Workshop for parents

My child's bilingualism

 

Many parents who have recently arrived in Quebec ask themselves, "Is it good to expose my child to more than one language?

In fact, in today's multicultural Montreal, it is not uncommon for a child to be educated in French (or to attend daycare in French) even though he or she speaks one or more mother tongues at home. How can we reassure these worried parents? What advice should they give for the proper cognitive development of their child? And above all, how can children's books be used to better support allophone children in their learning of French?

 

  1. Topics covered during the workshop:
  • Welcome, short presentation of JAME and round table of parents;
  • Gathering parents' expectations of the workshop, concerns and worries;
  • Theoretical background on learning a new language (factors and stages of language development, different stages of second language acquisition, interdependence between languages, bilingualism);
  • Exchange and discussion of the role of the parent in this acquisition process;
  • Educational resources distributed to parents:
  • Books, a medium of choice!
  • web links: international children's library and other resources
  • documents on bilingualism
  1. Format The workshop lasts 2.5 hours, with a 15-minute break in the middle.
  2. Facilitator A JAME educational coordinator
  1. Number of participants : 8 to 12 parents (maximum).
  1. Logistics Recruitment of participants is the responsibility of the host organisation, which must also provide the following facilities and equipment: tables, chairs, projection screen, projector, flip-chart.
  1. Cost of the training 500 (fees + travel expenses).