We encourage our parents to be active participants in this school experience with their children; celebrating the successes when they occur, by being patient and convinced that the outcomes will be positive in the long run, by not engaging into unfair comparisons, or premature and, at times, inappropriate measuring methods, by not insisting that their children use the second language outside the school environment (unless this is initiated by the child him/herself, of course) and by making every endeavour to keep well informed on the type of educational choice they have made for their children.
Download the Handbook for Parents of a Second Language Learner
Download the Handbook for Parents of a Second Language Learner
Questions that Parents of Second Language Students Often Ask
1. When is the best age to learn a second language?
Many people believe that the younger one begins to learn a second language, the easier and better he/she will learn it. Although there are a number of advantages, the research tends to indicate that the most significant ones seem to be at the phonological level. Children demonstrate a degree of variation in their rate of second language acquisition. This is due to a large number of factors, which affect language learning, such as:
2. Does the learning of more than one language at the same time confuse students?
The human brain can store many languages at the same time in much the same way that a computer can process input. In some countries, children become fluent in three or more languages. Having strong skills in one language enables children to learn other languages more easily.
3. How can your school support the maintenance of mother-tongue of students who speak languages other than Italian and English?
All languages are valued in our school and teachers make a commitment to include them in their lesson planning and day to day practices also by working collaboratively with the child’s parents. The school will offer individualised and group support and advise to help parents develop an articulated mother tongue maintenance and development program at home. Whenever possible the school will offer families an after school mother tongue maintenance program.
4. Should 2LLs be required to speak English/Italian at all times in school?
Students in a Bilingual school context should have as many opportunities as possible to be exposed to and communicate in both school languages. Teachers create as many natural and motivating situations where students are encouraged to use their target language as often possible. This is especially important since it is only at school that many students get the chance to practice their new language. It is only natural for bilingual children to speak their own language with peers, especially in their home country. Students are not made to feel that speaking in their mother-tongue language at school is ever wrong. Teachers encourage children to transfer their language and literacy skills across learning contexts.
5. Why do some students seem to have high levels of oral language proficiency but have difficulty using their 2L in the classroom?
There are two kinds of language proficiency – social language and academic language. The ability to use the second language for personal communication is usually more easily acquired than the ability to use the second language for problem solving and learning academic material, especially since academics involves abstract and complex language structures as well as more extensive development of reading and writing skills.
6. Will there be some students who will simply never learn a new language?
All children can learn a new language given a natural social setting. Of course, different students will learn language at their own individual rates. The more safe and comfortable children feel in the learning environment, the more progress they will make in language learning.
7. Should all students’ English/Italian errors be immediately corrected?
Second language learning is a developmental process. It is a set of stages through which learners pass. In this process, mistakes occur, gradually change, and hopefully disappear. Successful language learning depends upon the freedom of the students to make mistakes. By testing out the limits of the new language system, perfection and accuracy frustrates the student and inhibits the natural process. Teachers at the school try to create an atmosphere that allows students to make mistakes and learn from them. We promote accuracy but not at the expense of fluency.
8. What can I, as a parent of an E.A.L./I.A.L (English as a second Language or Italian as a Second Language) student, do to help?
Parents of EAL/IAL students should keep informed of their children’s progress in their new language. They should also provide continued first language support for both oral and academic/literacy language development.
9. If I speak English or Italian, should I speak to my child in his/her 2L for extra exposure and practice?
Parents of second language learners often ask if they should speak English or Italian with their children at home. Generally this is not a good idea because many parents are not good language models in the new language. Young children are still developing their mother tongue and research tells us that a child who is competent in his mother tongue has an easier time learning successive languages. Insuring the continued development of the home language is not always so easy. Your child is immersed in English/Italian for several hours of every school day. It is important that you continue to speak your mother tongue with your child to demonstrate to him that you value it. If you make the effort to promote your home language you will have a child who is successful and proficient in 2 languages by the time he leaves middle school. Research also says that parents can express effectively their emotions(affective language) when using their mother tongue. The risks is that when a situation requires affective language use, parents will fall back into using their mother tongue.
Many people believe that the younger one begins to learn a second language, the easier and better he/she will learn it. Although there are a number of advantages, the research tends to indicate that the most significant ones seem to be at the phonological level. Children demonstrate a degree of variation in their rate of second language acquisition. This is due to a large number of factors, which affect language learning, such as:
- The student’s motivation to learn
- The student’s personality and learning style
-
The type of instructional programme
-
Access and exposure to sound language models.
- The status of one’s own language vs. the second language to be learned
2. Does the learning of more than one language at the same time confuse students?
The human brain can store many languages at the same time in much the same way that a computer can process input. In some countries, children become fluent in three or more languages. Having strong skills in one language enables children to learn other languages more easily.
3. How can your school support the maintenance of mother-tongue of students who speak languages other than Italian and English?
All languages are valued in our school and teachers make a commitment to include them in their lesson planning and day to day practices also by working collaboratively with the child’s parents. The school will offer individualised and group support and advise to help parents develop an articulated mother tongue maintenance and development program at home. Whenever possible the school will offer families an after school mother tongue maintenance program.
4. Should 2LLs be required to speak English/Italian at all times in school?
Students in a Bilingual school context should have as many opportunities as possible to be exposed to and communicate in both school languages. Teachers create as many natural and motivating situations where students are encouraged to use their target language as often possible. This is especially important since it is only at school that many students get the chance to practice their new language. It is only natural for bilingual children to speak their own language with peers, especially in their home country. Students are not made to feel that speaking in their mother-tongue language at school is ever wrong. Teachers encourage children to transfer their language and literacy skills across learning contexts.
5. Why do some students seem to have high levels of oral language proficiency but have difficulty using their 2L in the classroom?
There are two kinds of language proficiency – social language and academic language. The ability to use the second language for personal communication is usually more easily acquired than the ability to use the second language for problem solving and learning academic material, especially since academics involves abstract and complex language structures as well as more extensive development of reading and writing skills.
6. Will there be some students who will simply never learn a new language?
All children can learn a new language given a natural social setting. Of course, different students will learn language at their own individual rates. The more safe and comfortable children feel in the learning environment, the more progress they will make in language learning.
7. Should all students’ English/Italian errors be immediately corrected?
Second language learning is a developmental process. It is a set of stages through which learners pass. In this process, mistakes occur, gradually change, and hopefully disappear. Successful language learning depends upon the freedom of the students to make mistakes. By testing out the limits of the new language system, perfection and accuracy frustrates the student and inhibits the natural process. Teachers at the school try to create an atmosphere that allows students to make mistakes and learn from them. We promote accuracy but not at the expense of fluency.
8. What can I, as a parent of an E.A.L./I.A.L (English as a second Language or Italian as a Second Language) student, do to help?
Parents of EAL/IAL students should keep informed of their children’s progress in their new language. They should also provide continued first language support for both oral and academic/literacy language development.
9. If I speak English or Italian, should I speak to my child in his/her 2L for extra exposure and practice?
Parents of second language learners often ask if they should speak English or Italian with their children at home. Generally this is not a good idea because many parents are not good language models in the new language. Young children are still developing their mother tongue and research tells us that a child who is competent in his mother tongue has an easier time learning successive languages. Insuring the continued development of the home language is not always so easy. Your child is immersed in English/Italian for several hours of every school day. It is important that you continue to speak your mother tongue with your child to demonstrate to him that you value it. If you make the effort to promote your home language you will have a child who is successful and proficient in 2 languages by the time he leaves middle school. Research also says that parents can express effectively their emotions(affective language) when using their mother tongue. The risks is that when a situation requires affective language use, parents will fall back into using their mother tongue.