156｜Strategy for cultivating foreign language experts
Dr. Wei
2018-03-06
156｜Strategy for cultivating foreign language masters
Dr. Wei Qinshu
Dr. Wei
Hello, our column is coming to an end, and we have more than 90,000 subscribers. Thank you for your support. I also hope to see your harvest and baby. changes. In what way has your baby changed the most this year? You are welcome to leave a message and let me know. I will comprehensively consider the five-brain system and select smart babies, language babies, emotional intelligence babies, sports babies and creative babies. I have placed the event content and prizes at the end of the article, click to view.
From today to March 13, we have entered the review period and will update continuously during working days to help you sort out the courses throughout the year. The theme of this issue is foreign language enlightenment. The importance of foreign languages ??is self-evident. Mastering a foreign language is to open up a new world. Below I have summarized a guide for cultivating foreign language experts. I hope it can help your baby open up foreign languages. A window into the world.
Strategies for cultivating young foreign language experts
1. It is better to be “late” than “early”
Language acquisition is to learn language naturally from life. Children have the strongest ability to learn languages ??when they are young. The languages ??they can acquire are not just their mother tongue, but they can learn two or even more languages ??at the same time.
Some parents are also worried that their children have missed the sensitive period of language learning. What should they do? It is true that compared with adults, children's early cognitive system is more suitable for learning multiple languages, but this does not mean that children cannot learn foreign languages ??well after their sensitive period.
No matter how old your child is, it is appropriate to start learning a foreign language now. Many people who are proficient in multiple languages ??have not been immersed in a multilingual environment since childhood. Of course, we encourage early learning of languages ??and foreign languages, because the sensitive period for language learning in childhood can be utilized, making learning less strenuous.
2. The brain representation areas of multiple languages ??are intertwined into a network: learn foreign languages ??early, and different languages ??will not interfere with each other
Language learning involves learning a complete set of ways of interacting with the environment, including language. In other words, children naturally understand which language to use in what situation, and switch between their native language and foreign language very quickly without confusion.
Brain science shows that if a child learns bilingualism at the same time from an early age, the representation areas of the two languages ??in his brain are intertwined in a network. Jump back and forth freely between their respective areas without interfering with each other. However, if you learn a foreign language after adulthood, the representation areas of the mother tongue and the foreign language are somewhat distinct. If you do not use the foreign language for a long time, the mother tongue representation area will gradually erode the foreign language representation area, which is manifested in the degradation of foreign language ability.
Therefore, babies can learn foreign languages ??as early as possible without the problem of mutual interference between different languages.
3. Neuroplasticity: The earlier a foreign language is spoken, the more authentic the foreign language will be.
The earlier the child learns a foreign language, the better the foreign language will be. Authentic, the accent will be more standard. The brain is extremely plastic, and a baby's language acquisition is shaped by the environment. The language center of the brain is shaped by a large number of language-type stimuli in the environment every day.
Babies can distinguish subtle differences in various accents, but if they only receive a single language stimulus, such as only Chinese, they may be able to distinguish some subtle differences in foreign language pronunciation when they grow up. The difference is difficult, or the pronunciation is not very authentic. Many studies have shown that children after the age of two will gradually lose the ability to distinguish sounds that are not in their native language.
4. Immersion learning method: It is better to “memorize” than to “play”
You don’t need to wait for your children to master it. Instead of starting to learn a foreign language after mastering the mother tongue, the earlier the child is exposed to a bilingual environment, the better. This is called immersion learning, which allows the child to soak in a foreign language environment and absorb the foreign language naturally like learning the mother tongue. This is much more effective than memorizing words and grammar when you grow up.
Research has found that the most effective way for babies to learn language is face-to-face communication with real people. If the same sentence is shown in a video, the baby will not learn it so well.
Therefore, it is better to "play" a foreign language than to "memorize" it. The "play" here refers to the rich interaction between parents and babies. The foreign language ability gained through play is to learn foreign languages ??in daily life. In face-to-face communication, children not only remember words one by one, but also learn to speak them naturally. Mastering a large amount of other information makes it easier to understand the meaning of the language, and it is easier to acquire the language.
5. “Play” to learn foreign languages, interaction is very important
So how should you “play” with your children? What about learning a foreign language? The key to this "play" is actually your interaction with him.
Let’s take a look at how I taught my daughter the word “strawberry”: when giving her a strawberry to eat, I pointed at the strawberry and said to her: “eat a strawberry” ." A seemingly simple scene, but it contains a very rich amount of information. I pointed at the strawberry, and her attention was directed by my finger, and she began to concentrate on observing the objects in front of her; pointing at the strawberry with my hand, the child understood what "strawberry" meant; while I was talking, she made a gesture of taking a bite. , so not only did I know that this is edible, but I also reviewed the verb "eat"; I also looked at her with a smile, which was an encouraging expression.
Why is this series of interactions so important for language learning? Because when people communicate face to face, the amount of information transmitted is the largest. Children not only learn the surface meaning of a word, but also understand more deep meanings.
In addition to language, children can also learn the texture, color, and fragrance of strawberries, as well as the difference between the noun strawberry and the verb eat, and even learn to observe words and expressions and read other people's expressions. and the information hidden beneath the expressions.
Children’s brains are not good at abstract learning, so there is no need to force them to memorize words literally. However, this "playing" method of interacting with children is concrete learning, which is in line with the growth rules of children's brains. Even if faced with a large amount of information, children can still absorb it faster and remember it better.
6. Methods of "playing" foreign languages ??in daily activities
Make use of recurring daily activities, such as eating, Go to the toilet, go to bed, get up, and speak English to your baby. Children need to learn language rules in a large number of repeated scenes, and repeat the same meaning with different descriptions and grammar. These activities themselves are familiar to the child and appear repeatedly, so it is easy for him to understand and remember them.
For example, when it comes to eating, in addition to "Let's go eat!" and "eat a strawberry", there is also "Do you want to eat?" ), "It's time to eat." (It's time to eat), "Don't eat this!" (Don't eat this!). Focusing on "eat", use imperative sentences, descriptive sentences, interrogative sentences, and negative sentences. Children will not only remember this word, but also understand the related scenes of this word. This is the real acquisition of a language.
A large number of repeated words can be found in daily life, such as weather, numbers, games that children often play, favorite animals, and cartoon images. Use these words that are most commonly used by children. , the most interesting daily vocabulary, taught to children in different ways.
7. The most important principle: stimulate children’s interest in learning as the starting point
Language acquisition depends on osmosis , we should learn quietly and quietly to develop children's interest and confidence in foreign languages.
Parents are required to spend more energy with their children and pay attention to interacting with their children in English in life, instead of throwing their children into training classes or in front of English learning machines. That's it.
8. Be friends with your children: watch animations and read stories together
For parents with average foreign language skills, you can use Children's English learning resources. If you want to create an English micro-environment at home, you can listen to English songs, watch original English cartoons, and read English stories with your children.
Selecting these resources is a science. One is to start from life scenes that are familiar to children, such as "Peppa Pig", the cartoon Children will be interested if they tell stories about daily life that can arouse children's excitement; the second is to choose classic content. Reputation, award-winning, etc. are all reference factors, such as some children's programs produced by BBC or Nick JR. It has rich connotation and standard pronunciation.
9. Be your child’s teacher: take your children to play rhythmic games
Research shows that babies are born with a sense of rhythm. Beating to the tune can improve your baby's language and memory abilities. For example, in the word clapping game, long words are broken into syllables. At the same time, you clap your hands rhythmically with your child to let him feel the syllables of the words.
For example, butterfly (butterfly) can be split into [bu-tter-f-ly], and you can recite it while clapping your hands with him. Don't underestimate your child's memory. Your child's pronunciation is even more accurate than yours, and the word will enter his brain subtly.
You can also upgrade the words into sentences, such as children's songs: "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor, And the doctor said. No more monkeys jumping on the bed." Don't worry about whether your child understands or not, because the main purpose of playing games is not to make him understand, but to let him experience the beauty of the rhythm of a foreign language.
10. Be your child’s student: let your child take you to play foreign languages ??
Learning a language, in addition to receiving a large number of audio-visual In addition to stimulation, the most important thing is for children to learn to output themselves. When your child's English ability has improved to a certain level, you can encourage him to sing more English nursery rhymes, tell English stories, or perform short skits with his parents.
You can also ask your baby: "Do you think I am pronouncing this word this way?" or "Take me to read this text!" This will make your child's learning more interesting. Have a sense of accomplishment and be more efficient.
After you have a certain foundation in English, you can read picture books in different roles. Parents and children each read a part and play the role in the picture book, or they can take turns reading odd and even pages. This way of playing is much more fun than reading a picture book to him in one direction.
For another example, after watching cartoons with your children, you can also output in both directions. Make some small role-playing games based on the plot, such as acting in English short plays.
For example, my daughter likes the cartoon "Inside Out", so I wrote down the lines for one section, and she and I played the roles of "Lele" and "Shouyou" respectively. After only playing it two or three times, she no longer had to read the lines. I memorized it myself. Children like to play games like this, and the more they play, the more they like to speak English, and the more confident they become in their English abilities.
Parent Think Tank Suggestions
Dr. Wei
About For foreign language enlightenment, many smart parents have shared their own tips, which can be said to be our parent think tank!
I have selected some of the best methods to share with you.
Parents who are not good at English can still cultivate young English masters
@爱祂
If you want your children to be good at English, you don’t necessarily need their parents to be very good at English. I have a friend who taught her children English, but she couldn't even read 26 letters very well. She learned with her children and watched English animations and picture books together. Now her children are over 9 years old and can read original English novels. I have some experiences to share with you, especially when your English is not good, for children’s English enlightenment:
1. The role of parents is not to teach their children, but to inspire their children to learn English interest. Parents are coaches, not teachers. So when you are just starting out, use more resources and guide your interest. Don’t memorize words or learn grammar in the early stages of English learning, as this can easily affect children’s interest.
2. It is very important to sharpen your ears. Listening input is done first. Children do not even need to understand it. Focus on cultivating phoneme awareness and language sense. Language sense is very important. Children with good listening and reading foundations will improve their spoken language faster.
3. Don’t worry about your child’s pronunciation errors during the enlightenment stage. As long as he listens to the original English more often, he will correct the pronunciation on his own.
Dr. Wei
This parent mentioned that the baby will actually correct his pronunciation according to the original English. This is indeed the case. Some parents are worried that their non-standard accent will affect their children. In fact, the main job of parents is to enlighten their children in English, and what children need for English enlightenment is to stimulate their children’s interest. We parents are only the guides for our children’s English learning and English practice. There is still a long way to go, and children have plenty of opportunities to correct their own pronunciation.
Moreover, if you really can’t pronounce words, you can look up words with your child, listen to tapes, let your child be your learning partner, and grow together in interactive learning.
Finally, I want to emphasize that your shortcomings will not affect your children, only your attitude towards your own shortcomings will affect your children. If parents dare not speak English because of poor oral English, their children will also be affected. They feel that poor oral English is something to be ashamed of, which will affect their children's future learning mentality. Mom and dad are the role models for your baby's growth. Your every move deeply affects your child's words and deeds. Your attitude towards English is your child's attitude towards English.
Learn English vocabulary in interactive games
@jasminemilan
I used to teach children English vocabulary about colors by letting them use colored pens to draw a rainbow with me. I say "paint it red" and show the children the red crayon I picked up to color. They also take out the red pen and color. During this period, I will repeat "paint it red" several times and then change to other colors.
The effect was pretty good. Later, when I said a color in English, they would look for items of the corresponding color in the house, and they had a great time!
Dr. Wei
This kind of exploratory interaction is great. In addition to exercising language skills, the brain can also be developed. , give you a good review certification!
A baby growing up in a bilingual environment
@ disciple
When living overseas, learning English is not a problem, but how to allow children to freely shuttle between Chinese and English is the most important problem. So at the beginning, when the child was just able to speak, I taught him Chinese first and did not tell him that there were different languages. At that time, he could not understand it.
I told the children that the English word corresponding to the Chinese noun of each item is called a name. Just like his name is Michael, every thing also has them. For example, the name of a car is car, the name of water is water, and the name of a bridge is bridge.
So every time when I go out, my children will always ask me what the name of the object is when they encounter something they don’t know the English name of. Over time, the child will memorize both Chinese and English. Lived. I found that in his mind, there were no boundaries of language, there were just different names for each item.
Dr. Wei
What babies learn is not just language, but a whole set and environment including language. interactive way. I once took my daughter to play at a foreign friend’s house. She communicated with the foreign children in English and had a great time. I said to them in English: "Let's go eat." Let's go eat, and she immediately said to me in Chinese: "Dad, I want to play for a while." Therefore, it is very difficult for the child to switch between Chinese and English. Come on, they won't get confused. Parents can rest assured that foreign languages ??can be learned early and there will be no problem of mutual interference between different languages.
Recommended English enlightenment resources
Picture books
Biscuit Storybook Collection "Cookie Series"
Dr. Seuss's original English picture book series
Pete the Cat "Pete the Cat" 》Picture book series
Audio
Liao Caixing’s "Easily Hear Your English Power with Audiobooks"
BBC English bedtime stories "Cbeebies Bedtime Stories"
Wee Sing series of English children's songs
Nursery rhyme mother goose "Mother Goose"
Cartoons
Penelope "Beibei Life Diary"
Maisy Mouse "Mouse Bobo"
Meg and Mog "Witch Meg and Kitty Mog"
TeamUmizoomi "Little Brothers and Sisters of Mathematics City"
Dora the Explorer "Dora the Explorer"
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Mickey's Wonderful House"
Peppa Pig "Little Pig Peppa Pig"
Little bear "Genius Baby Bear"
"Dr. Wei's Family Education Guide" series of special topics will help you sort out knowledge points and solve every parenting problem!
Special Topic | Strategies for Being a Good Dad
Special Topic | Strategies for Cultivating Little Readers
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Special Topic | Strategies for Improving Baby's Literacy Ability
Special Topic | Strategies for Mathematics Enlightenment
Our column was published in 2017 It will be launched on March 14, 2020. After almost a year of study, Dr. Wei hopes to see your gains and test your "metacognition". I hope you can reflect on your one-year study when you graduate. Observation and summary, so we have prepared the following two activities, as well as generous prizes. If you feel that you or your baby have made progress, come and participate in the activities.
Annual Selection of Five-Brain Babies
Our column focuses on intelligence brain, language brain, emotional brain, motor brain, and creativity. The five major parts of the brain are the structure. In which aspect do you think the baby has made the greatest progress this year? Did you learn more vocabulary and speak English better? Or have you improved your bad habit of losing your temper? …
You are welcome to leave a message to share your baby’s progress and indicate which section you are participating in. Dr. Wei will comprehensively consider the five-brain system and select smart babies. , language baby, emotional intelligence baby, sports baby and creative baby, one each, and will be announced during the graduation live broadcast on March 14 for everyone to witness.
Participation time: Leave a message to participate from March 6th to 12th
Prize: "666" to get App recharge card amp ; Efficient set gift box (special price 666 yuan)
Gold Medal Parents Annual Selection
Your baby’s growth is inseparable from your learning , what did you get this year? Is there anything you want to say to Dr. Wei?
You are welcome to make a video within 3 minutes to tell your story and send it to the email lisijie@luojilab.com (it is inconvenient to upload videos via email, you can also send a video link) . We will select 5 gold medal parents and broadcast them in the graduation live broadcast, so that more than 90,000 students can share your learning gains.
Participation time: Send videos from March 6th to 12th
Prize: Exclusive baby growth plan based on brain science ——Aibei Rui "Future Brain Project" annual membership card (valued at 499 yuan)