LINGUIST List 22.901 Wed Feb 23 2011 Qs: Bilingual Simultaneous Foreign Language Teaching Editor for this issue: Danielle St. Jean <daniellelinguistlist.org> We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate. In addition to posting a summary, we'd like to remind people that it is usually a good idea to personally thank those individuals who have taken the trouble to respond to the query. To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Natalia Hahn , Bilingual Simultaneous Foreign Language Teaching Message 1: Bilingual Simultaneous Foreign Language Teaching Date: 22-Feb-2011 From: Natalia Hahn <natalia.hahnph-freiburg.de> Subject: Bilingual Simultaneous Foreign Language Teaching E-mail this message to a friend I'm interested in bilingual simultaneous foreign language teaching. My question is "How can children simultaneously learn two foreign languages (English and German) in a classroom?" I'm not talking about Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). My idea is different. CLIL involves teaching a curricular subject through the medium of a language other than that normally used. In my project both foreign languages are not a medium but a subject of learning. Project: Bilingual simultaneous Foreign Language Teaching in English and German Target group: monolingual children without any skills in foreign languages (preschool children or children in the first school-year) Languages: L1 - an Indo-European language, for example French; L2 - English and German As for the background on my project, I worked in Russia as a Teacher of German as a foreign language for many years. In our Language Center we had courses for adult learners and for preschool children (all children were monolingual in Russian). The parents of children had difficulty between choosing a German or an English course. English is more common... The parents couldn't afford both courses (English and German) at the same time. That's when I had an idea/question of how I can integrate two languages in one course? English and German are target languages and a subject of learning. "Simultaneously" entails 1 hr of English followed by 1 hr of German or one station in English and the other one in German with two teachers in one classroom. The contents are delivered in both target languages systematically and in a coordinated manner. Now I'm working in Germany and trying to develop this idea. There is a lot of bilingual literature for children in Europe, bilingual content learning, bilingual schools, bilingual or trilingual education systems... This project might be interesting in Europe in relation to: - bilingual/trilingual education systems (e.g. schools in Italy, South Tirol, for children with L1-Ladin and German/Italian as L2 who are taught in two languages at the same time). - or to simultaneous teaching of two foreign languages... at school or preschool... The sources I used deal with integrated Language-Didactics, experience of CLIL, examples of double Immersion Programs in Canada, education system on the Ladin-Schools, Education system in Luxembourg. These examples are good and helpful, but they are only indirectly related with my idea. I'm searching for further examples now. I would like to know whether anybody has ever come up with something like that, has done a similar project? The language world is fascinating, there are so many education systems. Maybe there is a multilingual country where it is a standard to learn/to teach two foreign languages in one (block)lesson? This project will be a part of my dissertation or a research project. Thank you very much in advance, Natalia Hahn Linguistic Field(s): Language Acquisition Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 23-Feb-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.