Language Lizard

 If your child shows little interest in reading books, and if you are met with endless complaining when you ask them pick up a book, know that you are not alone. Many teachers and parents struggle with the problem. Think you have decided to teach Spanish, a second language to your child, and picked up bilingual Spanish books for kids, but they refuse to read. The first step to solve the problem is to understand why your child avoids reading. Here are a few common reasons why children run away from reading: 1. The topic does not interest them The child may be saying that books are boring, but what they may mean is that the particular book’s storyline does not seem interesting to them. Sometimes you may feel you need to tell your child what to read, but what you should do is help them explore. When buying books online, sit with your child to find engaging ones for them.   2. The book’s format does not appeal to them Children spend a lot of time on screens. Video games and online videos m

Raising a culturally aware child is of utmost importance. After all, who doesn’t want their child to value principles like equality and be socially accepting of diversity? While parenting to foster a passion for diversity, acceptance, and equality may seem like a daunting task, if you undertake culturally responsive teaching , it will be easier! Here are four tips to help you raise socially aware children: 1. Talk to them about privilege- Privilege may feel like an intimidating concept to talk about to a child, but children are curious, and they do notice social differences. They recognize gender differences, cultural differences, color differences by the age of four. Their social perceptions and attitudes are shaped accordingly. Talk to your child about diversity, cultural differences, and tell them how sometimes certain groups face difficulties because of that. Culturally responsive teaching helps your child respect differences.   2. Use the natural curiosity of children to teach th

 Have you introduced your child to the joy of reading with ears? Yes, we are talking about audio books. There are so many benefits, including the educational ones, that audio books for kids bring to the table. If we had to pick just one, it would be the fact that it helps us experience a good story with our children. Every once in a while, you may feel too tired to read aloud a bedtime story. Let audio books take care of the job while you relax and enjoy the story together as a family. If you are new to this, here are a couple of tips that will help you make the most of it.   1. Start small- When introducing your child to audio books, start with a short story. A book that your child has read before, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, is also a great way to start enjoying audio books. Like reading, listening is also a skill that needs practice. Be patient with your child, let them get used to it before sitting through a long story with them. 2. Explore your options- Revisit stories

 Culturally responsive teaching is the ability of an educator to teach in a multicultural setting and is one of the most powerful tools for helping students find their way out of the achievement gap. By achievement gap, we mean the gap found in academic performance when comparing underserved students and students who are more privileged to opportunities and success. By focusing on culturally responsible teaching methods, teachers can help change their students’ attitudes toward themselves as well as make them understand how success will come eventually. Types of Learners There are two types of learners: a dependent learner and an independent learner.A dependent learner depends on the teacher to carry most of the cognitive load of tasks. They will sit passively and way of stuck until the teacher intervenes.This type of learner tends to be unsure of how to tackle new tasks.The other type of learner is an independent learner. This type of learner relies on the teacher to carry only some

The concept of multicultural education is gaining more and more popularity among educators. The idea behind it is to make meaningful changes to curriculum and reform educational institutions in a way that empowers children from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Multicultural picture books are definitely there but we need a proper system that stresses cultural diversity. Here is a basic framework for multicultural education that educators can follow: Content Integration - Content integration focuses on naturally infusing content relevant to the cultures and backgrounds of your students into the curriculum. Knowledge Design - The next dimension is knowledge design. The educators need to discuss and analyze the cultural frames of reference biases, generalizations, and assumptions. One good example of different perspectives on historical events would be the voyage of Christopher Columbus and the founding of the Americas. Also, the students should be allowed to present and discuss their

Growing up attending elementary schools in small towns, most students don’t receive proper education on various important topics, such as social justice and multiculturalism. Their views on cultural diversity typically change—sometimes, drastically—when they enter college. As teachers, it’s important for us to be more “culturally-responsive” and make our students more aware. But, what does it mean to be a culturally responsive educator? You need to understand that culture is essential to student learning. This implies that you need to know your students’ backgrounds, traditions, and celebrations that they recognize in their culture. A great place to start becoming a culturally responsive teacher is with respect. You should promote self-respect and respect for others so that you can begin building these relationships with your students. It is easy to implement social justice and diversity topics in any lesson. It can be as simple as changing the book that you're reading to your stu

For most parents, getting their kindergartners to put down the smartphone or tablet and pick up a book can be quite a tedious task. But it is important to help our kids develop a reading habit, and it is especially true in the case of bilingual kids. Growing up while trying to learn two languages can be overwhelming, but having the right books at hand can make that process easier. Books don’t just teach vocabulary and grammar; they are also an effective tool for learning about the world. So, you must buy the best books for kindergarten and encourage your little ones to read them. And here’s how you can make that fun: Let your kids choose the books Kids love to feel like they are in charge of something, even if it is picking out books. And when they pick books that seem interesting to them, they are also more likely to read them. You can take them to a bookstore or library, or allow them to shop from an online bookstore, and ask them to choose from bilingual titles that are appropriat

When kids grow to be culturally aware, they are not only empathetic to people around them but are also able to perceive right from wrong. Teaching starts at home and it is of utmost importance that parents ensure their children know about the cultural diversity around them. Knowing is the first step to understanding and with understanding comes respect and harmony. Culturally responsive teaching must be adhered to in classrooms as well. Classrooms have children from different ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, and gender among other things. For holistic growth and development of children in a classroom setting it is imperative that the kids are taught to be culturally responsive. Kids enjoy stories and including books that are multilingual and promote  culturally responsive teaching  in the curriculum is a great way to make them aware of the society they live in. Parents should also read stories that give the message of cultural harmony so that kids become more perceptive t

Let’s face it; most of the fairytales that we read were whitewashed. In fact, the West did portray lesser-known communities in a stereotypical manner that conditioned millions to perceive them in a negative light. But there’s no doubt that this is changing and how! From feminist graphic novels to multicultural picture books that educate tiny tots to love and care for everyone equally, there is a diverse range of children’s literature available that have the potential to change the world as we know it. Children aren’t born with preconceived notions about the people around them. They don’t automatically learn to hate or love someone. What happens is that they learn these behaviors and absorb these thought processes from their parents, their teachers, and the media that they are exposed to on a daily basis. As their role models, we have our work cut out to help them understand the practices of other communities and to be empathetic to everyone regardless of whom they are. But this is mor

In today’s globalized world, with the classroom environment becoming more diverse and multilingual, the educational sector is increasingly moving towards developing a culturally responsive teaching  (CRT) workforce. CRT is a strategy that seeks to teach and empower students by making their languages and skills meaningful in the classroom. It seeks to embrace and acknowledge the racial and cultural diversity among the students. For teachers looking to effectively deliver lessons in a diverse classroom, here are some CRT strategies that you can adopt: 1. Learn about your students You must display your enthusiasm for adapting your classes according to the students, and that is only possible if there is open communication between you. Ask them about their interests, their culture, their language, and so on. Once you have all the information, you can customize your teaching plan to help all the students from all backgrounds learn as best as they can. 2. Use bilingual children’s books If yo

Many bilingual parents get concerned when it comes to introducing a new language to their monolingual child. While most people advice to start early, some suggest waiting until they are grown-up. This often leaves parents in a dilemma when is the correct time to teach their child a new language. Instead of waiting for the right moment, start teaching your toddler or even a grown child a new language from this very moment using methods that we have mentioned here. Start with a little vocabulary Any new language comes naturally to toddlers as they are still in their learning to speak stage. When you start speaking to them in another language or use vocabulary during conversations in the first language, they naturally grasp words and understand their meaning. Once they get a bit familiar with the language, use the second language exclusively to help them make their sentences. Bring fun stuff When you want your toddler to grasp another language faster, buy them bilingual toys that speak b

Parents often exhibit misplaced apprehensions about silent reading. Contrary to common belief, silent reading, especially sustained silent reading (SSR), can greatly benefit language learners – even bilingual learners. You may buy the best books for your kindergarten -going children who are dabbling in two or more languages, but if they do not engage in some amount of SSR, they will not be able to reap all the benefits of the content in the book. SSR is nothing but simply devoting a specific amount of time every day to quiet, independent reading. Today, many language teachers incorporate this approach in their teaching methods. Here are some of the benefits of SSR for bilingual learners: 1. Provides better understanding When reading silently, the reader gets a better understanding of their study material. This happens because now they are not distracted by the need for the right pronunciation and can instead focus solely on the meaning of the text. It allows them to absorb the te