❝Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.❞
‒Rita Mae Brown
3 Ways to Support Learning a Second Language in the Classroom
There are so many ways that you can support children learning a second in a classroom. Here are a few examples of how to incorporate dual language learning.
1. Use dual language labels around the classroom with visuals and symbols paired with words. This is especially beneficial during clean up time. Even if the child has a language barrier, seeing a picture that goes with an item can make clean up time less stressful for both the child and the teachers. Each label should have the word in the language spoken at school and the child’s first language along with a picture. According to Jeanette Vos in the article Can Preschool Children Be Taught a Second Language, it is helpful to “Reinforce with pictures…”
2. Use the child’s senses to make learning a second language concrete. By using a child’s sense of touch, smell, or taste you can help a child to thoroughly engross themselves in learning a new language. Children can learn language “…by eating foods and saying the food name in the new language, …play smelling games, or doing little fingers rhymes in a second language.” (Vos,2008)
3. Make it fun! Children are more likely to want to learn new things if you make it fun to learn. “The more fun it is to learn a language, the more a child will want to stay with it. Learning while playing is the best way to learn because it creates emotional attachments, and emotion is the door to learning.” (Vos, 2008)
2 Ways to Support the Families of Children Learning a Second Language
1. Have a translator. If there isn’t anyone in your center that knows the families first language then it is important to get someone to translate for you. From personal experience I know that some parents will nod their heads and say “Yes” to questions even though they don’t understand what you are saying. They may feel too embarrassed to say anything and it is our job to make sure they are comfortable enough to tell us if they don’t understand.
2. Make ESL classes available. If you can, make classes available for families to attend that will help them to learn a second language along with their child. If you can link the connection between home and school a child is going to be more successful in learning a second language.
Resource to help plan for children learning a second language
A great resource to use is the internet. There are so many websites now that are dedicated to helping children and adults learn a second language. For example, there is a website www.cal.org. CAL, which is the center for applied linguistics, is used to inform people about the acquisition for learning a second language. There are links to current research, projects, and services. This is only one site dedicated to learning a second language, there are many more out there!
Resources
1. Use dual language labels around the classroom with visuals and symbols paired with words. This is especially beneficial during clean up time. Even if the child has a language barrier, seeing a picture that goes with an item can make clean up time less stressful for both the child and the teachers. Each label should have the word in the language spoken at school and the child’s first language along with a picture. According to Jeanette Vos in the article Can Preschool Children Be Taught a Second Language, it is helpful to “Reinforce with pictures…”
2. Use the child’s senses to make learning a second language concrete. By using a child’s sense of touch, smell, or taste you can help a child to thoroughly engross themselves in learning a new language. Children can learn language “…by eating foods and saying the food name in the new language, …play smelling games, or doing little fingers rhymes in a second language.” (Vos,2008)
3. Make it fun! Children are more likely to want to learn new things if you make it fun to learn. “The more fun it is to learn a language, the more a child will want to stay with it. Learning while playing is the best way to learn because it creates emotional attachments, and emotion is the door to learning.” (Vos, 2008)
2 Ways to Support the Families of Children Learning a Second Language
1. Have a translator. If there isn’t anyone in your center that knows the families first language then it is important to get someone to translate for you. From personal experience I know that some parents will nod their heads and say “Yes” to questions even though they don’t understand what you are saying. They may feel too embarrassed to say anything and it is our job to make sure they are comfortable enough to tell us if they don’t understand.
2. Make ESL classes available. If you can, make classes available for families to attend that will help them to learn a second language along with their child. If you can link the connection between home and school a child is going to be more successful in learning a second language.
Resource to help plan for children learning a second language
A great resource to use is the internet. There are so many websites now that are dedicated to helping children and adults learn a second language. For example, there is a website www.cal.org. CAL, which is the center for applied linguistics, is used to inform people about the acquisition for learning a second language. There are links to current research, projects, and services. This is only one site dedicated to learning a second language, there are many more out there!
Resources
- Vos, J. (2008). Can preschool children be taught a second language? Early Childhood News. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleId=60