Since I've arrived in the States, one thing about television has struck me: There are several kids shows on where children learn some words in Spanish or Chinese, for example. Wow! I'm impressed.
You see, in Germany, parents who "park" their children in front of the TV are seen in a bad light. However, I'd be interested in knowing how much this public opinion would change if people knew there are educational shows on TV and that children actually learn valuable things watching their children's channels. I mean, how else can monolingual parents teach their children the beginnings in a foreign language that easily? How else can they easily make their children curious about a foreign language? How else can they test whether or not their children might want to learn a foreign language even before they start kindergarten or pre-school?
It is a shame that TV has such a bad reputation for keeping children occupied if it can add so much value. Of course, you have to have access to the right kind of shows, and you definitely should talk about the shows with your children.
To come back to my headline: I think TV shows can get language love started but they are no language teachers when it comes to the real gist of a language. They can teach you the basics, a few words and phrases, and get you interested in learning more. To actually learn more, however, you have to get a teacher. A real teacher, made of flesh and blood. Or, if you are an autodidact, you have to get a good course book, audio CDs or youtube videos for pronunciation, and a good dictionary.
Once you've acquired a certain level of language knowledge, you can watch DVDs or TV shows and read books in the new language to support your learning.
However, no matter what you do and how you do it, never forget rule #1: Have fun!!!
Language ... the bridge of communication, the magic creator of worlds, the brush and paint of authors. Language is magic. It gives us power. It is something you just have to love.
No comments:
Post a Comment