TEFL Glade Kansas

Now that the world is shrinking into a ‘global village' thanks to the advancements in technology it has become more common to raise children bilingually. For some it is a choice whereas for some others it is a requirement. The components listening, speaking, reading and writing constitute any language. ‘Bilingual' here can mean equal proficiency with respect to all the above components in both languages or to a certain degree only. In any case, careful planning is the key factor in successful bilingual teaching and learning. While it is possible to learn a second language at any stage of life, it is easier and faster for small children to acquire a second language. What we focus on this essay is childhood bilingualism. Childhood bilingualism can be categorized into two types. 1. Simultaneous bilingualism 2. Successive bilingualism Simultaneous bilingualism seems to be affected by one of the following criteria. • Parents speak only one language but the surrounding society speaks another- • Parents have the ability to speak two languages and they do so with the children. • Other family members like siblings or grandparents speak a different language. • Parents want the children to learn a second language. Therefore they have got a special tutor to teach the second language. For children to develop native –like language skills in both languages they have to be raised up in simultaneous bilingualism and it should start before the age of 3 years, according to researches. Any language learning started after this age can be categorized as successive bilingualism. This usually happens when children establish the mother tongue with parents and later acquire the second language at school. The adult learners obviously fall into this category too. As mentioned above proper planning is vital for effective bilingual mastery. The more common strategies followed can be identified as follows: • Each parent has a different mother tongue so one parent speaks one language while the other another with the children. There can be a common language to both too. • Both parents speak one language while a second language is taught at school. • One language is spoken at home and school while the surrounding society speak a different language • Both parents can speak the two languages and they teach children both languages depending on the context. Expert opinion is that one should make a clear separation between the two languages while rendering it to the children. Otherwise the children may end up inventing their own ‘hybrid' language from the two languages. It should be made sure that a proper balance is struck between the two languages with respect to the time spent on each language. If the children speak one language all the time at school but only little in the other language at home or vice versa, it is hardly effective. At the same time quality matters more than quantity as with anything else. The language used should be appropriate for the children in question and it should be relevant to the age and development of the children. Language can be made fun to learn by using interesting books, games, pictures and videos. The children should be taken to different environments where they can digest the language naturally and without effort. Parents and teachers should often become the listeners and give children the opportunity to use the language, which should be followed by praise and encouragement where necessary. This helps evaluate the children's progress. Moreover the above activities should do justice to both languages equally. In addition the following observations are worth attention from parents and teachers. • Each child develops language skills at his own pace. Be aware of it and tackle it accordingly. Don't force anything on him • Both languages should be given equal status. If one language is considered more important than the other the children will lose interest in the so called ‘less important' language • If the children is brought up in an environment where the second language is predominantly used he will be able to retain that language more easily. Being bilingual is a blessing in a way. Bilingualism means awareness of two cultures as well. The child learns to become more tolerate and can become the bridge between two cultures, two communities. Needless to mention the many personal advantages the bilingual children would have over others. Among them are better carrier opportunities, better study opportunities due to wider exposure to information through two languages. All in all bilingualism planned properly and implemented accordingly will prove a great gift for the children as well as a tool with which they can shape their future.