One Child, Two Languages

A Guide for Early Childhood Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language

by

Patton O. Tabors, Ed.D.

Contents

• About the Author ... ix
• Foreword to the Second Edition Mariela M. Pa´ez ... xi
• Foreword to the First Edition Catherine E. Snow ... xv
• Preface ... xix
• Acknowledgments ... xxi
• Chapter One Introduction ... 1
• Part One The Second-Language–Learning Child’s Task
  • Chapter Two Two Portraits: Juliana and Byong-sun ... 23
  • Chapter Three Getting Started in a Second Language ... 37
  • Chapter Four Speaking a Second Language ... 55
  • Chapter Five Individual Differences in Second-Language Learning ... 71
• Part Two The Teacher’s Role
  • Chapter Six Using Information, Communication, and Classroom Organization to Support Second-Language Learning ... 85
  • Chapter Seven Using the Curriculum to Facilitate Second-Language and -Literacy Learning ... 105
  • Chapter Eight Working with Parents of Second-Language Learners ... 125
  • Chapter Nine Assessing the Development of Second-Language Learners ... 143
  • Chapter Ten Developing Effective Early Childhood Programs for Second-Language Learners ... 171
• Part Three Internationally Adopted Children
  • Chapter Eleven What to Expect, How to Help ... 185
• References ... 203
• Appendix A Parent Questionnaire ... 211
• Appendix B Observing Children Learning English (OCLE) ... 217
• Study Guide ... 223
• Index ... 245
• Permissions ... 255

About the Author

Patton O. Tabors, Ed.D., retired in 2005 as Principal Research Associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Prior to her doctoral studies, she was an elementary school teacher and childbirth educator. Her research focused on first-and second-language acquisition in young children.

Chapter One

Introduction

Three-year-old Chantal lives in Massachusetts with her family. Chantal speaks Haitian Creole at home, and this year she has been enrolled in a Head Start classroom where she initially did not speak any English. By the end of the school year, she has begun to use some English during interactions with her teachers and peers.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20% of individuals older than 5 speak a language other than English at home, with the majority being Spanish speakers. Early childhood programs are experiencing a sharp increase in non-native English-speaking children, which presents challenges for early childhood educators in planning effective educational strategies.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SETTINGS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Early childhood education programs respond to the linguistic needs of non-native speakers through various approaches, categorized as follows:

FIRST- AND SECOND-LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

When children like Chantal attend a second-language setting, they undergo a second-language acquisition process, which varies based on whether they are learning simultaneously or sequentially. Factors influencing this process include the child's age, cognitive capacity, and individual characteristics. The developmental pathways for first and second languages may show similarities, especially regarding timing and levels of competence.

IMPACT ON PARENTS AND TEACHERS

Early childhood educators should understand the social and linguistic factors affecting children whose home language is not English. Additionally, they must adapt their teaching methods and classroom activities to accommodate the diverse backgrounds of their students.

This structure recognizes the complexities of language acquisition and the role educators play in facilitating this process.