research-based facts about young english language learners dr. mary abbott and liesl edwards parent...
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Research-Based Facts about Young English Language
LearnersDr. Mary Abbott and Liesl
Edwards
Parent Meeting Presentation
Friday September 12, 2008
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Dr. Mary Abbott, [email protected]
This presentation is based on the article:
Challenging Common Myths about Young English Language Learners
By Dr. Linda Espinosa University of Missouri
Foundation for Child Development - Policy Brief Advancing PK-3 #8 January 2008
All young children are capable of learning two languages
• Becoming bilingual has benefits that are life-lasting.– Thinking skills– Academic performance– Social skills– Cultural knowledge– Economic benefits
Primary Language Support
• The 0-3 years are critical for language development to learn sounds, structure, and functions of language
• Young ELL children require continued home primary language support
• Parents should continue to speak to their children at home in the primary language.
Type of instruction
• Dual language programs improve academic achievement for ELL children.
• Teachers need to adopt good methods to support home language .
• ERF has an ELL policy.
On to Kindergarten
• Hispanic Spanish-speaking children go to Kindergarten with many social strengths that result from positive parenting practices.
Second Language Learners
• Learning a new language does not happen immediately. It happens in stages. The speed at which the new language is learned depends on:– Prior knowledge of language and its uses
• Discovering what new language is
– Age• Cognitive abilities and challenges
– Riskier task • Personality factors
Four Stages of Learning a Language
1. Home Language Use
2. Nonverbal
3. Telegraphic/Formulaic Speech
4. Productive Language Use
Home Language Use
• Child continues to attempt to communicate in their home language– Older children tend to recognize ineffective
attempts quickly– Younger children may continue home
language use for several months
Nonverbal
• Children recognize they can not communicate in home language and stop talking– May continue attempts at communication
nonverbally– facial expressions, gestures
• This stage may also be called the observational or listening stage
Telegraphic/Formulaic Speech
• Children begin using new language in limited ways– Telegraphic speech- using one or two words
in place of a sentence– Formulaic speech- using observed phrases in
similar situations
Productive Language Use
• Children learn enough vocabulary to begin building their own sentences– Children may still be learning the structure of
the language and experimenting with sentence construction
• Productive Language use is not the same as proficient language use– Social vs Academic English
Cumulative Process
• Children do not move discretely through stages
• Continue to build on previous strategies as skills develop