How Do I Help My Kid Transition into Language Immersion Classes? We’ve Got You Covered with 5 Solid Strategies
Does your child struggle with focus? Is your child naturally shy? Are they the kind of kid to put a “get everything right, right away” kind of pressure on themselves? Do you worry they become overwhelmed easily? Fear not: No matter what their personality and potential challenges, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that, when transitioning into a language immersion program, it is possible to not just survive but thrive! In this post, we’ve got you covered with 5 recommendations and resources to help you help your kid do just that.
The Obvious: Apps or Online Classes
Not unexpectedly, one way you could potentially prepare your kid for entering full Chinese immersion classes is to get them started by enrolling them in Mandarin language classes online or utilizing a language learning app. But - a word of caution here - there is a potential drawback to this option: There are some immersion teachers who prefer to be the one who establishes their students’ exposure to the language, rather than worrying that the way students are given the basics from an online teacher will conflict with their own teaching style or confuse them. For example, my son is in French immersion (there aren’t any Mandarin immersion schools in our area, otherwise we would have him in a Mandarin immersion program) and his teacher told the parents of his kindergarten class not to worry too much about preparing their kids with classes and tv shows in the summer.
A Wholistic Approach: Mindset Coaching
A less obvious way to prepare your child for entering their first immersion classroom is to equip them with a growth mindset when it comes to their ability to listen, make observations, experiment, and learn. What they need to know going in is that yes, things will feel confusing at first, but going into a classroom setting means they will have a strong helper: context. They will have the advantage of learning in an environment that surrounds them with the important information they need to glean in order to be successful performing a task or activity in class. More specifically, that means the things they will be learning will not just be delivered to them on a piece of paper, written in a language they don’t know, leaving them to flounder while trying to decipher it with no help. Rather, they will have a teacher who will physically show them certain meanings and guide them through instructions, stories, and other relevant information. The teacher will utilize things students can see, feel, touch, hear, and sometimes even taste and smell to help them clue in to what is important so that they can grasp the meaning of new words. Sure, learning a new language can be particularly intimidating. But helping your child adopt a growth mindset opens the door to experiencing this learning as an adventure. Ultimately, this approach benefits learning across all subjects and in every area of life.
Practical Support: Preparing for Real-World Scenarios
Another thing that teachers and/or parents of children in Mandarin or English language classes can do to help their kids get their bearings in their new class is to download our handout, entitled “欢迎来到我的教室! (Huānyíng lái dào wǒ de jiàoshì) Welcome to My Classroom!” (We sell this handout in Our Little Shop, but you can get it for free by clicking that link.) This resource was created by request for a Canadian Grade 5 teacher looking to help her new students from China, often joining her class late in the year, by having something ready for when they first arrived that would allow them to adjust to their new surroundings and feel welcomed at the same time.
The 欢迎来到我的教室! (Huānyíng lái dào wǒ de jiàoshì) Welcome to My Classroom! handout is a collection of useful classroom phrases and sentences such as “I need to go to the washroom.” and “Who is my partner?” and “Can I borrow a pencil?” written in English, Pinyin, and Simplified Chinese characters. (When I took a Mandarin class in Beijing years ago, I really could have used that handout! All my fellow students were Korean so we only had Mandarin in common. It was a true immersion class for me!) Teachers can use the handout as an exercise because it’s formatted in three versions which create gap-fill Chinese language activities that allow students to practice the English, Simplified Chinese characters, or Pinyin parts as needed (plus a complete version suitable for use as an answer key). And of course, parents can download it before their kid enters a new class to help them prepare for English or Mandarin language classes.
Our Favourite Strategy: Show Examples of How Success Is Possible
Research tells us that it’s easier to learn when we are enjoying ourselves. This is true at any age and for any subject: A learning experience that offers knowledge in a way that also entertains, wins. (Not to mention, finding joy in learning absolutely nurtures that growth mindset mentioned above!)
A perfect example of how surprisingly easy it is to learn from someone who isn’t speaking your native language (as long as you have carefully established the context first - i.e. exactly what teachers do!) are these super friendly and funny Chinese cooking videos from the “Tasty” Youtube channel, which describes itself as, “The official YouTube channel of all things Tasty, the world's largest food network”. In particular we love these two videos (video 1, video 2) in which one host teaches another how to cook a Chinese food dish while speaking only Mandarin, whereas the person doing the cooking is totally monolingual (English native speaker) with no significant previous exposure to Chinese. The hosts giggle all the way through, but it is truly incredible how quickly the English speaker actually catches on to what the Mandarin host is saying, and how accurately they manage to complete the cooking task.
Regardless of what language you are learning or helping your kid to learn, these videos are a must watch. They are enough to give any person the confidence to feel like maybe foreign languages don’t have to feel so “foreign” after all; that maybe learning a second language isn’t so out of reach, and can actually be super fun. And the best part? The videos are totally kid-friendly so you can easily watch them with your kid and root for the English speaker doing the cooking and Chinese language study simultaneously! (Honestly, as a language teacher I can say these videos just get me so excited!!)
For Research-Lovers: A Parent’s Guide to Mandarin Immersion
Finally, parents who are interested in putting their children in Mandarin in particular and who want specific guidance about how to do so in the USA will find a fantastic resource in the well-researched book A Parent’s Guide to Mandarin Immersion by Elizabeth Wiese. That said, the book has sections that would still be very relevant to parents in Canada as well, such as, “Tips from parents”, “Things teachers and principals wish they could tell you”, and “How to start a parents’ group”, among many others.
As you can see, there are some simple but solid strategies you can use to help your child with the transition into a language immersion classroom. Whether your child is starting at a typical “back to school” time or whether they are joining a class at a more random time of year, remember to get their school year started off on the right foot by downloading 欢迎来到我的教室! (Huānyíng lái dào wǒ de jiàoshì) Welcome to My Classroom! And while you are at it, please tell a teacher about it too, so we can spread the love and allow more kids to benefit from this resource.
Now I’m going to go watch those videos again, but this time for the tasty recipes!
Happy Cooking!
Rebecca - 朱婷 / Zhū Tíng