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It’s been more of a relief than I thought it would be to give up modern languages. I’ve been using the time to read and it’s been more enjoyable, and possibly more valuable.

Le no French?

 

  

You know, this isn't a bad idea. Spanish Around the Home: Talking to one another. A class for parents and children together - family-priced, instead of per student.

 

A lot is geared to communicating outside the home with other people.

I'm just trying to think about what happens. What happens will be practiced, what doesn't happen won't. They won't walk around going uno, dos, tres, but they will talk about the time, the date, cooking and other things involving numbers.

 

If I make squillions, Slash, I'll give you cut.

:coolgleamA:
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When I took Spanish in high school I learned pupitre y escritorio. I have never used those words. Ever. They are useless to me. And I can live without them. If I asked a student to get the pencil he dropped under his mesa he would know exactly what I meant. It's good to learn as much vocabulary as possible, and maybe someday I'll say "it's on the escritorio, not the pupitre" but consider the lives and habits of your audience when you design a class.

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Spanish in the Bedroom sounds naughty. :hat:

I think it could be really good. A bedtime routine in Spanish. Teeth, hair, pajamas, prayers. Lots of possible content there.

 

She could hold a separate class for parents only. :leaving:

Edited by Slache
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Texts and programs designed for children tend to focus on vocabulary and phrases that children use.  So you learn the names of playground toys etc.  Texts and programs designed for teens to focus on teen vocabulary and phrases (though they avoid slang because slang changes and can be regional).  Texts and programs for adults are often designed for business (there are tons of Japanese for business courses out there) and/or the off times when you are out with your business associates after work.  But I have always taught and focused on teaching conversation - whether it was in Japan when I taught at an English Language school or here in the US when I've taught Americans to speak Japanese.  I do know some reading and writing but not a lot.  I will be focused on learning to read and write enough for the SAT II sub test for Japanese which is not a lot (probably about a second grade level). 

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Texts and programs designed for children tend to focus on vocabulary and phrases that children use. So you learn the names of playground toys etc. Texts and programs designed for teens to focus on teen vocabulary and phrases (though they avoid slang because slang changes and can be regional). Texts and programs for adults are often designed for business (there are tons of Japanese for business courses out there) and/or the off times when you are out with your business associates after work. But I have always taught and focused on teaching conversation - whether it was in Japan when I taught at an English Language school or here in the US when I've taught Americans to speak Japanese. I do know some reading and writing but not a lot. I will be focused on learning to read and write enough for the SAT II sub test for Japanese which is not a lot (probably about a second grade level).

Mine had a strong focus on the classroom which made sense, but didn't transfer into life so no one practiced it outside of class. But Renai has a unique opportunity to give families something they can use daily.
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Le no French?

 

I'm just trying to think about what happens. What happens will be practiced, what doesn't happen won't. They won't walk around going uno, dos, tres, but they will talk about the time, the date, cooking and other things involving numbers.

 

:coolgleamA:

I know this, which is why I teach that way. I don't teach isolated vocabulary, but within context and with a lot of practice.

 

FF is pretty much saying learn a bunch of isolated vocabulary because it's "most frequent," rather than learn what you need.

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When I took Spanish in high school I learned pupitre y escritorio. I have never used those words. Ever. They are useless to me. And I can live without them. If I asked a student to get the pencil he dropped under his mesa he would know exactly what I meant. It's good to learn as much vocabulary as possible, and maybe someday I'll say "it's on the escritorio, not the pupitre" but consider the lives and habits of your audience when you design a class.

I always consider my audience. That's what made me a good teacher in the classroom too. I wasn't always allowed to teach the way I wanted, which is why I brought my ideas out to the marketplace. A small market, but I have to start somewhere. Unfortunately, I have more ideas than I can keep up with.

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Spanish in the Home could be a series.

 

Spanish in the Kitchen

Spanish in the Office

Spanish in the Bedroom

Spanish in the Bathroom

Spanish Chores

How to Insult Your Siblings in Spanish

My idea is slightly different, but along those lines. Look for a new class listing by next week.

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I know this, which is why I teach that way. I don't teach isolated vocabulary, but within context and with a lot of practice.

 

FF is pretty much saying learn a bunch of isolated vocabulary because it's "most frequent," rather than learn what you need.

I like the most frequent for the argument regarding formal grammar but my paragraph was about you. I just love the idea of you having a semester or year long course. There's just so much you could do, and you can do it so much better than a text.

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I always consider my audience. That's what made me a good teacher in the classroom too. I wasn't always allowed to teach the way I wanted, which is why I brought my ideas out to the marketplace. A small market, but I have to start somewhere. Unfortunately, I have more ideas than I can keep up with.

I know. So much fun! But your way works better with your current audience than in a classroom. All very good stuff.

 

  

My idea is slightly different, but along those lines. Look for a new class listing by next week.

Oh my goodness.
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I don't have strong feelings about foreign language study. Latin I do mostly for the logic of it and the word study. French because it's a beautiful language and I'd like to be able to read in French and understand a little bit when I hear it. But I have no plans to push for fluency for myself or for my boys. I think I would be bound to be disappointed and unhappy if I did.

I feel the same way you do, Critter. I study Latin because it is fun. It is like a game to me and I enjoy it. I derive a lot of pleasure from successfully translating sentences, even if they are all above it Caesar and battles and the like (although I do confess a mild trans-chronological crush on Julius Caesar). As far as actually communicating in a different language, it makes no sense to me at all. I spent two years in Brazil (teaching at an American Christian School in São Paulo) and learned almost no Portuguese. I got the basic “Please†and “Thank youâ€and “Hello†and “coffee with milk†and the phrase they taught us to tell a cab driver if we ever got lost in the city, but other than that... nothing really.
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Mine had a strong focus on the classroom which made sense, but didn't transfer into life so no one practiced it outside of class. But Renai has a unique opportunity to give families something they can use daily.

Even my Spanish through Literature classes have a focus on practical language that can be used around the home, observed and used in conversations in and out of the home. They are young kids, after all. It has to be used or it will be lost. Oso Pardo doesn't just teach colors, but how to use them in sentences, describe objects by color, understand color questions, and learn the grammar implicitly (explained to parents in notes). Among other topics. That simple book is packed. The unique idea you are now proposing is making it a family affair and making it more home-focused. I can do that too. :D

Edited by Renai
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I know. So much fun! But your way works better with your current audience than in a classroom. All very good stuff.

 

Oh my goodness.

Actually, this works well in the classroom. I've practiced some of this in the classroom. It was harder trying to figure out how to translate it to an online format. I use many of the same techniques online that I did in the classroom- tpr, visuals, etc.

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You know, this isn't a bad idea. Spanish Around the Home: Talking to one another. A class for parents and children together - family-priced, instead of per student.

 

A lot is geared to communicating outside the home with other people.

I would love a class like this!

 

When my oldest was young I tried speaking French to her so she could be bilingual. I struggled though because while French was a comfortable language for me--I thought in French, dreamed in French, etc.--I had learned it in the immersion setting of a French middle school. The stuff kids talk about at school between the ages of 11 and 14 is not the stuff I needed to talk about with my toddler. I had to look up simple things needed to discuss diaper changes and naps and playing at the park and cooking dinner.

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Dh has taken two short people to mid-state orchestra rehearsal. I have to put on black clothes and leave for the concert in about 29 minutes.

 

I have foolishly bought a robotic vacuum that is on an Amazon lightning deal (Dibea D960) because I have wanted one for a long time because our floors are so dusty, despite the fact that we DO have a dustmop. Sigh. Maybe we will love it. We definitely have too much dust in the house. Dd11 actually objected to it because vacuuming is one of the chores they rotate. I told her we will still have to vacuum. :D

 

More coffee!

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Even my Spanish through Literature classes have a focus on practical language that can be used around the home, observed and used in conversations in and out of the home. They are young kids, after all. It has to be used or it will be lost. Oso Pardo doesn't just teach colors, but how to use them in sentences, describe objects by color, understand color questions, and learn the grammar implicitly (explained to parents in notes). Among other topics. That simple book is packed. The unique idea you are now proposing is making it a family affair and making it more home-focused. I can do that too. :D

I'm thinking about what this means for the customer and how that could affect profit. How much are you willing to pay for Gymnast to sit in front of a computer for an hour a day for a year? How much are you willing to pay to have your entire family speaking your target language on a daily basis? But with the class geared towards the youngest you'll be doing the same amount of work.

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I would love a class like this!

 

When my oldest was young I tried speaking French to her so she could be bilingual. I struggled though because while French was a comfortable language for me--I thought in French, dreamed in French, etc.--I had learned it in the immersion setting of a French middle school. The stuff kids talk about at school between the ages of 11 and 14 is not the stuff I needed to talk about with my toddler. I had to look up simple things needed to discuss diaper changes and naps and playing at the park and cooking dinner.

 

Maize, I don't remember: what languages do you speak?

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Maize, I don't remember: what languages do you speak?

French is my most fluent, followed by Spanish. Those two I am comfortable speaking in. I'm liable to make occasional grammatical errors and sometimes make up words in Spanish...usually by unintentionally modifying a French word.

 

I used to have comfortable spoken Japanese though my vocabulary was more limited. I never developed more than minimal kanji reading ability which is one reason I haven't been able to keep up that language as well as others.

 

I have some rudimentary spoken German, better verbal and reading comprehension. I studied a few other languages briefly: Russian, Cantonese, and Arabic. Right now I'm studying Mandarin with my kids whenever I can sit in on their classes.

 

I want my kids to learn languages; it's been hard to figure out the best way to facilitate that as the only languages I learned to a comfortable level came through immersion.

Edited by maize
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French is my most fluent, followed by Spanish. Those two I am comfortable speaking in. I'm liable to make occasional grammatical errors and sometimes make up words in Spanish...usually by unintentionally modifying a French word.

 

I used to have comfortable spoken Japanese though my vocabulary was more limited. I never developed more than minimal kanji reading ability which is one reason I haven't been able to keep up that language as well as others.

 

I have some rudimentary spoken German, better verbal and reading comprehension. I studied a few other languages briefly: Russian, Cantonese, and Arabic. Right now I'm studying Mandarin with my kids whenever I can sit in on their classes.

 

I want my kids to learn languages; it's been hard to figure out the best way to facilitate that as the only languages I learned to a comfortable level came through immersion.

 

:ohmy:

 

 

 

I love you.

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French is my most fluent, followed by Spanish. Those two I am comfortable speaking in. I'm liable to make occasional grammatical errors and sometimes make up words in Spanish...usually by unintentionally modifying a French word.

 

I used to have comfortable spoken Japanese though my vocabulary was more limited. I never developed more than minimal kanji reading ability which is one reason I haven't been able to keep up that language as well as others.

 

I have some rudimentary spoken German, better verbal and reading comprehension. I studied a few other languages briefly: Russian, Cantonese, and Arabic. Right now I'm studying Mandarin with my kids whenever I can sit in on their classes.

 

I want my kids to learn languages; it's been hard to figure out the best way to facilitate that as the only languages I learned to a comfortable level came through immersion.

 

I hear you, it's hard trying to figure out where to go. I currently don't really know the destination. I do know that as a English/Spanish home, both girls need to be bilingual - speaking, reading, writing. 

 

I started learning German informally as a teen when I lived there for two years (dad is retired military). I don't remember a lot, but can figure out some reading, and have an ear for it. I took Spanish in 8th and 9th grades (while in Germany!) but didn't look at it again until I was junior in college. Still didn't help until I met my husband a year later, then mostly learned through immersion, although grammar gimmicks came to mind periodically (-o, -as, -a, -amos, -an). I've been speaking for 20 years now.

 

While I was taking Spanish in college, I befriended girls from Taiwan and Tokyo. You know where I'm going with this... but, I eventually dropped Mandarin for Japanese because I was scared of the tones. I didn't get past the hiragana and katakana and conversational vocabulary, but was working out sentence structures by looking at (not reading) Japanese sentences in instructions and things. I'm weird like that. When I had my oldest, I introduced German and Japanese and bought those First 1000 Words in... books. It wasn't until later that my oldest took to earnest the Japanese, and the youngest decided she liked German better (we had a German neighbor).

 

When I taught preK, I had 4-year old children telling me they couldn't play with certain other children because they didn't talk the same. So, they were all learning something new - by the end of the year, they could sing the good morning song in English, Spanish, and German, and were greeting each other in 10 languages.  

 

So, Chinese. I work for VIPKID, teaching English to children in China. They had a special for their teachers to have our children take Chinese classes with their sister company, Lingobus. So now, here we are. Since they are currently emphasizing pinyin more than what I would like (Gymnast is not reading both her languages fluently yet, so I really don't want another Roman-letter-based teaching), so I put her in a class on Outschool. I teach there, and use the teachers there. It's been great.

 

I'm a mishmash of languages. But I can teach Spanish well. :D

 

That's my story.

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I'm thinking about what this means for the customer and how that could affect profit. How much are you willing to pay for Gymnast to sit in front of a computer for an hour a day for a year? How much are you willing to pay to have your entire family speaking your target language on a daily basis? But with the class geared towards the youngest you'll be doing the same amount of work.

 

It all depends on how much money I have.  :laugh:  And, as you can tell, I also develop classes based on customer requests. :D

 

I have too many target languages...

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We call it red onion.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So did we. It is purple though, right (asks the colorblind girl)?

 

  

It all depends on how much money I have.  :laugh:  And, as you can tell, I also develop classes based on customer requests. :D

 

I have too many target languages...

True dat! I have no intention of my kids speaking Greek, so that's convenient.
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