Sunday, November 22, 2020

BILINGUALISM IN THE TEENAGE YEARS - BILINGÜISMO EN LOS AÑOS DEL ADOLESCENTE - 13 years 6 months

 Marc is now a 'proper' teenager, and that means that he is beginning to be more and more independent. 

The biggest change and one that many parents with teenagers have probably noticed is the number of hours they spend using screens, whether mobiles, tablets or video games. 

Right now, Marc spends far too long watching youtubers and influencers as well as hours on the Play Station. Reducing time on these platforms causes frequent arguments and moments of tension. But this is all part of disciplining. 

Regarding language, I've found through my interviews that many teenagers and young adults have acquired a very high proficiency in English through playing video games and chatting with other gamers in that language. It's something I wouldn't have imagined and has caught me be surprise. 

As I work in the room next to Marc, I hear him chatting using the App Discord with friends in English in the UK as well as others in Portugal and Romania. He probably speaks more in English through this App currently than he does with me!  Another good thing is that he also speaks to some gamers in Spanish, which is his weakest language. 

Regarding my contact with him, I use my Language Planning Calendar to ensure I'm with him various times a day, chiefly the school run in the morning (4 days a week) and the school pick up (4 -5 days a week).  Remember this technique to ensure you reserve a certain amount of time for language contact every day. 

At school in the bilingual and native speakers' English  class,  he's reading a Daphne Du Maurier novel, Rebecca, which I don't think is very appropriate for him, although it will push him to understand more literary English.  Reading material should always be motivating for the reader whenever possible. 

His main challenge in English is to improve his spelling, which he is aware of. 

Tell me about your experience with teenagers!!

For more articles of language learning and Bilingual Families check out my new Website, 

www.bilingualuniverse.com

where you can also buy my new book: The 5 Key Strategies of Successful Bilingual Families.

Speak again soon!

Simon


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