As a parent, I have been in doubt and under pressure when raising my children initially bilingually and later on multilingually. And there have been times that I have had to:
– study hard on the topic,
– invest in resources,
– be loyal to a plan or method,
– commit to a schedule,
– exchange feedback with other parents with similar experiences,
– accommodate ideas to our family life and all that… while trying to make it as pleasant as possible for everyone involved.
As a teacher, I have been encouraging language learning and teaching an additional language to a monolingual speaker or to an already bilingual one for almost eighteen years. And there have been times during that role that I have had to:
– study hard on the topic,
– learn through numerous experiences of teaching all ages and all levels,
– invest in resources,
– build up a methodology according to the feedback from students and/or their parents,
– pass on this information and experience to all colleagues working with us,
– ultimately contribute to bilingualism and/or mutlilingualism and all that… while trying to make it as pleasant as possible for everyone involved.
Whether a parent, a teacher or both, it is amazing how many things we have in common. Just look above. And that is how the idea of our 1st International Loras Network Workshop was born. Bilingually; multilingually; while raising our children and teaching our students.
In an attempt to cover as many aspects of this topic as possible:
Dr Muhammad Aslam Sipra will cover the topic of the contribution of bilingualism in language teaching at beginners’ level. (As a teacher, I cannot wait to learn more on this issue and as a mother, it will help me figure out how teachers handle it).
Ms Claudia Buzzoni will guide us in the world of resources, motivation and alternatives. (As a teacher and a parent, I need to invest in the appropriate direction).
Mr Alex Rawlings is our live example of how a child, a teenager and then an adult can learn languages – yes, in the plural. (As a teacher, I wish he were my student and as a mother, how relieved I feel with his results).
Vicky Loras will touch that international point of view of languages and countries, people and their cultures, our world. (As a teacher and a parent, I love the idea of our students and children learning in depth).
As a mother and a teacher, I, Eugenia Loras, would love to share the story of my personal and professional life, with all its mistakes and joy!
I will be honored to experience all this with you.
Thank you.
http://www.lorasnetwork.com/events/events-1/25-1st-international-loras-network-workshop
I WISH I COULD ATTEND IT TOO…I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL NI TRANSLATOR SECTION ALSO…..BEST WISHES & SUCCESS
We wish you could attend too, Fotini. And thank you very much for the idea of translating the blog posts into Greek. I am currently doing so and having them published on a popular Greek website. Thank you very much for everything!!!
Dear Gina,
I found your blog and have read all your posts, you are such a great writer. The way you write is so touching and full of energy. Do you remember me from your previous job? I’m the one with the little twins. I have now started to speak Spanish to them (actually I am introducing one Spanish day a week) and I am trying to find the best way to allow them to learn as much as possible.
Your blog has already given me good advice, thank you for that. I’m happy to read that you had the opportunity to open up the English Network, I wish you lots of success and joy with your business.
This workshop you are offering sounds very interesting, how can I join? Also, I would love to meet up for a coffee (I guess, they are still rare?) and chat a bit with you whenever your busy schedule allows it:-)
All the best,
Marika
Dear Gina,
I found your blog and have read all your posts, you are such a great writer. The way you write is so touching and full of energy. Do you remember me from your previous job? I’m the one with the little twins;-) I have now started to speak Spanish with them and still trying to find the best way to allow them to learn as much as possible.
Your blog has already given me good advice, thank you for that. I’m happy to read that you had the opportunity to open up the English Network, I wish you lots of success and joy with your business.
This workshop you are offering sounds very interesting, how can I join? Also, I would love to meet up for a coffee (I guess, they are still rare?) and chat a bit with you.
All the best,
Marika
Marika! Hello and what a pleasant surprise! Thank you very much for your message and your kind words. I am very happy that you and your family are well and really appreciate that you took the time to read this blog. I would love to have a coffee with you. Feel free to contact me at: evloras@yahoo.ca.
As for the Workshop, we would love to have you at our event. Here is our link: http://www.lorasnetwork.com/events/events-1/25-1st-international-loras-network-workshop
To register please send us the following information at loras@lorasnetwork.com by end of June:
Full Name of Invoice Recipient:
Full Name of Participant(s):
Address:
Tel.:
Email:
Feel free to forwa this information to whomever you feel would be interested in this event.
Thanking you very much and looking forward to seeing you soon,
Gina
You’re welcome!!!!….keep walking….can’t wait to see you in summer !!!!! I love you and i miss you all
Reblogged this on Vicky Loras's Blog and commented:
Join us for our 1st Workshop on Bilngualism and Multilingualism in Zug, Switzerland!
Sounds like a great event, Vicky & Eugenia. Good luck with it and congrats on your growth. 🙂
We thank you very much, Tyson! We greatly appreciate your wishes and wish you, too, all the best!
This is a fascinating idea! Unfortunately, I can’t come (I’m in Japan), but I really hope you’re going to post one or two things from the workshop on your blog?
Here’s something I’ve taken from the home into the classroom: getting students to read aloud from a pre-school book (my favourite is “Where is Coco Going?”). You have to get the students to imagine they’re reading to a wide-eyed 2-year-old, and really exaggerate the stress, rhythm, intonation, pronunciation etc.
It’s a bit of fun, of course, but it can also produce amazing results. The students’ exaggeration tends to ‘spill over’ into their ‘normal’ speech. When you talk to them after the exercise (in a ‘normal’ voice), their stress, rhythm, intonation and pronunciation etc can be (sometimes quite dramatically) improved – much clearer, and much more natural-sounding.
Dear Graham,
Thank you very much for your comments and input. At your own convenience, feel free to explore some of the older blog posts and from what you are writing, I feel Feat No 8 will be of great interest to you.
Wishing you all the best and looking forward to having you in one of our future events,
Eugenia
Reblogged this on Myas – A Tragic Lady But No TB and commented:
Bilingualism and Mulitlingualism
I wish I could attend but look forward to your blog…
Thank you very much for all your support! Hopefully we shall meet in person one day!
Thanking you again and wishing you a great summer,
Eugenia
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