Helping Your Student With Online Language Courses – Even When You Don’t Speak It!
Helping your child learn a foreign language can be quite challenging as a parent, especially if you’re monolingual. But thankfully, there are lots of resources available – such as online language courses – to help you and your student succeed with online language lessons.
Benefits of Taking Accredited Online Language Courses
You Learn at Your Pace
Just like a mother is always patient with a toddler learning to walk, foreign language tutors are always considerate to learners. They let you take one step at a time until you master the simplest of details.
Flexible Scheduling
Did you know that enrolling for online language lessons gives you the privilege to dictate when to attend the classes? If your high school student is always preoccupied with school work during the day, you can enroll them in evening classes.
1-to-1 Learning
Group learning may not guarantee your child understanding the foreign language exhaustively. But with a 1-to-1 learning program, online tutors can easily point out weak areas among learners and polish them fully.
Prepping the Kids for Future Career
Think of how borderless the world has become; you can hardly tell where your child will end up career-wise. But if they learn an online language early enough, they’ll be ready for any opportunities that may come their way. For instance, if your child wants a career in international development or the military, knowing a second language improves their chances of entering the career and even moving up the ranks faster than their peers without the language knowledge.
Other Tips For Teaching your Students Foreign Languages Even if You’re Monolingual
Learn the Language First
In the spirit of good parenting and leading by example, you can opt to enroll in the online tutorials yourself, then let the children learn from you. Or better yet, enroll in a program together. LanguageBird’s Chirp Room Chat Rooms offer families an opportunity to take conversational lessons together. This approach is beneficial to your child as you’ll get to improve your communication skills at home, upgrade your resume, and improve your confidence while on a trip.
Explore the Culture Through Literature, Film, and Music
You can provide printed materials, music, and videos containing the foreign language your child intends to learn. Fortunately, the internet contains an enormous list of resources available on YouTube, webpages, Pinterest, Podcasts, etc. For instance, you can look for educational videos (with native language subtitles) on YouTube; they help learners acquire such skills as oral, writing, listening, and reading.
Attend Cultural Events Together
Check to confirm if your community, school, or local jurisdiction has a program where native and non-native speakers interact to learn about different cultures. If not, this could be your chance to mobilize your multilingual friends and parents and set aside a day where your children meet and learn from each other.
What’s Next?
You don’t have to be fluent to participate in your child’s language learning. Simply helping them access resources and taking making learning an adventure can go a long way.
Of course, a little extra assistance wouldn’t hurt either. Contact us today and learn how our online courses for credit can help your child master their language of choice from the comfort of your own home.