Do This At Home - Tip 4 - QTalk Gradual Immersion

I am going to get a little wonky here, sorry. Maurice Hazan has been utilizing the findings of cognitive research and the great thing about Tribeca Language is we don't need to wait for a major textbook publisher to support a new approach - we can just jump in and do things differently. But we don't just "try this, try that," there really is science behind the visual method and these techniques you can use with everyday situations, anywhere, any time.

Cognitive Science explains how we learn

Parents, you are going to really love this technique. It builds on the "QTalk Echo Technique" (See earlier post.)

“QTalk Gradual Immersion”

Another technique we developed in our classrooms at Tribeca Language is what we call “QTalk Gradual Immersion.” When Maurice Hazan created the QTalk method, he was asked why not simply use immersion.

True vs. Faux Immersion needs to be understood. Many of our students at Tribeca Language have a parent or other caregiver who speaks the target language (the one you want your child to learn in addition to English) and we are often asked how that person can work with the child. 

Everyone knows that true immersion is the fastest way to learn a language - however, please notice I said TRUE immersion, meaning only the target language is spoken and heard around the clock. The brain of a child is bombarded by brand new experiences practically every minute of every day. 

The main way children prioritize what is important is by how often something occurs. Events that happen regularly become labeled "substantial" by the brain. If only 1 or 2 people in a child's life are speaking to that child in a certain language and everyone else is speaking English, the brain says, "English is an option. I only need to get the gist of what is being said to me in this other language in order to satisfy this adult."

Children with parents or caregivers who speak other languages usually develop some level of comprehension - sometimes very high levels of comprehension - however, they are generally unable to say much of anything back - unless someone is working on their understanding of individual words and phrases to the same degree they are being worked with on their English. Understanding what is being said and being able to respond back are two very different processes. They are performed by separate parts of the brain and are as different as understanding how someone rides a bike and physically going through the process of learning to do so on one's own. Speech is muscular. It is not developed by listening, comprehending or writing, only by actually speaking - and speaking by way of true recall - going through the process of being able to pull the words out of thin air - not by reading them off a piece of paper. Think of the time you have spent with your child as a toddler having him/her repeat all those primary words over and over. Correcting their questions and statements throughout each and every day - it's been tremendous work. Being communicative in one's own primary language is a hard won feat! We are born to do it and can all learn any language on the planet but it takes consistent repetition.

If English is spoken in your home and you want your child to both fully comprehend and be able to speak back to you in a second language, we suggest you begin the use of the “QTalk Echo Technique.” (See prior post for examples and instructions.)

Step 2. Once you have been using the “QTalk Echo Technique” and your child has grown accustomed to hearing the target language repeatedly, with the English naturally sandwiched in between, you can gradually begin leaving the English out. 

You have the juice, water, milk conversation probably 10 times a day so by the end of day one, you could begin removing the English from the question "Are you thirsty?" You can begin moving to the "Immersion" version of this conversation - you just have to decide to be strict about not giving your child what he/she wants until they have made a repetition attempt. In no time they will be coming to you asking for things in the target language. This is what we call "QTalk Gradual Immersion" and that's all there is to it.

The concept is part of what is called Comprehensible Input or "CI" as the language teaching experts refer to it. If I just ask you "¿Tienes sed?" and refuse to translate it for you and just keep saying it over and over. You might literally NEVER figure out what I am actually asking you. You might get that is has something to do with receiving a beverage but that doesn't mean it is something you can actually use. Theories vary on this topic but we find the Echo Technique to dramatically increase the speed with which students are able to begin using words and phrases independently. So give it a try and share your experiences!

This is the most wonderful adventure you can have, helping your child learn a new language. I want you to use these techniques with confidence, knowing they actually WORK.

As always: Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!