Sube Blog

Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:55:08 +0000

Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue: Why Is It Important for Education?

Jim Cummins

Challenge of speaking a second language

admin — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:50:59 +0000

One challenge in second language learning among bilingual families in the U.S. today is that many children have a high proficiency in comprehension but a low one in speaking. This is common with first or second generation immigrants who have spoken to their children in their native language but not required them to reply in it. The dominant language, in this case English, consequently becomes the child’s language of communication. These challenges also apply to many language programs where reading and writing skills are emphasized, over speaking.Though certain language theories state that speech develops naturally from listening comprehension, research shows that communication takes the path of least resistance. If another language can be used instead, a student will use it. Oral skills must therefore be consciously and actively developed from day one, alongside listening and comprehension.

Getting kids to speak Tip #3: Travel to Latin America

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:45:57 +0000

Just as the “window of opportunity” for developing those second language skills was closing I packed my bags and went to live in Argentina with my 14 year old son for 2 months. Although I had spoken Spanish to my son on and off throughout his life, it seems that total immersion truly does provide the best multisensory experience and the results were astonishing. We reestablished the pattern of speaking in Spanish to each other which was easier to do when everyone else in the country was speaking the language. Nevertheless, it surprised me that it did not happen naturally either. We still had to work hard to break the habit of speaking English and in the end it was our personal commitment to this goal that made that happen. He attended a Spanish school for 5 weeks and in that short time he developed a personal and meaningful connection with the Spanish language that accelerated the learning. His identity was formed around the language, and that was the key. Now speaking Spanish is his own personal experience, not his mom’s goal. There are great language schools and organizations that can facilitate this experience and I would highly recommend it.

Getting kids to speak Tip #2: Reading aloud

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:42:10 +0000

If you now have a child that is older and can understand Spanish but can not speak, remember it is never too late. There is a trick that helps develop oral language skills. When they are at reading age, you can have them read stories aloud to you. This develops the pronunciation but more importantly, they begin to hear themselves speaking the language and eventually start to personally connect with the language. The thing to remember is that reading to them, only develops comprehension. It will not automatically develop those speaking skills.

I would find a book that interested him in Spanish and we would take turns reading. I would have him read one page and the next page I would read aloud. This way I would model correct pronunciation and also it would not be too discouraging for him to have to read too much at once. You could also alternate between paragraphs to make it easier. if you establish this as an enjoyable regular routine, you will see tremendous improvement when they do try to speak in Spanish. The trick, as always with kids, is that it can’t be seen as a chore or they will not want to do it at all. That’s why bedtime and bonding times are the best times, because they also associate the language learning with being close to you.

Why won’t my child speak to me in Spanish?

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:43:30 +0000

The greatest challenge in teaching Spanish at home to my child has been in getting him to speak in Spanish. What I have discovered is that just because he can understand does not mean he can speak. At first I assumed that comprehension would automatically lead to speaking. Ask any child raised in a bilingual home, and I am sure they will confirm, that unless the parents forced them to speak, this ability did not develop naturally. The result is that many of these children as adults can understand the second language but can not speak it. This means that if you have made the commitment to speak in Spanish to your child, you must also get them to speak back to you in Spanish. Under Heritage language Learners in the menu bar I will share some tips and personal experiences on this topic. In the meantime, the good news is that if you have not been able to do this as yet, all is not lost. These kids, called Heritage Language Learners, actually have all that information that you have been feeding them stored away somewhere in their brains, which provides a tremendous advantage as they continue to learn Spanish in schools and in everyday life. We experienced this recently when my 14 year old son was placed in a Spanish school in Argentina for a month. Within 5 weeks he was speaking Spanish. They can make the leap into speaking Spanish much faster once the time comes to actually try speaking. So even if you are having a hard time getting them to speak back to you in Spanish, don’t despair, by exposing them to the language and culture, the seeds are being planted and they can never be washed away.