Why Learning A Second Language is Key To Future Proofing Your Child
English is the international language of choice in an increasingly global economy. So, English children competing for jobs in the future will have an instant advantage, won’t they?
Yes and no.
Trouble is, more people learning English means more people speaking a second language: English and their own native tongue. If English speaking children go out into the world speaking only one language they’ll be at an instant disadvantage to the 1 billion English speakers who already speak another language.
Which is where we come in.
Speak Like A Native, is an innovative and effective way of helping children acquire languages in after school clubs that brings modern language learning techniques to UK primary schools.
The rest of the world is storming ahead with the way it teaches languages, using creative, modern methods that includes bilingual schools, it is a natural way of learning and it works.
Now Speak Like A Native offers inspiring play based sessions that teach languages using the same methods others learn to speak English. It is a way of teaching that works extremely well overseas but no one is using this method in the UK.
Speak Like A Native has already started running French and Spanish clubs in forward thinking North London primary and prep schools such as UCS Junior School, St Anthony's and Frith Manor Primary, the plan is to roll out Speak Like A Native nationwide over the next few years. It was set up by Stuart Rubenstein, an experienced language expert, and winner of a British Council Award for Language Innovation, with more than 20 years of running English language schools.
Rubenstein says: “It used to be that we taught the world English and we felt we didn’t need to bother learning another language, but this is no longer true. It is essential that our children can speak more than one language if they are to prosper and thrive in this rapidly changing world, yet the uptake of languages to A-levels and beyond is decreasing rather than increasing and this must change.
"As traditional jobs disappear and employers demand different skills an applicant that only speaks English will be at a disadvantage to bilingual candidates, who are automatically perceived to be more intelligent and capable, even if they both have the same abilities and training”, continues Rubenstein.
Speak Like A Native is an inspiring way of teaching that is based on the principles of Guided Participation, a process through which an experienced person helps someone who has less experience to become competent in a skill, in this case, languages.
Language Guides, rather than teachers run the play based sessions that last for one hour, where there is no rote learning, worksheets, homework or assessments. The Language Guides only speak in the language being taught. By focussing on tasks and activities, such as games of Twister or crafts, rather than the language being spoken, children naturally start dropping words and phrases into the conversation as they understand and start decoding what is being said.
This way of teaching helps increase confidence and develops other essential skills that children will start to incorporate into the way they behave and learn, such as thinking skills, teamwork, communication and problem solving, essential qualities that employers look for.
“It is time that the UK caught up with the rest of the world and I hope Speak Like A Native will be the method that changes language provision in primary schools. The goal is to see daily language sessions for all KS1 and KS2 children, rather than the 40 minutes a week currently mandated by the government language policy. Speak Like A Native sessions have been designed to complement and augment existing school based language lessons, not replace them. The idea is to give children the opportunity to experience learning a language in informal and fun non-academic sessions that are completely different from the classroom. Learning a language, the Speak Like A Native way helps pupils develop different cognitive skills that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives”, says Stuart.
“Children today need to learn to be flexible, creative, portable and good problem solvers and language learning is at the heart of all this. Speak Like A Native sessions help children develop these skills at a young age, our sessions are fun, motivating and are taught in an environment where they will hopefully develop a love for speaking other languages that continues on to secondary school”, says Stuart.
Speak Like A Native classes take place before school, at lunch or after school as part of a school’s enrichment programme and private sessions are available too.
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For further information, interviews and please contact Caroline@carolineratnercommunications.com 020 8209 0120