Native-speakers for Young Children in Poland - effectiveness in learning

Some believe that Level 0 Beginners are better off with a teacher (often local) who knows their language, others ascribe to the theory that it's better to not translate (often using native-speakers) but to go through the process of discovery and learning the language in a fashion more similar to learning your first language.

Personally, I go with the latter approach, but there are certainly good teachers out there who can teach what is, to them, a foreign language in an effective manner. Additionally, there are sometimes no native-speaker teachers available or the economics may not allow you to find one. Of course, the individual quality of the teacher is always a variable to consider.

In terms of effectiveness, what thoughts are there on this?

6 of one, half dozen of another.

There can never be a set in stone rule book. What works for one may not work for another.

My kids are bilingual. From birth my husband has only ever spoken Polish to them and I have only ever spoken English. They go to a bilingual school. They speak English with no accent and Polish with no accent. They speak better English than some of their teachers- but I don't care- we cannot expect people to speak perfect English--since it really is a world wide language there will always be different accents and pronunciations- what is important is that people are able to communicate with each other and be understood.

I worked in a school that taught English with two different teachers. One hour was grammar with a Polish teacher who spoke English and one hour was with a native speaker in order to get the sounds and connotation right. This was a pretty good system.

Very true.

Do you feel your children picked up both languages simultaneously or did one somehow dominate the other?

Also, have you started either of them on a third language?

BTW, I envy your children for their language start, well done!

I have a different theory. Your first language affects the way you see other languages. Since langaues from different groups can be worlds apart in the aspect of grammatics, learning languages for a child the way you described above might be very frustrating and stressful.

I remember as I child I was learning French. The thing which put me off was that I had to learn sing songs in French which I did not understood and I couldn't revise at home (we were given texts but couldn't read French.. we just barely learned how to read in Polish, it was incomprehensible for me that there could be other ways of pronouncing letters or that word might be pronounced differently than the letters suggest!)

I read that as supportive of having a native-speaker language teacher. That is the modeling of the way that the language changes, a "living example" so to speak.

What's supportive about that?
The teacher was Polish but I doubt that a native speaker would teach us differently. What I meant was that no translation brings frustration. In 2 years I learnt next to nothing.

yes, they are learning French.

When we lived in Canada English was dominant. My youngest amazes me- she has never lived in Canada and speaks like a native speaker including idioms, jokes, slang, phrases- same in Polish.

It has taken her a longer time to learn how to read in both languages- she is 8 and she is still having some problems but prefers English. I don't have issues with how quickly she learns, just as long as she does learn and enjoys reading.

Impressive!

Can you get into a French-speaking area to let her try her conversational skills a bit?

yes, we are from a French speaking part of Canada as well her school does a foreign exchange with students from France which she will do next year.

I know I'm repeating myself but that's impressive. Lucky kids!

Of course, they aren't lucky, it's good planning on your part.

why thank you. I believe that language is really important. People spend loads of money having their children learn a second language and then there are those that can't be bothered. Our kids are bilingual and it didn't cost us anything.

In theory, ALL English teachers everywhere should be native English speakers, particularly for the very young. I think there's little doubt about that. How else will they learn NATIVE intonation, idomatic naturalness, correct articulation and that special feel for their own language which only a native speaker has? We insist our Italian teachers should be 100% olive-oil Italiani from the old country for example, why take a cheap imitation for English, why not insist on the real McCoy??

Merged: I am not Polish however my baby is half Polish

I would love for my daughter to learn Polish as she is half Polish. Her father is not in her life so I am wondering if I played children's learning on YouTube if she would learn that way as well??? She is only a baby but I would like to start her off right away.

tbh if her father is not in her life it would be a waste of time, she would need to hear a parent talking it to her.

no offence.

Not necessarily in later life she would have the choice to be a European citizen and have another country she could easily move to and hold citizenship if she wished.

Username123 Not sure which country you live in , but you could get in touch with your nearest Polish club , most have Polish classes usually on Sundays also in the UK many provide childcare for working poles, it would be a opportunity for your daughter to mix with polish kids.