Quote:
Originally Posted by Billcat
While I was 11 when I started taking French, and we were instructed in the way you suggest, it was not a good method for all kids. They were using the ALM (Audio-Lingual method), where only the spoken word is used exclusively for an extended period of time. I had no idea what was being said or where we were headed until the written text of the French was finally shown to me. Once I was able to connect the sounds with the text, I improved rapidly. Certainly a strong emphasis on the spoken language is important, but I think that a teaching method that takes a more balanced approach is better suited to kids with a variety of learning styles.
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Yes, I can understand that, at age 11. I am thinking of the 7 year olds, in fact I'd start them younger than that, as soon as they start school. It needn't be intensive but if a small child can speak and understand simple language it becomes second nature. I had friends where the husband was English and the wife was Dutch. He spoke English to their daughters, she spoke Dutch. The children's English was the better - they heard it all day at school etc. - but they could both converse in simple Dutch.