Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/426191
26 Winter 2014/15 x AEA Advocate says Chinese Immersion Teacher Megan Chen. "They learn the language in a natural way. I learned English in high school and it was very difficult. I had a hard time picking up differences in tone, but Kindergartners have a talent for it and are good at hearing changes in intonation and pronunciation." Not only are young children quick to learn a second language, but many studies say that young minds benefit from this kind of instruction. "Their brains have to work harder and faster to learn another language and that will spill over into their other work and they will gain an advantage over their peers," says Chen, also a member of Paradise Valley Education Association. Competitive advantage is exactly why schools offer Chinese language education to students. "When we talk about 21st century, we want them to be truly competitive on a global scale," says Jay. "China is not going away anytime soon and if we want our children to compete in this economy, then Chinese Mandarin is the language to learn and the best age to learn is when they're little because they're so involved, they want to learn, and they're wired to learn a second language." This is Chen's first year teaching in Arizona, having taught full-day immersion classes in Minnesota. Whispering Wind's program offers half-day classes with Chinese language and culture and mathematics and science taught in Chinese. The students receive other subjects like social studies and language arts in English for the other half of the day and math and science are also reinforced in English. Chen includes Chinese culture in her lessons to broaden her students' academic experience "The program is designed for critical thinking and to be open minded and learn about a different country's culture to prepare students to be a global citizen. I talk about Chinese New Year and respect for your teacher, which is very important in Chinese culture. Students need to focus in order to learn a second language." For Kindergartners, Chen's students are surprisingly respectful and focused. It helps that their lessons are in songs and games that keep them engaged and learning. "We have a lot of peer interaction and focus on children having conversations with each other in Chinese. There is a lot of activity; it is not passive learning. Students do not just sit and learn. We sing songs, read books out loud, play games; we have a lot of interaction in the classroom." The students have an easier time adjusting to the immersion classes than their parents. "Initially the parents are afraid because they don't know how their child will handle it and they are anxious because they don't know what to expect," says Chen. "Communication and a lot of collaboration is the key to success for programs like this." Jay and Chen have a Chinese information line for parents to call and have public forums to provide information and answer questions about the World Language programs. Due to budget and staffing reductions, the school was forced to cut back on its offerings for language classes. Right now, Mandarin is only offered as an elective for 5th and 6th graders. Jay hopes the immersion classes will promote Whispering Wind Academy and attract more students so they can hire more teachers and grow their World Language program for all grades. 2 WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! dual-language PrograMS, ConT. froM Page 25