Unearth the English around You There are many ways to learn English, from formal schooling to everyday conversation. Instruction in grammar, writing, reading and phonics will help the learner grasp the technicalities of the every changing language. Although attending English classes will improve the learner’s ability in many areas, we can also take initiative by unearthing the English around children. Encourage your children to keep their eyes open to the English in everyday life. When you go shopping, look at the labels on the packets of products and try to pronounce the English words out loud, or guess the meaning within the context. The children will learn many vocabulary words like shampoo, cereal, sauce, etc. in a real life situation removed from the classroom. If done often enough, this new vocabulary will easily be reinforced as the child associates the product with the English word. Once the children have a good grasp of what the object is, they can read the label further. Soon they will learn all of the adjectives that come with branding such as fresh, soft, quality, etc. You would be surprised at how much English is printed on packaging in Taiwan, and it could make a trip to the supermarket a fun experience. The same teaching principle can be applied when walking down the street. Look at the signs on the shops and street corners. There are plenty of international corporations who have English as part of their brand identity. Interestingly, more Taiwanese stores have both a Chinese and English name and you can encourage your children learn the names and relate them into context of what the stores sell. You could even see if your children pick up the spelling mistakes in some store windows! I am a big believer that reading books will improve language ability. I love reading and encourage all children to do the same. However, by the end of the day, all most children want is to vegetate in front of a TV. Why not dictate the programming? Television is great for learning English. The pictures make it easier to understand than radio, and because you can see who’s talking, you get a better idea of what people mean. Just watch their “body language”! There are plenty of entertaining English options from movies to Discovery Channel. There are many great English movies for kids that you can watch together with or without Chinese subtitles. It is not important that your child knows the meaning of every word being said, but they should be able to understand the story through the visuals and garner the general grasp. This will greatly improve listening comprehension skills and also teach the child to look for context clues in the whole picture. If you want to investigate this further, there are many educational English Kids TV shows (like BBC) that could suit your child’s interest and can be found online. (可刪如果字太多) Taiwan is a very English friendly environment. Encourage your children to keep reading English around you, keep saying phrases you hear, keep asking questions and sooner or later you will be learning English without even knowing that you are doing so!

 

豐原校區 P2, P3外師
Victoria