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¡Algo de humor!

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Recomendaciones para la crianza de niños bilingües

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Maritere Bellas explica algunas técnicas que se pueden utilizar en los hogares para aportar a la crianza de niños bilingües. Dice que el compromiso y perseverancia de los padres es clave.

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Hola compañeros, me he tomado la libertad de incluir en esta primera entrada de mi blog información sobre la crianza de los niños bilingües, ya que en sus videos de presentación pude escuchar que muchos de ustedes tienen niños. Es increíble como desde pequeños podemos estimular el cerebro de nuestros pequeños y que comiencen a ser bilingües. Además, creo que esta información es muy útil ya qué por experiencia he escuchado a padres expresar su preocupación cuando no saben si hablarles sólo español, solo inglés o ambos al mismo tiempo, inclusive algunos creen que los podemos llegar a confundir o atrasar su habla. Por estas razones creo que es bueno que estemos al tanto de como monitorear y criar a nuestros retoños.

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La crianza bilingüe es enriquecedora para el niño, para la familia, y para la sociedad en general. Pero, ¿cómo llevarla a cabo?

No existe un método o fórmula mágica, sino varias opciones. Lo mejor es que la inmersión sea natural, y que permita el aprendizaje de las dos lenguas de forma simultánea y precoz: cuanto antes, mejor. Que el niño se comunique y sea capaz de desenvolverse en las dos lenguas, que pase de una a otra sin traducir, y que lo consiga lo antes posible, es el objetivo a alcanzar.

Los expertos de Sinews, instituto de terapia multilingüe, aseguran que cada situación es diferente: hay casos en los que los padres tienen distinto idioma; en otros, es la escuela la que marca la diferencia, o la cuidadora la que se dirige a los niños en otra lengua. Así que para lograr con éxito el objetivo hay que mezclar bien los dos ingredientes principales: el tiempo de exposición y que la inmersión haga indispensable el hacerse entender en dicha lengua.

Hay casos en los que se sigue el método denominado "un padre, una lengua", que consiste en que en familias con progenitores con idiomas diferentes cada uno hable en el propio: la madre emplea el suyo; el padre, por su parte, hace lo mismo; y en momentos en los que están todos reunidos se puede optar por la misma fórmula o establecer una lengua común.

Normalmente, suele haber una lengua mayoritaria y otra minoritaria. Por mayoritaria se entiende la lengua más empleada por coincidir, por ejemplo, con la del país en el que se reside o el colegio al que se asiste. En el caso de una pareja de español e italiana residentes en España, la mayoritaria sería el español y la minoritaria la lengua italiana.

Consejos para potenciar la lengua minoritaria en la crianza bilingüe

En cualquier caso, si el niño se halla inmerso en un ambiente bilingüe en su hogar, terminará hablando las dos, aunque en estos casos lo ideal es intentar compensar y que la minoritaria sea reforzada con múltiples actividades como:

Hablar al niño desde su nacimiento, contarle cosas, nombrar los objetos que nos rodean, describirle las acciones que realizamos. Canciones, rimas, adivinanzas, todo es válido para que desarrolle el lenguaje y amplíe su vocabulario.

La zona del cerebro responsable del aprendizaje de la lengua se desarrolla en el inicio de la infancia, por lo que es altamente aconsejable que se comience a criar al niño en un ambiente bilingüe desde el nacimiento. Lo ideal es que cada padre se dirija al bebé en su idioma correspondiente desde el primer día.

Un factor muy importante es el tiempo de inmersión en esa segunda lengua. De acuerdo con Sinews, lo ideal es que el niño viva en contacto con ese idioma por lo menos durante el 20% del tiempo en el que está despierto. Y ello debería ser así sobre todo durante los primeros seis años de vida. No siempre es posible y no hay que preocuparse por ello. Muchos casos de bilingüismo se enmarcan dentro de lo que se denomina bilingüismo tardío, que es aquel en el que la segunda lengua se domina cuando la primera ya está consolidada. Es el caso de personas que son bilingües una vez adultos y que han entrado en contacto con esa segunda lengua muy tarde, consiguiendo un nivel nativo a pesar de ello.

La lectura: un estudio del CAL ('Center for Applied Linguistics'), organismo especializado en la educación bilingüe, señala que leer o hablar a un niño es más eficaz que exponerle a sonidos grabados, como la televisión o la radio, por ejemplo. El hecho de leer en voz alta a un niño aumenta más el léxico de éste que utilizar medios audiovisuales.

Aun así, ver la tele en ese idioma y escuchar canciones o cuentos grabados es también recomendable, pero no hay que olvidar que el niño ha de interactuar para obtener el máximo rendimiento.

Emplear los innumerables recursos que Internet pone a nuestra disposición: webs con actividades en el idioma que quiere fomentarse (actividades lingüísticas, juegos, pasatiempos...), portales dirigidos a familias bilingües, medios de comunicación digitales en esa lengua...

Frecuentar ambientes en los dos idiomas: amigos de los padres que compartan esa lengua o nacionalidad, asistir a colegios donde se estudie en dicho idioma, realizar actividades en esa lengua (deportes, cursos, campamentos de verano...), etcétera.

Asistir a talleres de bilingüismo dirigidos a los padres.

Viajar al país donde se habla el idioma minoritario.

Animarle a escribir cartas a los familiares o amigos que comparten esa lengua.

Procurar emplear juegos de mesa en el idioma minoritario. Aprender jugando es una fórmula infalible.

Hay consultorios para resolver las posibles dudas que surjan a lo largo de la crianza (www.bilingualreaders.com).

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La crianza bilingüe es enriquecedora para el niño, para la familia, y para la sociedad en general. Pero, ¿cómo llevarla a cabo? No existe un método o fórmula mágica, sino varias opciones. Lo mejor es que la inmersión sea natural, y que permita el aprendizaje de las dos lenguas de forma simultánea y precoz: cuanto antes, mejor.

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So you have read about the benefits of bilingualism and have decided that you want to raise a bilingual child. But now you are asking your self the big question, how do I go about it? An important thing to remember is that there is no one way approach to raising a bilingual child. It depends on each individuals family situation and needs, and what works for one family, may not necessarily work for another. You first need to ask yourself what will be best for you and your family. And which bilingual parenting method will best help your children. You will need to think about things such as:

Which languages are spoken?

When is each language spoken?

How often is each languages spoken?

How much exposure will your child get to each language?

Though there are various different ways to raise your child to be bilingual, however most parents will use one of these methods . Once you have chosen a strategy, the most important thing is to stick with it and be consistent. Raising a bilingual child can be a challenge. Even if it may seem hard at times, as with many things, consistency is the key to being successful and practice makes perfect.

OPOL seems to be the most popular method when raising a bilingual child and is as simple as it sounds; one person, one language. Each person speaks to the child in the same language consistently and do not speak the other language as to not confuse the child. The child is expected to respond in the language which is spoken to them, and the parent should correct the child if they respond differently.

Advantages of OPOL:

-Each person is speaking to the child is speaking in their own mother tongue with a native accent therefore they will pick up the language to a native level.
- The child will learn who to speak with in which language and therefore there will be less confusion.

Disadvantages of OPOL:

-If the minority language is spoken by a parent who is not the primary caregiver they may not get as much exposure to it and it may become a passive language where they understand what is being said but reply in the majority language.

In this scenario the minority language is spoken at home between both the parents and children, however out in the community and at school, the children will speak the second language.

Advantages of MLAH

-The whole family can speak together in one language.

-It strengthens the minority language so that the children are getting exposure to it more often

Disadvantages of MLAH

-Younger children who are not at school yet, have more exposure to the minority language. When starting school they can sometimes be a little behind other peers in the community language.

-If one parent is not speaking their native language they may not feel comfortable or confident speaking that language consistently with their children. Also if they don't speak it well enough, children can pick up the mistakes made or the slang used.

The context method (or time and place) requires the use of each language in a different context or situation. It depends on where you are, and who you are with.

For example, if you have family members or friends who only speak a certain language, you switch the language you are speaking so that you are able to all understand each other.

Another example could be that you speak one language in every day situations, but then choose a certain time of the day (or week) where you speak a different language. Many families do this to give a certain language more exposure.

Families who follow the context method, usually speak different languages with each other on a daily basis

Advantages of Context

-Your child will learn quickly, where to speak which language, and who with. They will realise that different languages are spoken in different situations.

-Others are not isolated from your conversation because you change to accommodate who you are with.

Disadvantages of Context

-There isn't really any consistency and there could be a risk of confusion.

-Children may take preference to one language and therefore the other/s may lack in exposure.

This is where there are frequently between the languages at any given time. Parents and children will switch from one language to the other depending on what they are doing or the context of the conversation.

It seems to be used mostly in countries that have an official second language. For example, In parts of Canada they speak both English and French.

Advantages of Mixing Languages

-There is no need for any plan, it all comes naturally
-Children are not forced to speak a language when they don't want to.

Disadvantages of Mixing Languages

-Children may favour one language over the other and so they may grow up with a native level of one language, while the other is lagging behind.

No matter how you raise a bilingual child, it requires a lot of patience and at times can be a lot of work. But the long term benefits outweigh any of the difficulties you will start off with.

The main rule is to be consistent and persevere, no matter which method you choose or which rules you follow. Just like any other form of parenting, if you are consistent, there is a good chance that you will succeed, and that your child will become bilingual soon enough.
"Sticking to it is the genious" - Thomas Edison Did you find this post interesting? Subscribe to receive other related articles. Follow us on Facebook and join the Bilingual Kidspot Discussion group!

Chontelle is a Certified ESL teacher, writer and mother of two bilingual kids. She offers practical advice for parents seeking to raise bilingual or multilingual children; with inspiration, support and strategies based on her experience as a parent, and as a teacher of a foreign language to children.

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How To Raise a Bilingual Child: Choose Your Method

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So you have read about the benefits of bilingualism and have decided that you want to raise a bilingual child. But now you are asking your self the big question, how do I go about it? An important thing to remember is that there is no one way approach to raising a bilingual child.

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¿Qué tipo de bilingüe eres tú? ¡Descúbrelo!

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¿Qué tipo de bilingüe eres tú? ¡Descúbrelo!

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Bilingüe compuesto: aquellas personas que aprenden y se apropian de dos idiomas (o más) de manera simultánea. Sucede generalmente en familias que migran a otro país con hijos muy pequeños, situación que permite a los infantes aprender el idioma de los padres y la del país receptor de una manera muy fácil y rápida.

Bilingüe coordinado: son aquellas personas que aprenden los conceptos en dos idiomas diferentes. Reconocen las diferencias entre ambos y los momentos donde utilizarlos; el ejemplo más claro son los adolescentes mexico-americanos que hablan inglés durante clases y con sus amigos en EUA, pero en casa se comunican en español con sus padres.

Bilingüe subordinado: Son aquellas personas que más de la mitad de su vida han hablado y escrito en su idioma nativo y se ven obligados, por razones migratorias, a comunicarse y aprender un nuevo idioma a partir de un proceso de filtrado con su idioma nativo como base.

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Esta semana escogí este tema del bilingüismo porque creo que la comunidad latina, tiene que saber que el ser bilingüe no solo trae beneficios económicos, puesto que se tiene más posibilidades de obtener un mejor empleo, sino que también las personas bilingües o trilingües gozan de una salud mental y emocional más equilibrada en comparación a  las personas que solo hablan un idioma.

De acuerdo con el Departamento de Educación del estado de Nueva Jersey, algunos beneficios son:

1- El retraso de enfermedades crónicas como el Alzheimer y demencia, además, de otros problemas neurológicos.

2 - Se aumentan las fusiones executivas y habilidades para tomar decisiones.

3 - Las personas bilingües tienen a mantener más control de sus emociones negativas y demuestran agresión con menos frecuencia.

4 - Otros idiomas se pueden aprender más fácilmente.

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The benefits of a bilingual brain - Mia Nacamulli

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Preventing Dementia
Bilingual adults with Alzheimer's take twice as long to develop symptoms as their monolingual counterparts. The mean age for the first signs of dementia in monolingual adults is 71.4 and for bilingual it is 75.5.

Focusing on Tasks
Bilingual people display increased concentration on their assignments over their monolingual counterparts. They are more skillful at focusing on relevant information.

Switching between tasks
Bilinguals are skilled at switching between two systems in writing and structure-this makes them good multitaskers.

Improved Cognitive Skills
Bilingual people have sharper cognitive kills and keep their brain alert and active even when only one language is used.

Denser Grey Matter
Grey matter responsible for processing language, storing memory and dictating attention spans. Bilingual individuals have denser grey matter compared to their monolingual counterparts.

Improved Memory
Learning a foreign language involved memorizing rules and vocabulary. This mental exercise improves overall memory, making bilinguals better at remembering lists and sequences.

Improved Decision Making Skills
Bilingual speakers tend to make more reasonable decisions. Bilinguals are more certain of their choices after thinking them over in their second language.

More Awareness of Language
Learning a second language focuses on grammar and sentence structure, making bilingual speaker more aware of language overall. Learning a foreign language making Bilingual speakers more effective communicators, editors, and writers.

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Brain Benefits of Bilingualism - Brain Connection

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Preventing Dementia Bilingual adults with Alzheimer's take twice as long to develop symptoms as their monolingual counterparts. The mean age for the first signs of dementia in monolingual adults is 71.4 and for bilingual it is 75.5. Focusing on Tasks... Continue Reading →

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FOR years, researchers in bilingualism have been touting striking findings about how bilingualism affects the brain. Two of the most memorable involve "executive control" and delayed dementia. With the first, bilinguals have shown that they are better able to focus on demanding mental tasks despite distractions. In other studies, it has been estimated that bilinguals see the onset of dementia, on average, about five years later than monolinguals do.

This week comes new evidence* for the pile: researchers led by Roberto Filippi of Anglia Ruskin University have found that young bilingual pupils did a better job answering tricky questions with a noisy voice in the background than a monolingual control group did. The study was small (just 40 pupils, only 20 in each group). But its robustness is helped by the diversity of the bilinguals, who spoke Italian, Spanish, Bengali, Polish, Russian and others in addition to English. The experimenters tried to distract the pupils with random unrelated recordings in English (which all the pupils spoke) and Greek (which none of them did). The bilinguals did significantly better at ignoring the Greek distraction. (They did just a bit better with the English one.)

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The researchers in this line of inquiry tend to share a common hypothesis: that being bilingual is a kind of constant inhibitory mental exercise. With two languages in the mind, nearly everything has two labels (words) and nearly everything can be expressed in two different kinds of sentences (grammar). Every time a thing is named, an alternative must be suppressed. Every time a sentence is constructed, the other way of constructing it must be suppressed. Blocking out distracting information is exactly what researchers find that bilinguals do well. And as for dementia, the effect seems to be a kind of analogue to physical activity over the course of a lifetime keeping a body fit. Mental exercise keeps the brain fit, and bilingualism is just that kind of exercise. (Crucially, the most striking findings relate to native bilinguals. The effects are weak to nonexistent for those who merely have a passable ability, infrequently used, in a second language.)

Why bilinguals seem to do better in quite a few differently designed studies does, however, need more research. Another paper published earlier this year** failed to replicate a cornerstone 2004*** study of the bilingual-advantage research. The new study, using elderly participants, found that Asian-language-plus-English bilinguals in Scotland, as well as Gaelic-English bilinguals, did no better than monolinguals on a task that required ignoring a visual distraction. The authors of the 2014 study speculate that the 2004 study used a crucially different kind of bilingual. Those studied in 2014 in Scotland were not frequently required to switch between their languages. The Gaelic-English bilinguals had not been educated in Gaelic, and presumably spoke it to a small group of friends and family, and only in certain settings. The Asian-language speakers had been educated earlier in their Asian tongues, but in Scotland spoke their heritage language only at home, and used English more outside home and family circles. The researchers in the 2004 study tested pupils educated in both languages, those more likely to have two ready labels for a wide range of vocabulary, and who were forced to switch often.

If the advantage accrues to those who switch more often-and especially those who use more than one language with the same people (like Puerto Rican New Yorkers who rapidly switch back and forth between Spanish and English in the same two-person conversation)-then we are left with a refined version of the "fitness" analogy. Just as recent exercise trends stress variety over repetition, moving between languages, not just knowledge of two of them, may be a key part of the bilingual advantage. Amazingly, some parents still think bilingualism might harm a child's development. Perhaps selling bilingualism as an elite, varied exercise-a kind of Crossfit of the mind-might convince more parents to give it a try.

* Filippi, R., Morris, J., Richardson, F., Bright, P., Thomas, M.S.C, Karmiloff-Smith, A., and Marian, V., "Bilingual children show an advantage in controlling verbal interference during spoken language comprehension", Bilingualism: Language & Cognition 2014.

** Kirk, N., Fiala, L., Scott-Brown, K.C. and Kempe, V., "No evidence for reduced Simon cost in elderly bilinguals and bidialectals", Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2014.

*** Bialystok, E., Craik, F.I.M., Klein, R., and Viswanathan, M., "Bilignualism, aging and cognitive control: evidence from the Simon task", Psychology & Aging, 2004.

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FOR years, researchers in bilingualism have been touting striking findings about how bilingualism affects the brain. Two of the most memorable involve "executive control" and delayed dementia. With the first, bilinguals have shown that they are better able to focus on demanding mental tasks despite distractions.