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If we spoke more languages,
we would perceive a different world. |
| (Ludwig Wittgenstein) |
KINDERGARTEN › languages
Italian and English are the two most important languages of our program.
The former because the school will exist on the Italian territory, and the latter because it is the most important language of our time, and therefore, always more necessary. Our program will also consider introducing additional European languages as it will be requested by the families that will join the HAPPY BUNCH community.
Why is the introduction of a second language so important as of early years?
| 1. |
because at birth until the ninth year of age children have the extraordinary ability to naturally assimilate new stimuli (like languages, music, etc.) without mental effort. Starting at about seven years of age, this ability will inevitably begin to regress and, therefore, the acquisition of new stimuli will require concentration and mental effort. |
| 2. |
because between age 7 and 9 years those neurons that were once receptive to new stimuli will begin to atrophy and die if not used. It is therefore very crucial to introduce these stimuli before this amazing potential is lost. |
| 3. |
because children raised as bilinguals, initially treat the two languages as one, and later, around age 2, they start discriminating the sounds into two different language systems. |
| 4. |
because before age 7, children have not yet completely developed the sense of self. This allows them to avoid feeling ashamed and becoming discouraged when corrected, and to accept it as the rule of the game and learn in a fun and constructive way. |
As suggested by the studies of Doc. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa of the Harvard University, there are six factors crucial to the acquisition of a foreign language to be considered to obtain the best outcome:
| 1. |
the windows of opportunity, from the fifth gestational month to the ninth year of age. |
| 2. |
attitude, that is the natural inclination in the acquisition of a foreign language. However, regardless of a child's natural inclination, the more is a child exposed to a foreign language, the better are the outcomes. |
| 3. |
motivation, in school and whenever possible at home as well. |
| 4. |
strategy, in school the strategy used will be the same for all children, at home it could vary depending on the languages spoken by the parents or legal guardians. |
| 5. |
consistency, to keep consistency constant is fundamental together with strategy for a positive learning experience. |
| 6. |
opportunities, the more they are, the higher the level of success during the acquisition of a foreign language. |
Many hold the belief that those children exposed to more than one language from birth are exposed to the possibility of growing with a certain mental confusion and therefore disadvantaged with respect to children of the same age group raised as monolinguals.
Research studies in this field, at the Harvard University and other prestigious institutions, have demonstrated that children raised as bilinguals are generally more intelligent and socially more confident than their monolingual counterparts. |
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