, through play and exploration, they can learn a language quickly and easily. So the more we become child-like in language learning, the easier it becomes. Children growing up in a well-rounded environment learn to speak at least 2,000 basic words by the time they are four years old. Simply observing how babies learn to talk proves that they are natural learners. During the first six months of life... |
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