An information evening for parents at Panaga School developing an

understanding of EAL and MT

Brainteasers!

• How many languages are spoken on the island of Borneo?

• How many languages are spoken in THE WORLD?

Languages at Panaga-can you spot yours?

Arabic, Indonesian,Bahasa Melayu,Tamil, Bengali, Spanish,Hindi,Urdu,Telugu,German, Dutch, English, Mandarin, Russian, French, Chinese, Marathi, Assamese, Visayan, Tagalog,Thai, Malayalam,Turkish,Konrani, Swahili, Yoruba,Norwegian,Polish,Kannada

Panaga School Nationalities

PANAGA SCHOOL NATIONALITY

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

AM

ER

ICA

N

AR

GE

NT

INA

AU

ST

RA

LIA

N

BR

AZ

ILIA

N

BR

ITIS

H

BE

LGIA

N

BE

LGIU

M

CA

NA

DIA

N

CH

INE

SE

CO

LOM

BIA

N

DU

TC

H

EG

YP

TIA

N

FIL

IPIN

O

FR

EN

CH

IND

IAN

IND

ON

ES

IAN

IRA

NIA

N

IRIS

H

JAM

AIC

AN

MA

LAY

SIA

N

ME

XIC

AN

N. Z

EA

LAN

DE

R

NIG

ER

IAN

GE

RM

AN

OM

AN

I

PA

KIS

TA

NI

PE

RU

VIA

N

PO

LIS

H

SC

OT

TIS

H

SIN

GA

PO

RE

AN

SW

ED

EN

SY

RIA

N

TU

RK

ISH

TR

INID

AD

VE

NE

ZU

ELA

N

ITA

LIA

N

RU

SS

IAN

TH

AIL

AN

D

NO

RW

EG

IAN

PO

RT

UG

UE

SE

NATIONALITIES

NO

. OF

CH

ILD

RE

N

Series1

Support your child’s mother tongue!

• What does ‘mother tongue’ mean to you?

Importance of Mother Tongue

• Part of the roots of your children; cultural identity

• Link to family, friends and country

• Necessary for children to reintegrate into their home country, national school or university

Role mother tongue plays in educational development?

There are 4 steps according to Prof. Jim Cummins, leading researcher in second language acquisition, Ontario University

1.Bilingual learners are the best learners!

• By learning two or more languages children gain a greater understanding of how language works

• Knowledge and skills transfer across two languages (review weekly learning targets)

• Develop greater flexibility in thinking skills across subjects, due to processing of information through 2 different languages.

2. A strong supported mother tongue does not hurt children learning English

• Parents worry that being bilingual will hinder their child’s progress but these fears are ungrounded.

• Sometimes they mix languages, but this gets sorted out later.

3.Developing literacy in your MT is an efficient means of developing literacy in

second language

• accelerates the development of reading ability in second language

• literacy in MT transfers into the second language, even when writing signs are different

• provides knowledge of the world and helps with school

How parents can support?

Mother Tongue at home: –Decide on a family language policy –Reading (have a diverse library), videos,

games, friends…aim to be biliterate not just bilingual

–Visit home country for extended holidays

–Have lots of visitors from home!–Support IPC in MT with research and

discussion

4.Mother tongue is fragile and easily lost in early years of school

• Children pick up ‘playground English’ really quickly

BUT• Children can lose their mother tongue as

quickly• Extent and rapidity of language loss will vary

according to how much it is used• Can lose within 2-3 years of starting school-

retain receptive skills but respond in English to peers and parents

At school:

• Books for library; donation• Come in and read story or teach

us some songs!• Share your festivals• Oral and written translations• Language of the month• Shell Educational Services may

offer an allowance enabling the employment of MT teacher.

EAL at Panaga School

• Withdrawal and in-class support• Survival language!• Support with developing vocabulary linked to

other school subjects• Speaking and listening skills• Development of literacy skills (reading and

writing)

How can you help your child at home

to develop their English skills?

Helping with EAL at home.

• Have a family rule of when to speak English (car, restaurant, shop, beach?)

• Radio, television, films, books, music and family games.

• Label everyday objects in both languages around home.

• Play dates – organize through parent representatives.

Conclusion

Let’s work together to develop your child’s language learning.

We need you to support your child’s mother tongue and EAL!

References

• Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue: Why is it important for Education

Children's Mother Tongue: Why Is It Important http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/mother.htm

• Krashen Stephen-http://www.sdkrashen.com/main.php3• Website with a large number of books on bilingualism

www.multilingual-matters• Pollock and Van Reken, (2001) Third Culture Kids• Cunningham-Andersson, (2008) Growing up with two

languages, a practical guide• Colin Baker, (2004)A parents’ and teachers’ guide to

bilingualism