tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post6353853357376063783..comments2023-06-07T07:37:05.527-07:00Comments on Bilingual Babble: Bilingual Babble from a Children's EFL TeacherMary Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689030632466264856noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-53248231760563911192008-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:002008-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00Hi Mary,Congratulations on the interview, I’ve rea...Hi Mary,<BR/><BR/>Congratulations on the interview, I’ve really enjoyed reading it! As an English primary teacher I couldn’t agree more with CuteNekko statements about the uniqueness of every student and the banishment of baby talk.<BR/><BR/>Being aware every child has its own way of learning and its own rhythm really helps to engage students and helps us teachers to understand why some activities work and others don’t and why some student learn faster than others. <BR/><BR/>Teaching English in primary schools aims at preparing the ground for a successful learning in secondary school and onwards, so baby talking is absolutely out of the question. Young learners are sponges and one most take advantage of this.<BR/><BR/>Concerning parent’s involvement I can’t say much because here in Portugal English in primary public schools is still quite new. English is seen as an extra activity :-(<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, I usually advise parents to sing songs in English, play the computer games from the adopted book and to play the games my students make and take home after each topic. <BR/><BR/>Patsoares <BR/>(http:pen08.edublogs.org)PatríciaSoareshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930502046652703142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-29086211737181206962007-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:002007-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:00I loved so much about what Cutenekko had to share....I loved so much about what Cutenekko had to share. I loved the idea of children teaching us : ) What a cool idea...What a confidence builder and self-esteem booster : ) I love it! Go Cutenekko Go! Hugs ~Dorinda~Dorindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03525458154851146805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-89208379212416403942007-02-08T19:53:00.000-08:002007-02-08T19:53:00.000-08:00Well, I'm just going through this experience right...Well, I'm just going through this experience right now!!! My kids, 4 and 6, know Portuguese. Now that we moved to the US they are learning English. They are going to school and it's impressive how much they've learned in two weeks!<BR/><BR/>My 4-year-old loves to watch a cartoon with a character called Diego (Go Diego Go!). From this cartooon, he's learning English and Spanish! <BR/><BR/>Also, they find their own strategies to communicate. So, when we go out for dinner they know that when the waiter comes and asks, "what would you like to drink tonight? or can I get you something to drink?", they've realized the meaning, so they say "Coke, please!". I just love to see my kids learning so much...<BR/><BR/>Another thing I do is playing with cards with them. There are some cards with colors, shapes, letters...We love to invent family games with those.<BR/><BR/>My oldest son loves to draw, so he's keeping a diary with everything he's experiencing here. I'm sure he's acquiring a lot from this practice!<BR/><BR/>Great job, Mary!<BR/><BR/>Beijos,<BR/>Carlatestecarlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265287790133905481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-81491958081440932432007-02-08T16:15:00.000-08:002007-02-08T16:15:00.000-08:00Very nice, Mary!My daughter is teaching my grandda...Very nice, Mary!<BR/><BR/>My daughter is teaching my granddaughter Spanish along with her English. She is only 15 months, but she says "hola" for 'hi'! She also tries to count uno, dos, tres...it is very cute. I am working on learning more Spanish so I can help her.<BR/><BR/>I am sending this link to my daughter so she can take advantage of all your experiences.<BR/><BR/>Peace, LindaRev. Linda https://www.blogger.com/profile/11428066035248894507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-33881714357761846982007-02-07T17:34:00.000-08:002007-02-07T17:34:00.000-08:00Excellent interview! In future posts, might Cutene...Excellent interview! In future posts, might Cutenekko tell us more about how she(?) teaches children who are 1 or 2 years old, and with just one lesson a week?<br />As for the rest of the text, she might have been talking about Argentina instead of Japan, it all applies so well!<br /><b>Kudos to this blog's contributors!</b><br /><br /><i>Gladys</i>Gladys Bayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10637060860005714720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-38466734598617471132007-02-07T04:17:00.000-08:002007-02-07T04:17:00.000-08:00Erika and Paul,
I was happy to hear that you enjo...Erika and Paul,<br /><br />I was happy to hear that you enjoyed the interview! Cutenekko has taught me so much about teaching English to children.<br /><br />One of my favorite parts of the interview was "If your child is older, why not ask your child to TEACH you?" Just as we can learn from our students at school, we can learn from our children at home. We don't need to have all the answers all the time; sometimes it is better to let others take the lead!<br /><br />The other favorite part was when Cutenekko reminisced, "My mother couldn't figure skate, but she came and sat in a freezing cold rink every time I had a 2-hour practice as a child. She took an interest!" It is such an encouraging point for those parents who may not speak the L2 or who have low proficiency levels. Just being involved and interested in what children are doing will go a long way towards making the experience of becoming bilingual/bicultural a positive one!<br /><br />Thanks agian, Cutenekko!!Mary Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11689030632466264856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-34217675497703439822007-02-06T18:07:00.000-08:002007-02-06T18:07:00.000-08:00Hello Bilingual Babble (BB) bloggers and readers:
...Hello Bilingual Babble (BB) bloggers and readers:<br /><br />Congratulations to the BB team on a fine new Blogger blog!<br /><br />The most impressive part of Mary's interview with CuteNekko was a "final key point" regarding avoidance of "'baby talk'" and oversimplification. <br /><br />CuteNekko advises, "You should treat the child as if they understand you, and also present ways for the child to repond to you" (February 6, 2007).<br /><br />Perhaps there are lessons in those few key words for teachers of all ages to learn. <br /><br />Cheers, PaulPaul Beaufaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17947324521465705068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28488115.post-15402837096557247742007-02-06T15:14:00.000-08:002007-02-06T15:14:00.000-08:00Hello Mary
I really enjoyed reading the interview....Hello Mary<br />I really enjoyed reading the interview. I am not raising a bilingual child, but I would really like my son to learn English. He is an 8-year-old boy and he has been studying English at school since he was 4. He knows a lot of vocabulary, but he doesn't know any structure. I'm sure many suggestions Cutenekko mentions would be helpful to make him learn faster!<br />Hope to learn more from you!Erika Cruvinelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14212436912998195010noreply@blogger.com