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Ask for help > Upcoming Parents ´ Night
Upcoming Parents ´ Night
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alphanumeric
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Upcoming Parents ´ Night
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Dear learned colleagues,
I have been teaching for a number of years and there is a question, often posed by parents, that I just can ´t seem to find the "right" answer to.
I have an upcoming Parents ´ Night and I am expecting to hear it once more. This time, I ´d like to be better prepared.
So, here it is: "How do I make little Samuel/Judy speak English at home? When they come home, they don ´t want to speak English to us at all." (I teach English as a foreign language in Taiwan, by the way.)
Now, the answer that screams at me whenever I hear this is something to do with the fact that I am the teacher, and they are the parent and I should not be expected to have to tell them how to do their ´job ´, just as I ´d rather they extend me the same courtesy. Problem is, this answer does not sit very well with my manager, who I aim to please, or my customer (the parent.) [Of course, I never say this!]
I have a high regard for the people on this site and I would greatly appreciate any better answer to give parents when posed this question. Something to keep all those involved happy. Thanks in advance.
alphanumeric
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15 Mar 2012
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douglas
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This is actually a tough one and I can ´t speak for any Asian cultural influences because I have had very little real experiences in that area My first thought is to tell the parents: "It isn ´t something that you can easily force upon a kid. The only real option is to somehow make it fun or rewarding for the child. As parents, you best know their children and what makes them happy or motivates them. There are usually big differences between these things when one compares school and home life. Children are often very different in each setting and that makes it very diffcult for a teacher to give a parent specifics for motivating a child at home. Again, the best general advice I can give is to make speaking English a fun, rewarding thing and not another requirement being put upon them."Douglas |
15 Mar 2012
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Jayho
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Hi alphanumeric
I hate to disappoint you but I have the same problem and I teach English in an English speaking country.
The majority of my students will not speak English at home. My international students will only speak English if they are living in a household where the only common language is English - therefore for survival. My children of migrants/refugees will only speak English if their parents demand it but alas many parents don ´t feel confident in English or they want the child to learn the native language and will only communicate in their native language . My adult migrant/refugee students mostly do not speak English at home for the previous reason.
It ´s an ongoing battle for me as well and I look forward to reading the replies to your post to see if I too may get some good ideas.
Cheers
Jayho
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15 Mar 2012
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alphanumeric
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Thanks guys. I appreciate the feedback. The battle continues... :)
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15 Mar 2012
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izulia
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When I was studying English myself I tried to surround myself with English by listening to English songs and trying to learn my favourite ones, then singing along! :)
When my son was learning English we watched some good fun English DVDs with the subtitles in our native language. Some good DVDs we could watch over and over again and just enjoy the plot, the language, songs, etc. He is now in his 20s but we still have a laugh when both he and I remember some catchy phrases from one of those movies we watched together!
Some parents of my students as far as I know, invite their children ´s English speaking classmates over to their house or take them out to have some fun together.
Now when I am learning Chinese I try to put some labels around the house on the furniture, etc. and watch news in Chinese. Although I understand about 10% of what I hear, my ear gets used to the Chinese sounds.
Maybe not all of these techniques will develop excellent speaking skills but sinking yourself in the foreign language helps to build up your confidence in speaking. I hope it all makes sense. :) |
15 Mar 2012
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Mariethe House
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My question is: How would you feel if you and your parents lived in a foreign country and had to learn the foreign language at school ? Would you honestly want to speak a foreign language with your parents? I mean , language is not just a series of words or sentences to make yourself understood but it is also emotionnal and personnal and intimate!! As Douglas said, unless you make it fun and DO consider it as practising a foreign language, it sounds illogical if not stupid!
I ´ll give you the experience of my son who was born in France of a mixed couple: me, French and my husband: English. We would alternate between French and English at home , my husband and I and he insisted on speaking English to my son until one day, my son threw up a tantrum, saying he was fed up with speaking a language noone else spoke in his surroundings and that it was really tiring for a little boy! He was 5 at the time! The end of the story: He is now bilingual, because we respected his wish and because he spoke English when it was a matter of real communaication: when he was in England with grand parents and family, when we had English speaking visitors at home and also watching TV !
So If I were you, I would just reassure those consciencious parent by saying that you are doing your job and that they should trust you! If they speak to their child in their own language ,it is already a good point!
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15 Mar 2012
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dagn
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Mariethe House, I totally agree with you that ´s why, when people (friends , relatives...) ask me why I never speak to my own children in English, I always answer that English is not my mother tongue so why should I speak to them in English and that we are not in England so there ´s really no need (though I hate doing only useful things!!)?!
Hace a nice evening! |
15 Mar 2012
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sylvinhay
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Well, I ´m Brazilian and live in Israel. My 3 children still refuse to speak Portuguese, even if both of us Brazilian parents insisted with them in the past. They simply WON ´T do it, period. They speak the language which is spoken in their surroundings, because they feel at ease and more comfortable at that.
So why would they speak a foreign language at home??? If the parents aren ´t English native speakers there ´s no reason why they should insist and be surprised when they notice that their kids don ´t want to express themselves in a language that they only learn at school.
My suggestion is: if you really have the students speaking English in class in their activities, when parents ask you that question, why don ´t you invite them (a couple at a time LOL) to come and be present in a lesson at school? If what they want is be sure that their children are learning then this is the great opportunity of their lives to confirm it. Because what they are asking is something completely not natural, and certainly you are NOT responsible for that!
Good luck! :-) |
15 Mar 2012
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alphanumeric
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Great responses. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Also, it
´s fascinating to hear such different perspectives from all over (and from both
sides of the ´argument ´).
I must say, here in Asia (in my opinion/experience), parents expect a result
for the money they pay for their child to learn English, and that ´s fair
enough. The issue goes much deeper than English lessons simply being a fun
extra-curricular activity to keep their child stimulated after hours. It is
seen as a means to an end. That end being the child growing up and having
access to a better job and better future. NOTE: This is certainly not always
the case, but it is very often true. That also means that any question relating
to the study of English can and does become fair game and can be posed to the
educator.
So, while I was waiting for the responses to the question I originally posted
to roll in, and the wait was worth it, I took a stab at answering the question
as practically as I could. (You will notice, from my response, that the students
I am teaching are young learners of the language. They are of school-going age,
not in kindergarten, and have been studying English for about 6 months.) For
the interested among you who have been following this thread, here it is:
Question:
Do you have any good ideas for parents to get their children to practice
speaking English at home?
My answer:
Your child has been learning English for only a few months. One of the reasons
we teach in a classroom environment is because everything in that environment
is structured, contained, and simplified. With a beginner class we don’t go off
course and just start having normal, natural conversations about anything and
everything. We stick to what is being taught. If we start getting too
complicated, the child quickly becomes lost and stops listening or paying
attention.
So,
in order for you to be able to practice at home, in a different environment
from the one he/she is used to, you have to be very careful to stick to what
the child has been learning at school. Stick to something he/she is comfortable
with. A good way to do that would be to use the actual book he/she is working
from at school, and use that to base your conversations off of. So, the key
then is to keep it simple and, ideally, to use a book to help him/her get
started.
After all the great responses, I might try and rework it a little, though.
Alright, that ´s all from me. Good day/night to you all wherever you are and
thanks again for all the replies!
alpha
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16 Mar 2012
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moravc
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Hi Alpha,
I guess any easy activities will do. Supersimple songs (see youtube), videos for beginners - Disney English, Fairyland, etc... Supereasy rhymes... Vocabulary revision + flashcards / posters - "Why don ´t we all draw a picture of.... a house / a zoo / a washing line with clothes / food items..."
It is a great fun to try to draw a big poster in 4-6 people. :-D
It also helps playing dumb - "Oh, I can´t remember... What´s it called?"
Internet is full of free resources, audiobooks, EFL audios to Graded books
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16 Mar 2012
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