FAQ: Bilingualism 🇬🇧
How does bilingualism work at 123 mon école ?
There are always two teachers in each class: one Anglophone and one Francophone.
The English-speaking teacher speaks with the children in English all day and the French-speaking teacher in French.
English is spoken all day at 123 mon école!
It is very important that the child identifies a language with a person.
The amount and regularity of language transmission contributes to deep-rooted learning.
How does English develop in the daily life of the school?
We adopt the "one person, one language" approach which is a popular method adopted by parents trying to raise bilingual children simultaneously.
With this approach, each parent systematically speaks only one of the two languages to the child.
In addition, English is present at all times of the day:
- at lunch
- when the child gets dressed
- in the garden
- in his class .
Since he is always surrounded by his two educators, English and French.
But there are also 50% of the books that are in English, as well as the songs that are also part of the highlights of the children's day.
Moreover, songs and readings are excellent learning tools, both fun and joyful!
All learning, for example :
- of mathematics
- of reading
- of writing
They are also presented in both languages and reinforce, even more, a good practice of English.
If my child speaks French to the English-speaking teacher?
No worries, she will always answer him in English and with a smile. We don't force children to speak English!
Are your English-speaking educators all native speakers?
No, not all our teachers are native speakers. On the other hand, their English should not be any different from that of a native speaker, either in terms of vocabulary or pronunciation.
The team at123 mon école, like itself, comes from all over the world and reinforces its international DNA and openness to the world.
If my child does not speak English, is this a problem for his/her adaptation?
123 mon école is a bilingual school. Also, there is always a French-speaking teacher with the children. Your child will always be reassured by the presence of French, throughout the day.
Will my child turn to his French-speaking teacher if he does not speak English?
Yes, this may be the case at the beginning, but English-speaking educators always find a way to connect with the children, with a smile, with gestures that accompany their communication around everyday situations.
Is kindergarten the right time to learn other languages, or is my child at risk of confusion as he/she sets up his/her language?
The phonetic system of English is very different from that of French. The simultaneous learning of French and English is coherent since they are phonetically distant.
This is why it is so difficult for French speakers to master a good accent in English when they learn it later on. Moreover, children have an absolutely amazing capacity to learn, so it is a real opportunity to immerse them in a bilingual environment from a very young age.
We are both French speakers, will our child become bilingual after several years at 123 mon école ?
Children are all different, some have more or less facility for language learning, but continuous exposure to English prepares and facilitates mastery in a concrete way, as it is rooted in everyday life and lasts for several years.
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