MIAMI HERALD ARTICLE ON BILINGUAL EDUCATION
OFF
CAMPUS: Speaking in (many) tongues
Raising a bilingual child takes effort, but research
shows the benefits are worth it.
His first language was Spanish. English came next. And while 9-year-old Carlos Cuervo is trying to master French now, his parents are already thinking Mandarin Chinese should be next.
"My husband and I believe that the Chinese are going to become an even bigger dominant force in business than they are now," Gloria Cuervo of South Miami says. "A lot of things we buy are made in China so why not have [Carlos] learn it? The world is getting smaller, the more languages you can learn the better."
THE ADVANTAGES
Though it may seem like the Cuervos may be pushing too much too soon on their son, studies have shown that raising a child bilingual or multi-lingual can have serious advantages, including a competitive professional edge for the child later in life, as well as cognitive gains like better reading and writing skills.
In fact, a study published in February 2007 by the Rotman Research Institute at the Baycrest Research Center for Aging and the Brain in Canada found bilingualism or multi-lingualism may help delay dementia symptoms by four years compared to people who are monolingual.
So, when should parents start introducing a second language to their little one?
According to the Multilingual Children's Association, the sooner the better. An introduction to a second language since birth makes it easier for children to fully absorb more than one language.
BEGIN EARLY
Once the child is past the age of 3, the second language no longer seems natural and it will take effort to learn it. Still, toddlers are less likely to become frustrated by blatant errors than older children, the association says, so they are less reluctant and resistant to learn.
'The brain is 'primed' the first three years of life, with synapses at a peak busily setting up the optional neutral pathways to mediate language," the association recommends. "This construction of the brain's language chip continues, but at an ever-slowing rate until late childhood."
DIFFERENT APPROACHES
In addition to starting young, parents should also decide on a "language system" according to the Bilingual/Bicultural Family Network so that the second language becomes part of the child's world and is interchangeable.
Whether it's the "One Person, One Language" approach, where the child hears only one language from one respective person, or the "Minority Language at Home" system, where the second language is spoken at home only, parents must choose one so that both languages get equal time with the child. Consistency and continuity are important, the network says, because if one language is too dominant over the other, the child will deduce that he or she can drop the second language.
Rima Otrakji, who is American Lebanese and is a French tutor in Coconut Grove, taught her two daughters Arabic, French and Spanish. She reinforced the Arabic by taking the girls on annual trips to her native Lebanon.
"Language is not just about memorization of material," Otrakji says. "You have to practice conversing and reacting to situations."
MORE TIPS
Other tips include getting relevant materials, making it fun and arming yourself with patience when exposing your child to a second language, the Multilingual Children's Association says. Relevant materials range from books, music and movies to toys in the second or third language so that these tangible items make the language realistic.
Parents can take it upon themselves to introduce children to a second or third language by either teaching it at home or hiring private tutors. Some public schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties offer a bilingual or "dual-language" program, where students are taught Spanish for nearly two hours a day, regardless of their native tongue. (Children must live in the area that corresponds to that school before they can be enrolled in the program.)
"The dual language program is offered to all students and is considered an enrichment program where the student is expected to become literate in both languages," says Joanne Urrutia, administrative director of bilingual education and world languages for Miami-Dade Public Schools. "Dual-language is not the same as when children who do not speak English are taught in their native tongue and then transitioned into English only. There is no transition to just one language with the dual-language program."
MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS
Currently, Miami-Dade Public Schools offer the dual-language program in English-Spanish, English-French or English-Portuguese, Urrutia says, depending on the need and interest in the region. Plans for expanding the program to more elementary and middle schools in West and North Miami-Dade are in the works. The district prefers to introduce the program at the elementary level because the success rate is higher when the children are younger.
There also are new completely bilingual schools opening, such as Jorge Mas Canosa Middle School, Urrutia says.
Mandarin Chinese will most likely be introduced to kindergarteners at Devon Aire K-8 Center and Palm Springs North Elementary sometime in the next year or so, she says.
"We're expanding more and more, but the program needs parental support," Urrutia says. "Not all schools have linguistically qualified teachers, they have to be added to the school personnel as teachers move or retire."
BROWARD SCHOOLS
In Broward, the dual language program exists in only two schools -- Riverland and Broadview elementaries -- says Blanca Guerra, curriculum specialist.
"We pre- and post-test the students in reading, writing and listening comprehension," Guerra says. "The results are very good and the children are doing well on the FCAT, but the program isn't completely understood by parents and the community."
Like in Miami-Dade, the dual program
has been slow to catch on due to lack of community interest and funds, Guerra
says.
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