Jan 12
Q: What is language immersion education?
A: Language immersion education is a method of teaching a second language (L2) in which the target language is used as the means of instruction, not a subject. All in-class activities and those outside of class, such as meals and everyday tasks will be conducted in the target language.
Q: Why second language immersion preschool at all?
A: In addition to receiving the benefits of a similar preschool experience of social interaction and basic curriculum, your child will get the extra benefits of early brain development that comes with learning a second language. Studies have shown that bilingual kids are better at nonverbal problem-solving abilities, more flexible thinking, better focus on tasks at hand, and multitasking.
Ellen Bialystok, a cognitive neuroscientist who has spent almost 40 years learning about how bilingualism sharpens the mind, explains why. “There’s a system in your brain, the executive control system. It’s a general manager. Its job is to keep you focused on what is relevant, while ignoring distractions. It’s what makes it possible for you to hold two different things in your mind at one time and switch between them. If you have two languages and you use them regularly, the way the brain’s networks work is that every time you speak, both languages pop up and the executive control system has to sort through everything and attend to what’s relevant in the moment. Therefore the bilinguals use that system more, and it’s that regular use that makes that system more efficient.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conversation.html?_r=2
The preschool years are when we see our children's budding capacities for executive control (waiting their turn, saying "I don't like that" instead of smacking someone, persisting in trying to solve a difficult puzzle) — and it's also when vocabulary skills skyrocket. Scientists think that mastering two languages challenges the brain to selectively pay attention to and produce one set of words, while suppressing the other set. The process is similar to impulse control — in order to communicate, you need to put a lid on one language, or else your speech comes out as a jumbled mess. The research also shows that the bilinguals manifest a cognitive system with the ability to attend to important information and ignore the less important, exhibit greater attention. http://linguistlist.org/ask-ling/biling.cfm#twolangs
The first 'window' of learning language that 'opens' at about the age of ten months. It is clear that they will begin to imitate the 'noises' they hear, and when there is a reaction from their caregivers, they begin to associate meanings with the sounds. Over the next two years, infants acquire language at an astonishing rate. By the age of three, they have acquired basic syntax (sentence structure), basic grammar (the 'rules' of the language), and a large vocabulary of basic words necessary to their physical and emotional survival. Their motivation to talk with their caregivers is high: asking for something usually results in being given the thing they need. Similarly, when the infant begins to play outside, with other children, then the motivation to talk to these children is high, and the infant will try to learn the language of play. The next best time for learning a second language appears to be between the ages of two to seven years.
Q: Why Chinese Immersion Preschool?
A: Chinese language will give your child even more brain development because it involves using the whole brain. Researchers have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language comparing to English speakers who only need to use left side of their brain. Chinese use tone-sensitive right brains to process the tonetic changes of Chinese words in the early 200 milliseconds before left brain gets in to treat the associate meaning.
http://www.newsgd.com/culture/culturenews/200612220028.htm
Q: How will attending immersion preschool affect my child's development of English language and literacy?
A: Research consistently finds that the immersion experience actually enhances native language development. A myth about bilingual education is that English development may lag temporarily while instruction is occurring exclusively in the immersion language. This has been disproved in research in European countries where children often speak different languages at home than in classroom settings.
Immersion preschool students need consistent exposure to and support for English at home and in the community. Parents will provide their children with experiences that will enhance their English language and literacy development. Research shows that the stronger the development of the native language, the greater the proficiency in the immersion language, so children who enter an immersion program with a strong base in English will succeed more easily than those whose English skills are not as strong.
Q: Will my child “freak out” at being surrounded by a different language?
A: No. Contrary to how our brains work, children’s brains are in a state of constant absorption of new information. Your child will begin to understand many things in Chinese the first day, and his or her observation and imitation skills will finish the assimilation. Adjustment issues upon starting usually have to do with not being ready to start a formal program in the case of very young students and the aversion to change in the case of a student who comes from a different program.
Q: How does Little Dragon Chinese Immersion Preschool work?
A: Little Dragon Chinese Immersion Preschool offers an exciting opportunity for students to acquire strong proficiency in Chinese. We don’t use the term “immersion” lightly. We will train our students to use Chinese the moment they arrive at the school building. We will greet them in Chinese; call them by their Chinese names; give them all the instructions in Chinese throughout the day. All of our teachers are Chinese native speakers, and they will communicate in Chinese only with one another as well. The students will leave the school building following a good-bye in Chinese. There will be no formal homework.
Q: What is the age requirement for Little Dragon Chinese Immersion Preschool and why?
A: The age requirement is 3 years old and potty-trained through 5 years old. We choose this age because this is the easiest time for children to acquire a language by "absorbing" as opposed to "learning".
Q: How can I support my child’s Chinese learning at home if I don’t speak it?
A: Any Chinese materials (DVD, CD, TV programs) that you can introduce in your home will further the experience your child gets at Little Dragon Chinese Immersion Preschool. We will continue expanding the playlists on our YouTube channel with Chinese only videos. We also have multiple downloads and resources on our website you can access.
Q: Will my child become frustrated when he/she doesn’t understand what is being said?
A: At a young age children’s brains are in full language-acquisition mode. At Little Dragon we pair Chinese words with objects, games, stories, and activities. This makes learning another language clear and easy. We provide a caring and consistent Chinese-only environment. Our teachers help children understand Chinese through body language, facial expressions, songs, rhymes, hands-on learning, and visual aids such as objects, flashcards, posters to help communicate their meaning.
Q: What is the student/teacher ratio?
A: Our classes have a ratio of at least 7:1.
Q: Is immersion an appropriate choice for all children?
A: No. As we start our first year, we will not accept children with special needs at this time.
Q: Can I come to observe or volunteer as a parent?
A: Because we look at our Chinese immersion program as behavior training, we will limit all English-speaking to the minimum, except for English words that have become part of spoken Chinese like Facebook, YouTube, etc. We only welcome Chinese-speaking adults to volunteer or help in class. No other in-class observation will be allowed. If you permit your child to be filmed, short videos posted on our YouTube channel will show the classroom experience. We will also host end-of-the-semester presentation to show you their progress that way.
Q: How does the child transition to speaking Chinese by attending the Little Dragon Chinese Immersion Preschool?
A: Our patient teachers will reinforce new vocabulary with as many enhancements as your child needs. When children realize that fact that only responses from teachers are Chinese, they learn quickly and give more and more answers in Chinese.
Q: How long can my child remain at Little Dragon Chinese Immersion Preschool and how does he/she continue Chinese language training after that?
A: Children may remain enrolled from three years old through before they start first grade. When they begin 1st grade they can enroll in our regular small group classes offered at Yuwenbon. Because they can already speak Chinese, they will only be mixed with those children from Chinese-speaking families. All the instructions will be in Chinese only.