Top 10 Reasons Your Children Aren’t Speaking Your Language
A note from Yalda: though I am not a big proponent of screen-time for children (television, dvds, computers), I do think that in some situations, families will benefit from the use of media to support their efforts at home. Please note, I do strongly believe that children under the age of three should have no exposure to television and video programming.
May 18, 2010 By Corey Heller
Source: Multilingualliving.com
Wondering why your children aren’t speaking your language? It is hard to say why one child will gladly speak a second (and third and fourth) language while another will resist it. Below are the top 10 most likely reasons. Do some of these resonate with your multilingual family’s situation!
Let’s start the countdown… (more…)
Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research
By Kendall King and Lyn Fogle, Georgetown University
Summary of study:
In responding to parents’ questions or concerns about raising bilingual children, professionals should warmly encourage the use of two languages in the home. We know that parents’ use of their first language is important in providing children a rich linguistic environment (Snow, 1990) as well as in promoting bilingualism, which can become an important resource for the child, family, and wider community. Parents should be directed to practical resources such as The Bilingual Family Newsletter (www.bilingualfamilynewsletter.com) and the Why, How, and When Should My Child Learn a Second Language? brochure (www.cal.org/resources/brochures/whyhowwhen_brochure.pdf). Perhaps most importantly, parents should be encouraged to be aware of the quantity and quality of their children’s exposure to both languages and to think about creating a “safe space” for the minority language to flourish at home.
To read the entire article, click here.
The No Game: Get Your Bilingual Child Talking!
By Corey Heller, Multilingual Living, May 2010
What child, bilingual, multilingual or monolingual, can resist responding to a parent who is clearly wrong!?
Want to find out if your bilingual child understands what you are saying? Want to get your bilingual child to respond to you?
Then play the No Game!
It will be hard for your child to not answer you when you go out of your way to be totally and completely wrong!
During the day make statements to your child that are clearly wrong. For example, when pointing to a cat say, “Oh, look, there is a dog!” Or in the morning, say to your child, “Good night.”
You can encourage even longer sentences and discussion based on your statements and questions. For example, you might say, “Your math teacher, Mr. Smith, sure did give you a lot of reading homework!” when you know that your child’s math teacher is named Mrs. Kennedy and the reading teacher is named Mr. Hill and neither gave any homework on that day.
What multilingual fun can be had by just being very, very wrong as much as possible!
Source: multiLingualLiving.com
On television and delayed speech
A few notes: This study was conducted in the UK. I’m not sure of the validity, but intuitively speaking, the results seem viable. Regarding speech delays, all children develop differently. There are many factors that come into play that may affect a child’s speech development.
This study by no means indicates a direct correlation between television and speech delays, it merely illustrates a relationship between the two.
- yalda
The youngsters who struggle to speak because their parents let them watch too much TV
4th January 2010
Nearly a quarter of boys - and one in seven girls - are struggling to learn to talk because thousands of households keep their TV sets on, constantly making it difficult for them to understand the speech of adults around them.
A survey revealed how 22 per cent of boys and 13 per cent of girls have trouble developing speech and understanding others.
To read the entire article, click here.
The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages
Scientific American Mind - January 21, 2010
The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages
Bilingual people process certain words faster than others
By Melinda Wenner
The ability to speak a second language isn’t the only thing that distinguishes bilingual people from their monolingual counterparts—their brains work differently, too. Research has shown, for instance, that children who know two languages more easily solve problems that involve misleading cues. A new study published in Psychological Science reveals that knowledge of a second language—even one learned in adolescence—affects how people read in their native tongue. The findings suggest that after learning a second language, people never look at words the same way again.
Eva Van Assche, a bilingual psychologist at the University of Ghent in Belgium, and her colleagues recruited 45 native Dutch-speaking students from their university who had learned English at age 14 or 15. The researchers asked the participants to read a collection of Dutch sentences, some of which included cognates—words that look similar and have equivalent meanings in both languages (such as “sport,” which means the same thing in both Dutch and English). They also read other sentences containing only noncognate words in Dutch.
Van Assche and her colleagues recorded the participants’ eye movements as they read. They found that the subjects spent, on average, eight fewer milliseconds gazing at cognate words than control words, which suggests that their brains processed the dual-language words more quickly than words found only in their native language.
“The most important implication of the study is that even when a person is reading in his or her native language, there is an influence of knowledge of the nondominant second language,” Van Assche notes. “Becoming a bilingual changes one of people’s most automatic skills.” She plans to investigate next whether people who are bilingual also process auditory language information differently. “Many questions remain,” she says.
Note: This story was originally printed with the title “Bilingual Brains”
What Language do You Speak Around Others?
What is the polite thing to do when others don’t understand what you are saying? How do other parents resolve it? What can you get away with, and what are some tricks? (more…)
Full Immersion Schools - Is it Really Sink or Swim?
Count yourself lucky if you have access to any form of immersion program in your minority language. The real advantage of these is that the child hears the language spoken by many different people and during a wide variety of activities. But, the “sink or swim” aspect of full immersion worries some, as does a value system rooted in a foreign culture.
The advantage of immersion programs
By far the best way for a preschooler to excel in a foreign language is an immersion program such as a full immersion daycare or preschool which can be especially useful if neither parent speaks the minority language. Why? For better or worse, your child learns far more from other kids than from any adult. So, take advantage of this when it works in your favor!
Immersion schools are an outstanding resource, provided the overall academic level is comparable to regular schools. If immersion programs are available in your area, take the time to visit and to seriously consider them. A second best option is to join or start a playgroup.
What to expect from full immersion
Children who have some foundation in a language can really hit the fast track when attending an immersion preschool or daycare. But even monolinguals do much better than their parents could ever hope. Most schools admit a good number of monolingual children with no prior exposure to the immersion language. The more a child without previous language exposure attends the better, but three full days per week is typically the minimum (or five half days.) It also depends upon your child’s knack for language, motivation, outgoing nature, etc. Below is what you can expect from three days per week of immersion.
First month: Everything is new, and the child will resist the change vehemently. Typically, after the initial crying bouts, he may be quieter and more reserved than his normal self at school and may resist playing with the other kids. Remember that this sort of behavior is extremely common even if there isn’t a new language involved — it is a normal toddler reaction to any large change!
Second month: The child begins to adjust to the new situation. He opens up and plays more with the other kids and begins to learn the basic words (yes, no, food items, etc.) He begins to like and gain trust in the teachers.
Third month and beyond: The child becomes comfortable with the situation and starts to enjoy himself, really accelerating his language learning. He has made a few friends and looks forward to seeing them. (Remember, happy kids learn the fastest.) At this stage, he’ll increase his vocabulary much faster and start to combine words into simple sentences, maybe even picking up some basic grammar. If you can keep up this kind of language interaction, you’re really off to the races. After about one semester, he will be comfortable using the minority language and will be quickly catching up to his peers — well on his way to speaking a foreign language, just by playing and having fun!
Reservations about immersion programs
Some parents would love to enroll their child at the local immersion program, but they still don’t do it for a variety of reasons — they don’t like the program, the teachers, or the facility. The pros and cons of such a situation are highly individual, of course. In terms of the overall content of an immersion program, something many mono-lingual parents worry is “too much,” meaning that a foreign language is one thing, but they worry about forcing their child to adhere to the cultural norms and values associated with the language as well.
“I’d love to have my girl learn Chinese, but I don’t want her to grow up becoming Chinese. I really have a hard time relating to their value system. And it is not how I’d raise her myself,” is one example. Or, “I feel like I’m sending my boy to Japan every morning. I’m not sure how good that is once he’ll start regular school.” Conversely, parents elsewhere in the world who consider sending their children to an American school to learn English worry about ‘coca-cola culture’, consumerism and a too competitive school environment. It is obviously the decision of each school how much they emphasize the cultural component, and some parent’s will be all enthusiastic, whereas others will feel like outsiders in their child’s upbringing.
So, if you disagree with aspects of the program, then what? Do you go with the language advantage and turn a blind eye to a culture that is foreign to you? Or do you nix the whole idea? The issue is probably a question of timing. If this immersion situation will last only until kindergarten, the child will be socialized many times over before he reaches adulthood — and will still have established an incredibly solid language foundation. That foundation can then be maintained throughout childhood, without the need to continue the immersion program. Another major benefit in early immersion is the establishment of early and enduring friendships. After a few years in an immersion program, the child will gain minority language friends, further motivating him to keep up his language.
Again, the general rule seems to be the earlier the better if you are not sure about the immersion program. The further along the school system the child is, the more risk it involves, becoming increasingly disruptive in the education. With a preschooler you can afford to try out the program and see if the reservations can be outweighed by the gain in language skills. For older children you want to feel pretty confident that the program is right for your child not only in the language component, but comprehensively.
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: On Television and Media
Does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend against TV viewing for children under the age of 2?
Yes.
In 1999 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement about media and children. In it, the organization discussed the benefits media education can have as well as the health risks TV poses to children, especially those under the age of two. Specifically, the AAP said:
“Pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of 2 years. Although certain television programs may be promoted to this age group, research on early brain development shows that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with parents and other significant caregivers (eg, child care providers) for healthy brain growth and the development of appropriate social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Therefore, exposing such young children to television programs should be discouraged.”
To read the full statement: American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on Media Education
PEDIATRICS Vol. 104 No. 2 August 1999, pp. 341-343
Committee on Public Education
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ABSTRACT |
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The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that exposure to mass media (ie, television, movies, video and computer games, the Internet, music lyrics and videos, newspapers, magazines, books, advertising, etc) presents both health risks and benefits for children and adolescents. Media education has the potential to reduce the harmful effects of media. By understanding and supporting media education, pediatricians can play an important role in reducing the risk of exposure to mass media for children and adolescents.
For more than a decade, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recognized both the public health risks and the benefits of mass media for children and adolescents. The potential benefits that media offer are clear, from selected educational television programs to thought-provoking magazine articles, to the creativity and knowledge encouraged through computer use. However, pediatricians are increasingly aware of negative media influence on children and adolescents. Five recently published AAP statements summarize the available research about the effects of media on young people and encourage media education for parents and children as an approach to mitigating potentially harmful effects.1-5 Many concerns about media exist, including those described in the following sections.
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The AAP recommends the following:
- Pediatricians should become educated about the public health risks of media exposure through workshops and written materials. All state chapters and/or districts that have not done so should schedule a media education program for their members.
- Pediatricians should begin incorporating questions about media use into their routine visits, including use of the AAP’s Media History form.27 This tool enables youth and parents to examine their media use habits and allows pediatricians to focus on areas of concern and offer counsel and support. Advice to parents should include the following:
- encouraging careful selection of programs to view
- co-viewing and discussing content with children and adolescents
- teaching critical viewing skills
- limiting and focusing time spent with media
- being good media role models by selectively using media and limiting their own media choices
- emphasizing alternative activities
- creating an “electronic media-free” environment in children’s rooms
- avoiding use of media as an electronic baby-sitter
3. Pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of 2 years. Although certain television programs may be promoted to this age group, research on early brain development shows that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with parents and other significant care givers (eg, child care providers) for healthy brain growth and the development of appropriate social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Therefore, exposing such young children to television programs should be discouraged.
4. Pediatricians should serve as role models for appropriate media use by limiting television and video use in waiting rooms and patients’ rooms, using educational materials to promote reading, and having visits by volunteer readers in waiting rooms.
5. Pediatricians should alert and educate parents, children, adolescents, teachers, school officials, and other professionals about media-associated health risks. Pediatricians should also alert and educate parents when positive media opportunities arise, either educational or informative.
6. Pediatricians should collaborate with other professionals, including the parent-teacher association, schools, and community groups, to promote media education.
7. Pediatricians should, along with other public health activists, continue to monitor media and to advocate for increasing educational and prosocial programming and messages for children and youth.
8. Pediatricians should encourage their state and federal governments to explore mandating and funding universal media education programs with demonstrated effectiveness in American schools.
9. Pediatricians should encourage the government and private foundations to increase the funding available for media education research. In particular, more research is needed on media influence in the areas of sexuality, substance abuse, attention deficit disorder, and juvenile offenders who have committed violent or sexual crimes.
Pediatrics (ISSN 0031 4005).
Golestan Brothers
Despite only being half Iranian, Kian and Manu only speak to each other in Persian.
The many benefits of early bilingualism
ADVANTAGES OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION
There are clear benefits of exposing children to any second language at any age - the earlier the better.
Children’s ability to pick up other languages is easier the more they’re exposed to different languages as infants/toddlers.
In fact, people who are fluent in more than one language since childhood*:
· Are better able to learn new languages;
· Show signs of reduced mental decline as elderly;
· Are better able to multitask and/or perform tasks while distracted;
· Score higher on standardized IQ tests;
· Exhibit more creativity;
· Have higher self esteem;
· Experience better cross-cultural understanding and empathy;
· Enjoy better marketability in the academic and professional world; and
· Are more likely to take risks, explore, and travel.
* Kendall King & Alison Mackey (2007). The Bilingual Edge. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY.
At Golestan, children enjoy the benefits of learning a heritage language and culture as well as other qualities as:
Curiosity, Altruism, Generosity, Compassion, Confidence, Kindness, and Community.