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Often, for busy EAL teachers, the focus is on the child. However, it is important to remember that, for some parents, the transition period can be just as difficult.
Approaches to bilingual upbringing
Some parents worry about bringing up their child with two languages and question whether it would be more beneficial for the child if they speak the language of the new country to help them become more competent in the new language and learn it faster. We need to discourage this approach, supporting parents in understanding the value of using their mother tongue.
Parents need to appreciate that language is as much about communication as it is about identity (Baker, 2007). Language is fragile and easily lost (Cummins, 2001), and to continue to support and teach a child’s mother tongue actually provides a better platform for developing a second or third language.
Supporting parents
It’s essential to provide parents with the right information about how to successfully support their learners at home. Some books to assist both teachers and parents in understanding more about bringing up a bilingual child include:
Summary
It is crucial that families are encouraged to maintain their mother tongue to remain connected to their parents and extended family. As Joseph Shaules points out, "a positive and encouraging attitude to a child's home language is motivating and can only have favourable repercussions." (Shaules, 2007).
You can download a free parent information card on maintaining children's mother tongues by clicking on the download buttons at the top and bottom of this article.
References:
Shaules, J (2007) Deep Culture: The Hidden Challenges of Global Living
Cummins, J (2001) Bilingual Children's Mother Tongue: Why Is It Important for Education?
The big day has arrived, the new uniform is looking smart, and now our 'senior' Primary school learners are about to become important 'junior' Secondary school students. For most of us, this is a memorable experience and, therefore, very significant. However, whilst some learners approach this milestone with great excitement and enthusiasm, others are nervous and anxious.
What tools are there if you have a sixth sense that something is not quite right?
At what point does a teacher start to question whether an EAL student’s lack of progress is due to English Language Development (ELD) issues or due to specific learning differences (SpLD).
These questions come up again and again. Learning English as an Additional Language is not a learning difficulty, however 20% of EAL students will follow the norm of having specific learning differences (Chapter 1, SFR24/2012, GovUK). Therefore, there is a possibility that an EAL student has SpLDs.
We’ve covered the theory, we’re enthusiastic and ready to get stuck in! However, as an early-stage teacher, we might also feel overwhelmed by the task and intimidated by the expectations. So where do we start? Initially, the question is: What do I teach? This article answers some of the questions related to language teaching.