There are many reasons why children might be learning a new language in an early childhood service. They could be born in New Zealand and have families who want them to learn their heritage language. They might be the children of former refugees, or they could be from families who have immigrated here.
Research shows that additional language learning builds on children’s first language(s). Since language and culture are closely linked, it is important to provide ongoing support for children’s cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge in their first language(s) as they develop an additional language. This is also likely to increase children's sense of identity and confidence to communicate. To do this, it is important for kaiako to build and maintain active collaboration and engagement with whānau (Bracefield, 2018).
Learning an additional language involves all the abilities needed to learn a first language, and more. However, these may emerge at a different pace.
Listening, observing and understanding. Children typically spend time listening and watching (referred to as the ‘silent period’) as they begin to understand the words, phrases, routines, and ways of interacting using the new language. Kaiako can observe and respond to children’s receptive language learning from their non-spoken responses and participation in daily routines and repeated experiences within a language-rich environment.
Understanding and responding. As children’s confidence and understanding of the languages spoken around them grows, they start joining conversations. To begin with they may use both their home language and the majority language of their early childhood setting. As time goes on, they become more confident and may use single words or simplified (telegraphic) phrases in the new language, before progressing to more grammatically accurate, unique sentences.
Interactions with others. As children become more skilled with language and ways of communicating in the setting, they interact more confidently with their peers. They are likely to choose words, phrases, and sentences using the language of the person they're speaking to.
Translanguaging. This is when children draw on all their cultural and language resources (including home and additional languages) to make meaning of their world and communicate in ways that make most sense to them. Kaiako sensitive to this broader understanding of language acquisition encourage children to become aware of their own perspectives and also gain knowledge of different cultural practices and world views as they learn languages.
