Early Literacy in Multilingual Environment - Essay Example

EARLY LITERACY IN MULTILINGUAL CONTEXTS by Early Literacy in Multilingual Contexts The early childhood practitioner is a professional who is involved in providing direct instructions to children or a child. Apart from working with the children, they may also work with the families of the children (Jolly, 2007). A multilingual setting is whereby the various children and their families speak in different mother tongues. As the society grows, so does the multilingual and multiracial increases (Hornberger, 2002). As a result, a need is created for a trainer to help the children develop amidst of many languages. The role of the practitioner is to equip the children with the right tools that they need to live and interact respectably with other people. In addition, it is the duty of the practitioner to help the children overcome prejudice. The essay aims at establishing the role of the childhood specialist in helping the children adapt in a multilingual setting. The practitioner is very vital to ensure that children retain their mother tongue while still acquiring other languages. According to research by UNESCO, children’s ability to learn other languages is very high when their mother tongue is used in the issuance of instruction in the primary school (Cummins, 2008). Children who are made to switch abruptly from their mother tongue to other languages may not be able to express themselves well in their mother tongue. In severe cases, the mother tongue may be completely lost. The self-esteem of the children decreases and may never be regained if they cannot express themselves clearly from a tender age. Hence, the essay will have a significant contribution to the knowledge area of early childhood development. The policy setters may adopt the knowledge to come up with effective language policies for childhood and primary school (Parsad, Lewis, & Farris, 2001). The essay will focus on a facility located in Birmingham. The facility hosts five children all from different backgrounds. Their nationality is Spanish, Africa, English, Italy, and Chinese. All apart from one child hail from a two-parent homestead. The English child hails from a single parent family, a mother. The Spanish child is called Amando, the Italian is called Aberto, the African one is called Benny, the Chinese one is called Yung, and the English one is called Elsa. Elsa is the only girl in the group. Due to the confidentiality purposes, the names of the children have been altered. In addition, the location of the facility has also been altered to protect the confidentiality of the respondents. All the information is being disclosed with the permission of the clients. They are aware that the information is being made public, and they consent to its use for research purposes so as to improve the techniques of the early childhood practitioner (Pattenden, 2003). Language Development in Young Children Children become aware of their environment from a very tender age. They start differentiating themselves from their neighbors and friends (Alcock, Carment, & Sadava, 2005). For example, in my facility, Elsa realized that she was the only girls. She requested to know why she was the only one with a long hair and wearing dresses often. By the time children develop into adults, they are aware of the cultural differences. If they are not taken through the right transition, they grow up not understanding why things are the way they are. Children are aware of racialism at young ages (Katz & Kofkin, 1997). The children in my facility would look down on Benny just because he was black. They though he was a little bit inferior. Yung would also be looked down upon due to his hair and eye structure. Young children are affected by the perception that they come from an inferior ethnic community. According to Kounin and Sherman (1979), the environment of upbringing influences a child’s development. The teacher has an obligation to show the differences in each of the cultures observed. Generalization makes thing worse. It is not adequate to point out the differences in the culture and languages. It is advisable that the teacher goes ahead and teaches the children how to appreciate each other. The teachers should realise their biases and work on it. It is important that the early childhood practitioners foster cohesion among children from diverse culture. If children are not molded at an early age, it is hard to mold them at a later stage. According to a Parsad, Lewis, and Farris (2001), most upper school teachers are never prepared enough to work with diverse populations. Most are not trained in handling varieties of cultures. Worst is that as many as 80% of the teachers confessed that they did not feel comfortable and prepared to tackle challenges that present themselves from multiple cultures. It is, therefore, the duty of the early childhood practitioner to prepare and help the children as they develop from mother tongue to bilingual and multilingual. To foster unity and appreciation for all the languages, each of my class is planned to reflect the values of the families and communities that are represented in the facility. Each child is given a chance to express himself/ herself. I have the drawing of the children with their families plus anything else that they consider important in their culture (Holmes,1995). The pictures are a symbol of important and respect for everyone. I encourage the children to discuss issues relating to their background, their likes, and their dislikes. In my facility, I have the tools from various backgrounds China, Africa, UK, Italy, and Spain. I encourage the children to come with pets that they value. Occasionally we do hold a lunch where each family prepares its native dishes. The children get to share the meals and appreciate the diversity (Harkness, & Super, 1996). A daily routine involves series of learning that is supported through activities initiated by either me of the children themselves. Often, I try to balance the two. The second phase involves promoting social interactions through encouraging the children to take part in the group activities. They may interact on their own, but I often intervene as to learn more about them. It is also healthy for the children to learn how to behave both in a group that has adults and in children setting. The third phase involves giving the children time to organize and plan themselves (Hornberger, 2005). The children are given some freedom to observe what they are likely to do left on their own. Lastly, we hold a session where children can recall and discuss incidences. They are allowed to represent such incidences in drawings, painting or even verbal through stories and questions. Once in a while my facility give the parents of the children at the chance to come and observe their children as they play and learn in the facility so as to appreciate the transition that the children are going through (Kagan,1992). Importance of acquiring home language while supporting English Firstly, Mother tongue is more than just a means of communication. According to Harkness and Super1996), mother tongue is our identity, our culture, and our heritage. It is through mother tongue that we feel connected to a particular group of persons. Language is the connection between the families, countries, religion, and the identity. Often, children who are not well versed in their mother tongue lose identity. They may lose trust in their families, their land, and their religion. Often they try to look for another culture for which to identify themselves. It is sad to note that they get discouraged and lose their confidence if they do not fit in their owned-searched for culture. I observed that behavior with Yung. Though young, he was interested in the accent of Aberto. At one point, he would get angry and resentful after failing to communicate comprehensively with Arberto. I had to intervene and make him draw pictures of his parents and talk to me in Chinese. It is, therefore, important that children understand their mother tongue as they grow up. Secondly, mother tongue is essential for learning other languages. According to research by Cummins (2009), children who understand their mother tongue well manage to understand other languages faster compared to their counterparts who are not good in their mother tongue. It may be argued that children that do not know their mother tongue face language crisis. At home, they are exposed to a language that they do not fully understand. The same occurs in the school. As a result, the two languages end up confusing them more. The situation is worse if they are exposed to a multilingual setting. Amando, whose parents spoke English most of the time, is a good example of a child who did not develop language wise very well. He could no express himself well in Spanish. Although was good in English, his proficiency in both written and spoke English could not beat for the other kids who were good in their mother tongue. Thirdly, language makes us develop emotionally. It is the basis for our emotions and thinking. According to International Herald Tribune (2008), language influences our mental capacity even before we were born. Children have been noted to respond to their mother tongues from as early as when they were in the womb. Children express their emotions and their thinking through their mother tongue. Immediately when a child communicates in their mother tongue, there is a direct connection between their minds, the mouth, and the tongue. Hence, mother tongue shapes the psychology of children. The analysis was observed in all the children in the facility. When excited or angry, often they spoke in their mother tongue oblivious that the other children do not understand what they were saying. It shows the psychological connection between the mother tongue and the emotions of the children. It is, therefore, important that adults measure their words when they speak to the children. The words have the power to mold a child psychologically (Alcock, Carment, & Sadava, 2005). Language Acquisition Theory According to Skinner (1957), young children continue to learn and produce aspects of languages that are reinforced by the caregivers. I conquer with this theory. Through association with family members, other children in the facility and I as their practitioner, I have seen children develop their language very fast. I also support the notion that the quality of the environment and the people around the children influence the quality of their language. Before being enrolled in my facility, Aberto was very poor in both in communication. However, after being equipped with the right tools and attention, he has made a dramatic improvement. Hence, the quality of the environment shapes the quality of the child’s language (Hart & Risley, 1995). My contribution to supporting a multilingual learning I have contributed to the supporting of multilingual learning through fostering a healthy relationship. I have a very personal relationship with the five children in my facility. They feel relaxed enough to share their concerns and worries with me (Sleeter, 2001). In addition, I have taught them how to love and respects earth other. It is amazing how they relate like sibling. To ensure that children learn the same thing both at home and in school, I highly involve their parents in the school program. Whenever a child is facing problems, we discuss it with the parents and the child. The unity makes the kids respects advice and instructions both from the parents and from I. It how the is amazing how compassion and love can do to the children. They need to feel loved and appreciated. They require attention at all time. I make sure I accord it to them. In return, their development has been impressive. Close monitoring and intervention have been essential in helping the children adapt in a multilingual setting. I keenly observe every kid in my facility. I can understand the children who are having trouble communicating either in their mother tongue or even in the second language. During such situations, I intervene and try to understand the root course. I respect the view of the parents in every case. I read out stories in mother tongue for the children to gain some insight into their languages. For the children who cannot totally communicate in the second language, I take them through the sign language and simple impressions until they can express themselves (Kagan, 1992). In addition, after a long day of using a different language, I shift to mother tongue to relax the children. I monitor the method that works best for each child. If certain children learn better through stories, I maximize stories for such a child. The enabling environment has facilitated the development of the children. The place has enough choices for the children to make ranging from the playground, the toys, the colour of the seats and the types of the seats. They have a choice of storybooks. They may read fictions on the cartoons. Some children like Yung love stories on how to make toys while Elsa has a high affinity towards eye-catching paintings. The place is full of painting that reflect the culture if each of the child. The children also do have the option to play from outdoors where they are free to express their culture and, their interests. I have noted that children learn more when allowed to play outdoor as opposed to indoor (Hornberger, 2005). All rounded learning and development are offered in my facility. The children are allowed to play so that they may show their wide range interests and preoccupations. They play with their peers and get to learn from each other. Active learning is encouraged through physical and mental challenges. Objects, new ideas, and events are used to capture and hold the attention of the children. Creativity is enhanced by allowing the children to play with various objects and make deductions. Through the deduction process, they learn new things; they understand new concepts and appreciate previously ridiculed ideas (Hornberger, 2005). Methods of constructively supporting languages in my setting The first way through which language may be supported in my setting is by having children read the books in their books in their home languages (Hart & Risley, 1995). Through such a reading, the children would be in a position to understand their home languages better. My role as the early childhood practitioner is to read out the books to them. However, where I have trouble with fluency, the parent may record themselves reading the books. I would then play the audio for the children to listen. This may apply in Chinese, which I am not yet very fluent. The second method is through the adoption of a curriculum based on the children culture, and home traditions. This would involve teaching the children their culture and home traditions through activities such as meals, the toilet times, and the sleep times. Some children may have been taught that they must pray before sleeping. Other may have been taught to pray before eating and at the same time some may be taught how to bow when they greet an elder person. The behaviors should be fostered in the facility to enhance their home culture (Katz & Kofkin, 1997). I should seek to understand the behavior of every child before I can enforce a change of such behavior. It will also be a means of understanding if the children understand the reasons for most of their actions. The third technique would be avoiding imposing my culture on the children (Parsad, Lewis & Farris, 2001). Different children learn different things from home. For example, I noted that while Elsa would be consoled through a hug, the technique would not work through Benny. During the afternoon, when they slept, a soft and tender song would foster Amando into sleeping while the same did not work for Yung. A good and fantasy story would drive Yung into sleep. I learned that the technique that works for a particular kid is the one that is applied at home. From that, I have noted that not all techniques work for everyone. Hence, I would investigate to know what happens at home before I apply a certain culture (Hart & Risley, 1995). Fourthly, I have noted that left on their own but under guidance, the children have a lot to learn from each other. I would hence guide the children through stories and games. Stories, especially the legendary once are very rich in the culture. The stories and the games would help reduce instances of some children judging others by the standards of their values and cultures (Katz & Kofkin, 1997). They would learn that every culture has its riches. Embracing diversity would help them to appreciate each other, recognise themselves, and develop an interest in each other. It is easier for children to learn secondary languages when they understand the culture behind such a language. Conclusion The early childhood is a critical phase of a child’s life. That is the time the child begins to become aware of his or her environment. Often, the parents are busy and may not have the time to watch and monitor the child grow. Left on their own, the child may develop culture shock and communication problems because of being exposed to multilingual setting. Early childhood practitioners come in at this early stage to guide the children through the growth process. The practitioner plays the role of the parent, the teacher, the role model, the instructor and occasionally the role of a nurse. A child is guided by understanding culture and languages, behavioral standards and critical thinking and analysis. There should be a proper coordination between the early childhood institutions and the primary and high school learning to ensure that culture and values learned are promulgated from one level to another. Failure to cooperate may render the work of the early childhood practitioner useless as the values imparted may be forgotten along the way. References Alcock, J.E., Carment, D.W., & Sadava, S.W. (2005). A textbook of social psychology (6th ed.). Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall Canada. Cummins, Jim. Bilingual Childrens Mother Tongue Why Is It Important for Education? Available at http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/mother.htm. Accessed in June 2009. Harkness, S., & Super, C.J. (Eds.). (1996) Parents’ cultural belief systems: Th eir origins, expressions, and consequences. New York: Guilford Press. Hart, B., & Risley, T.R. (1995). Meaningful diff erences in the everyday experience of young American children.Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Holmes, R.M. (1995). How young children perceive race. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hornberger, N. H. (2002). Multilingual language policies and the continua of biliteracy: An ecological approach. Language Policy, 1(1), 27-51. Hornberger, N. H. (2005). 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