Learn Non-native Language...

[chinnu]

Hello everybody
English is my second Language.Nevertheless I have tried hard to learn it to some extent. I want my three year old child to learn to speak English at an early age without any assistance at the kindergarten. What measures should the parents choose to perfect a child in any non-native language, English language in my case.
I hope to get the best views out here on the forum.

 

[bssage]

This probably wont teach a language. But from time to time I worked with multicultural groups. Managers Engineers and such. The used to swear by using the CC (closed captioning) features on their TV's at the hotel. What they told me was that it made their formal language training more effective by showing them to speak more conversationally. They would leave it on the news.

I leave this feature on on the kids tv hoping it may magically subliminally help with spelling.

I think most modern Televisions allow you to control the spoken vs written language to some extent.

Again they used this with their formal training not in place of.

Just a idea

 

[KimMomof3]

Hi Chinnu,
I have worked with second language learners in elementary school for many years and am a speaker of two languages myself. One of the best ways to help children learn English well by the time they are in Kindergarten is to enroll them in any age appropriate activities where English is the main language spoken. It could be pre-school, day care, swim lessons, activities at the local public library. Many cities offer free or low cost summer programs for kids that are either academic or athletic. Any of these where your child will be immersed in the language, and where English will gain meaning in a learning context will help tremendously. Also, using English words at home as much as possible in real conversations with your child (not just how do you say ____ in English?) every day will also help. Its ok to mix up your first language and English too, when you are teaching nouns especially. For example, my second language is Spanish and if I wanted to teach my child the Spanish word for apple I would say something like, "Let's eat the apple/manzana. Could you get the manzana?" Use the words that your child already knows to help teach the new ones. So daily use of English at home and being involved in real world activities where English is spoken should really help you and your child.

 

[Andrew84]

I am Irish and we are tought both Irish and English from the age of 4. At the age of 12 I started learning French and German. By the end of high school I was just as competent at French and German as I was at Irish. I think the secret is not to force your child to learn the language. Make it a fun activity and an engaging one. If you continue this I believe your child will evenually initiate the communication game. And it will help you too.

 

[vee220]

my parents were spanish but i learned english first. Surprisingly my parents credit Sesame Street. As a child that is all I watched. They also gave me books with pictures in them that taught me the alphabet and typical words. Enriching a child with the culture they live in will help them best learn. So I would recommend them taking part in typical activities such as soccer and scouts so they can communicate with other children and let them watch american television shows for children so that they learn the language and culture the best.

 

[IADad]

I have a friend who taught their daughter to be very fluently bi-lingual by splitting how they spoke to her. The wife would speak to her in English and the father only in french. She just grew up that way, when she was interacting with her father it was in French, with her mother it was english, and it served her well. The only problem they encounter now (she's 3rd grade) is that she gets no french exposure all day, so I understand her french is slipping a little. Now, they did this from the first day she came home from the hospital, so I'm not sure how well it works to try to switch later, I'm not even sure if she knows her dad speaks english (well actually she's heard him converse with me, so I guess she does know...)

 

[singledad]

I have a friend who taught their daughter to be very fluently bi-lingual by splitting how they spoke to her. The wife would speak to her in English and the father only in french.

Yup, that's what we did with my DD. Now that its only me, I split it up in morning and evening. Her school is also parallel-medium, so she gets exposure to both there, which I like.

Me, I learnt English in school. Sure, it was on the TV etc from when I was very little, but I doubt I could actually speak any English before I went to school at about 6.

I think the key is to start as early as possible, and to use a language as often as possible. Of course, it is even more valuable if you get to spend time with people who are native English speakers, because you pick up a lot of vocabulary from them, you learn how they use words, and you hear the correct accent. I've tried learning other languages, but every time, because I don't get the opportunity to use it, I never get comfortable with it. Oh, and books. I get a lot of my vocabulary from reading English books.

 

[Jordy]

my Daughter (Aimee) spoke French, English and Spanish at an appropriate level for her age from about 4 years old just because we spoke to her in all three languages at different times of the day from when she woke up to lunch was English from Lunch till afternoon tea was spanish and from Afternoon tea till dinner time was French (i speak 5 languages fluently but we didn't want to confuse her with too many)

 

[IADad]

for the OP and for anyone looking for resources to practice language, I just discovered that there are thousands of free language course in the form of podcasts on itunes...think I'll start using it to practice my german.....

 

[wishdr]

My nephew is Brazilian, his wife is Mexican, and their children were born while they were in Israel. The father spoke to them only in Portuguese, the mother only in Spanish, and the friends spoke Hebrew. The kids learned some English in school. Then they moved back to the US. The kids now speak 4 languages fluently and can switch easily depending on who they are talking to. Kids are like sponges. Don't worry!!

 

[Versatile.me]

Hey friends...thanks for the information

@chintu: This can surely help you kid and other kids around

Considering the topic to be about language...i know about this product IKEN which is basically a virtual "world" of education. You can consider it to be the future of schooling - virtual schooling. Please Google it to get the website..it is an Indian website.

Well the homepage of Iken has this option of having the language you prefer...So not only English but any language that you want can be applied

Sorry i am not yet allowed to post any links but hope this helps you in some way

 

[dblanketyblank]

As long as you send your child to an english school they will pick it up fast. Personally I would try to do my best to teach your child your native language first, because they are more likely to lose it if you don't converse with them.

 

[Whoosh]

Hello Chinnu!

One of the first factors crucial to second language acquisition is that the learner be placed in a low anxiety situation. Why is this? People naturally have what linguist Stephen Krashen termed an "affective filter," a psychological barrier that can impede learning. When a learner is either very anxious, under motivated or lacking in self-esteem, his affective filter goes up, and he has a very difficult time taking in or processing new information.

Therefore, psychologically speaking, one of the factors most important for someone trying to learn a new language is to find a situation that is low stress. If it is a classroom arena in which a foreign language is being learned, it is largely the responsibility of a teacher to ensure an environment that does not cause anxiety for the students.

As a teacher, how can you create a low stress language learning environment? One way is to involve a lot of fun and hands-on activities with language learning. When students are involved in games or activities, they will not be an anxious as if, for example, you are calling on students seated at their desks to one by one produce sentences aloud.


Aaron Caddel
Educational Researcher
Whoosh Learning