The Myths of Global Education
At Global Children School, our main focus is to introduce, teach, and help our students learn more about the world through multicultural and multilingual education. In much of the world, people are multilingual, not even just bilingual, giving them a chance for new experiences and opening doors that may not otherwise be available. Multilingual education is also said to improve brain activity and give children brighter futures! So why isn’t multilingual education more common in the US? We have the same question!
A lot of myths have been spread about the teaching of new languages to children at an early age. These myths have prevailed to be seen as truths to many, and changing this narrative is a difficult problem to solve. At Global children School, we are working to change this narrative, to ensure that our students can get a positive global education, and benefit from having an early global & multilingual education!
Too Young to Start
One of the main concerns that we see parents continue to have for their child is the level of difficulty of learning multiple languages at such a young age. Many parents believe that learning a new language too young will cause stress and confusion for children, then choosing to wait until their child is older to begin teaching another language or culture. However, these assumptions of difficulty are actually the exact opposite of the true impact of learning another language at a young age.
In actuality, there are numerous benefits to teaching a child another language and immersing them in multiple cultures at a young age. During the early years, a child’s brain is like a sponge, and they have much more ability to retain and hold onto information, as it comes more naturally than it would in adult education. Children’s brains are neurologically programmed to take in the experiences around them and hold onto that information. Starting as early as four months, it has been seen that infants respond one way to the languages that they have been exposed to, and respond differently to another language that they have not been exposed to. This leads to the ability of a two-year-old child to be able to switch between fluency and adjust to the language that is being spoken to them.
While it might seem hard for a child to learn a language so young from our adult perspective, we must acknowledge that children’s brains work much differently than ours, and their ability to retain multiple forms of linguist information works in the same manner as a child being raised in a monolingual household, hearing and learning their native language.
Parents Need to be Multilingual
Another myth that proves to be a setback for families choosing to wait to teach their child another language is based around the parents’ education. Not all adults are multilingual, and given the ways in which we learn and retain linguistic information, it is much harder for adults to learn and retain new languages than it is for children. So, when deciding or looking into if a global education is a good fit for their children, parents often reflect on the idea of themselves not knowing a second (or multiple) other languages. However, regardless of what a parent may know about language, any child can and does have the ability to become multilingual!
In today’s globalized world, the resources and education available to children are extensive, meaning that the parents do not need to be the ones who know the language and are teaching it to the child directly. Parents today can act more likea support system for their child to continue learning in global, multilingual education. In lieu of parents’ knowledge of other languages, in many cases babysitters who speak multiple languages are being brought in for children to learn, allowing parents to act as that support system, reducing the stress of needing to teach their own child a language they do not know.
Not Enough Resources
The world is more globalized today, resources for global education and global learning, and numerous. The struggle to find teachers or tutors that speak multiple languages or can teach children a multicultural education has continued to lessen throughout the years. The amount of resources that are available today is extensive, and should no longer be of any concern to any parents looking to immerse their child in multilingual & multicultural education.
Whether it be online resources, or in person, in a classroom setting or virtual There are also a lot more resources, both online and in-person, that allow for early language learning for children. Whether it be in a classroom setting or not, there are many more options for global education, with the benefits vastly outweighing the cons. An early global education allows students to learn, grow, and become more knowledgeable about the world around them, at a much younger age. This allows for continued growth and interest in extended learning throughout their lives.
The world is always changing, and our children need to be ready for whatever may come their way in their futures! With an early global education & immersion into a multilingual surrounding, our students will be prepared and eager to continue to learn!
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