"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart."
-Nelson Mandela
What is involved in learning a new language?
Learning a new language is more complicated and takes longer than many people think. It is much more than learning correct grammar and vocabulary. This is why it can take many years to learn enough English to be academically successful.
To begin with, your child may:
To begin with, your child may:
- listen only and speak little, if at all
- use simple English when speaking with friends
- read and write words
- copy simple sentence patterns and read them
- have English conversations with friends
All these things are what teachers call social language learning. If students are to be successful academically, they need to learn a more sophisticated level of English, which includes the language of subject areas (e.g., social studies, science, mathematics ). Learning academic English is much more complex and takes much longer than social language learning.
Success at this level includes:
- using subject vocabulary appropriately
- reading content textbooks with understanding
- being able to describe, classify, evaluate, and sequence information
- understanding how to make choices or determine the principles of comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, etc.
- being able to go beyond literal comprehension
Because language learning is a long and complicated process, some students will find school life difficult. You may notice some or all of the following:
- enthusiasm and excitement in the early months that turns into frustration and anger
- refusing to speak or speaking very little in English.
- frequently feeling unwell or not wanting to go to school at all
- rejecting their own language and culture
- changes in behaviour both at home and at school
- time with friends becomes more important than time with family
These behaviours and attitudes are fairly common and will often disappear with time. If you are concerned about your child, speak with the classroom and ESL teacher at the school.