Globalization has been given great emphasis in schools all over the world and one of its instruments to be in full bloom is knowledge of languages. Language learning is one of the most popular educational activities students in the primary, secondary and tertiary levels engage themselves into in order to heighten their potential and increase their opportunities in the future. However, languages have become a less popular study choice for students in Adelaide, Australia. The drop in the number of language students over the years have been attributed to a shortage of qualified language teachers and resources rather than a lack of interest from students.

The latest results of studies in Adelaide show that there is a thirteen percent drop in the number of final year students studying a language other than English from 2,029 in the year 2004 to 1,765 in 2008. The most popular language being learned in Adelaide in 2008 was Chinese and the other popular Asian languages were Japanese, Vietnamese and Indonesian respectively. A lot of students who ventured into languages also studied German, Italian, French, Modern Greek and Spanish.

The president of the SA Secondary Principals Association, Jim Davies, has said that principals were dedicated in encouraging language study but it had become increasingly difficult for them to find fluent language teachers.

Now is the time when a lot of students are interested in learning languages other than English principally Asian languages. Since there is a shortage of teachers, one of the proposed solutions in the future is to create partnerships between schools and have students travel across campuses to make economically viable classes.

A $68 million fund was promised by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in April 2007 to reduce the decline of foreign languages with focus on Asian languages.

Wouldn’t it be better if we suggest that those who learn languages and become fluent in them should also try going into further study and become language teachers themselves? If we do not look into the matter of providing quality and qualified language teachers, there is a tendency that there will be a steady decline of language learners and possibly the demise of language learning.

The drive for foreign language learning has risen over the decades and more recently, studies have shown that it is better for language learners to start learning at younger ages so that children can become more fluent easily. Parents have realized that in the future, languages can help their children not only in their educational endeavors but also in their travels and careers.

Parents who want their children to grow up having the ability to speak more than one language should take into consideration what they must do to help their children develop their interest in languages. Children who are learning languages at a young age require encouragement and guidance from parents and teachers alike.

The following are some tips that parents could take if they want to raise bilingual children:

• Let your children start learning a new foreign language at an early age. Experts have already found that the earlier children are exposed to foreign languages, the earlier they will learn the language. Some parents let children listen to language music even during pregnancy and then talk to their children from the moment of birth in two or more languages possible. If your family speaks only one language, start introducing a new language with bilingual music through CDs and DVDs whenever you find it appropriate.
• Repetition is the key for language retention. Let your child repeat vocabulary and grammar exercises. Repeat lessons whenever your children have not understood the lessons fully.
• Let your children learn bilingually from birth up to age ten. It is better if children at that age bracket to learn a native language and second language alongside each other. The bilingual approach is considered to be the best for better language retention and for higher self esteem for children. At the age of ten to twelve, total immersion in the second language is a favorable option.
• Find material that can help children become interested in the second language. Books, CDs, movies, songs, and other material are useful in sparking your children’s interest as well letting them learn more about the second language each day.
• Let your children learn the second language every day. Infants should be exposed to the second language for at least ten minutes every day; twenty minutes for toddlers, thirty minutes for preschoolers, and forty-five minutes for elementary school children. You can use material such as bilingual DVDs and CDs, games, or music.
• Make language learning a fun activity. Do not force your children to learn a second language just because you want them to. Gently guide your children and show a high level of confidence. Assure them that learning a new language is not difficult and that it is fun!
• Do not listen to people who think that speaking the native language at home should be stopped. It is only a myth that children who learn two languages simultaneously will only get confused. It is a fact that bilingual children speak both languages better can read sooner and score better on verbal and math standardized tests.
• Show your children that you respect and appreciate other cultures and value the ability to speak other languages other than your own by joining events that showcase different cultures.
• Be patient. Patience is the key for your children to build their confidence in a second language. Don’t rush things with your child. Fluency will come by later on just be patient and don’t forget to keep encouraging your children!

If you would want your children to become fluent in more than just one language, better follow those tips above and search for more ways to let your children learn new languages and appreciate more cultures!

Interested to have a magical language learning experience? Learn Spanish in Salamanca and discover a wonderful place rich in history and culture.

Salamanca is a city in the western part of Spain and it is a charming city with a peaceful and good atmosphere for learning Spanish. Salamanca is sometimes called as La Ciudad Dorada or the Golden City since its golden sandstone buildings reflect the shimmer of the sun. The city is also referred to as the Land of the Bulls because the fighting bulls of Spain are raised in the outskirts of the city. Salamanca has a pleasing climate as well as beautiful structures replete with lively people, cultural legacy, and history. It has many palaces, convents, churches and monasteries which surely spark the interest of the city’s visitors and residents. The entire city of Salamanca has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2002 the city was named as the European Capital of Culture.

Learning Spanish in Salamanca will be an enriching experience you will surely treasure for the rest of your life. It is a wonderful location for language learning because it has an atmosphere suitable to students and language learners. Salamanca is the first university town in Spain since it is the home of the oldest university in the country. Another wonderful reason why Salamanca is an appropriate place for learning Spanish is that the Spanish spoken in this amazing city is the purest kind in Spain.

Learn Spanish in Salamanca with our partner language school don Quijote Salamanca and have the chance to learn Spanish while savoring Spanish wines! The language program is a combination of an intensive Spanish language course and a wine tasting course. If you chose to enroll in this program you will not only learn Spanish but also taste various wines and learn about their social, economic, and historical significance to Spain. The Spanish language school is located in a renovated sixteenth century monastery and it has classrooms, a furnished recreation room, a library, a courtyard, a garden and offices.

Be inspired to learn about language, wines, culture, and history while you learn Spanish in Salamanca and have the chance to explore the glimmering Golden City of Spain!

Please contact don Quijote language school and enjoy a language course in beautiful Salamanca.

Many parents all over the world are joining the bandwagon of letting their children join programs and classes where they can learn a foreign language and become bilingual. Most of the parents are aware that language immersion is one way of letting children become bilingual however, not all parents are aware of what they are doing to make their children acquire a new language.

Virginia Pauline Rojas, PhD, a world-renowned expert in bilingualism and second-language acquisition has recently spoken in a seminar with parents at Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok.

Dr. Rojas has asked, “When Thai parents enroll their children in an English immersion school, do they want them to speak only English, or do they want them to be able to speak both English and Thai?” This is a question that parents of Thai children have to consider when they enroll their children in an English immersion school such as an international school.

The Thai children sent by their parents in international schools at an early age ten to be more fluent in English than Thai especially when it comes to the language skill of writing. It is vital that parents and teachers know how to help students achieve fluency in both English and Thai languages not only with their speaking and listening skills but also in writing and reading.

According to Dr. Rojas, Thai parents who want their children to become bilingual have to work closely with their children. The international schools have the responsibility of teaching English to children however; the parents must be the ones to teach Thai since the Thai language programs in international schools are not enough.

Dr. Rojas explains that “Parents need to be clear in their minds why their children are attending an international school. Not a lot of parents think about that. They just send them here because it is prestigious to attend an international school. They need to be clear in their minds that their children are going to be different; for example, their writing in Thai is not going to be perfect.”

Parents who want their children to be able to speak English and Thai must maintain teaching Thai at home not only the spoken language but also the reading and writing skills in Thai too. Parents must understand that they have the responsibility for the development of the bilingual abilities of their children.

In most international schools in Thailand and the rest of the world, teachers require their students to speak only in English. In some schools, students are not allowed to speak Thai to their friends while in school. This policy may be imposed by the school to promote a perfect English environment within the school. Dr. Rojas said that this notion might not be wise. Many teachers in international schools are not bilinguals so the teachers don’t look at the situation like a bilingual situation. Teachers think that the students have to speak only in English and it is not that they want the students to forget their knowledge of Thai but that they don’t understand that both English and Thai are involved in the process of becoming bilingual. Dr. Rojas explains that bilingual students use both English and Thai languages.

The following is a chart of the Ten Myths of Language Study that parents should consider if they want to raise bilingual children:

According to Dr. Rojas, many studies indicate that the first language of students should be able to assist the learning of the second languages. She recommends that parents and teachers have to be aware not to unconsciously impose a certain perception that a student’s first language should be able to assist the learning of the second language.

Dr. Rojas also said that for students to master their bilingual skills, aside from maintaining a strong command of the mother tongue, parents should think about when would be the best time to send their students to an English immersion school. Parents should also need to be a bilingual role model for their children too.

If you are a parent who would want to have bilingual children, what concerns do you have about letting your young children learn two languages at the same time? Share your thoughts with us.

Original article: http://www.bangkokpost.com/life/education/26363/how-to-achieve-bilingualism

Language learners have been advised every now and then that a language travel experience is better than other language learning methods since it allows them to go to the place where their target languages are spoken and explore the place and culture.

Language Travel Magazine is the flagship business publication for the study abroad sector of the travel industry and it covers language learning oversees, work experience, and volunteering. The magazine is published monthly for the study abroad professionals and educational consultants in more than one hundred ten countries worldwide. The magazine also provides new, features, and market analysis and is available only to subscribers.

The Language Travel Magazine Star Awards or LTM Star Awards are unique peer-voted awards in the international education industry and the education organizations vote for their preferred agent partners and vice versa. The awards acknowledge the important mutual links between organizations that offer work and education experience to international students and those organizations that send students overseas for an international study experience.

Any genuine education provider or education consultant can vote for the LTM Star Awards. Each company regardless of the number of offices has a maximum of five votes to be used by different staff. Each of the votes must be completed through LTM’s online voting system and each vote will be checked to ensure that it originates fro a genuine operator within the industry. Educators cannot vote for educators and consultants cannot vote for consultants.

Here’s the list of the winners of the 2009 Language Travel Magazine Star Awards:

• LTM Star Agency Asia: iAE Edunet, Korea

• LTM Star Agency Eastern Europe: Students International, Russia

• LTM Star Agency Western Europe: Boa Lingua, Switzerland

• LTM Star Agency Latin America: Universo Educativo, Mexico

• LTM Star Agency Middle East & Africa: Lingualink, Israel

• LTM Star New Agency: Travel Solutions Poland, Poland

• LTM Star Agency North America: Amerispan, USA

• LTM Star Agency Association: Belta, Brazil

• LTM Star French Language School: French in Normandy, France

• LTM Star Spanish Language School: Malaca Instituto, Spain

• LTM Star Italian Language School: Linguaviva, Italy

• LTM Star “Other” Language Provider: Liden & Denz Language Centre, Russia and Mandarin House, China

• LTM Star English Language School – Europe: Atlantic Language Galway, Ireland

• LTM Star English Language School – Southern Hemisphere: English Language Company, Australia

• LTM Star English Language School – North America: ILAC, Canada

• LTM Star High School: Abbey College, UK

• LTM Star School Association: IALC, International

• LTM Star Innovation of the Year: EC, Malta – Freestyle Programme

• LTM Star Chain School: Embassy CES

• LTM Star German Language School: did deutsch-institut, Germany

• LTM Star Insurance Provider: Student Guard, Canada

• LTM Star Work Experience Provider: Twin Group, UK

Our partner Russian language school Liden & Denz Language Centre of Russia has won the LTM Star Other Language Provider award together with Mandarin House of China.

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees of the Language Travel Magazine Star Awards and we’re hoping that all of you will continue to provide quality language travel offers for every language learner in the world!