Frequently asked questions

The languages of the school are essential for the development of the students but should not be learned at the expense of the emotional and cognitive development of the student.

Research shows that if children can read in their own language, they will be able to transfer their knowledge to the language of the school. Children do not need to learn to read twice.

A student's mother tongue can be used during teaching to maximize learning. If this is done, learning the language of the school as well as the academic content will be faster and better.

Need ideas on how to make your classroom or school more language friendly? Look no further! Our Toolkit for Language Friendly Schools contains various activities. Not a language friendly school yet? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and be inspired by what other schools do.

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Children are always children! Research has shown that when children are allowed to speak in their own languages to help each other, understand a concept, play, do homework, they rarely talk about anything else but that. It is important that children understand why you encourage languages in the classroom (solving a problem, understanding a lesson, ...).

Some teachers make “class rules” with their students that their students sign and which are then posted on the walls. Children may still argue, but if there is open communication in your classroom, they will come and talk to you about it and you can help them solve the problem. It is best to talk openly with them and make it the subject of a class discussion.

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Not necessarily. At the Language Friendly School, we believe in welcoming students’ home languages into the school, the classroom and the school community in meaningful and useful ways.

Sometimes that may mean offering lessons and final exams in the students’ home languages. Some schools work together with external organizations who provide home language classes at the school but outside school hours. Other schools leave it up to the parents to provide home language instruction.

Your students speak a wide variety of languages? That’s fantastic news! Linguistic diversity is always an asset. 

Not only will the discussions be richer, but the children will be able to open up to the world. Discovering languages will give you the opportunity to integrate a lesson of geography, history, natural sciences, maths, etc. For example, it is interesting to discover that the spelling of numbers is not the same in English, in Arabic and in Chinese.

No, children always want to learn the language of the environment and the common language spoken by their friends and classmates.

The question is not whether the children will learn the language of the school, but rather how they will learn it. As one of the Language Friendly Schools put it: “our children first need to feel comfortable, then we can start teaching them”. Meaning that when children feel safe and secure - among other because they are allowed to express themselves in their home language - they are more open to learning.

There are many different ways that teachers integrate the different languages spoken by their students to facilitate learning the school language. But learning the school language is only part of what school is about. Children need to learn many different subjects and develop various social emotional skills. Language Friendly Schools share their strategies on how to use all languages for these purposes. They also have access to a Toolkit of Language Friendly Activities. We also organize workshops or specifically adapted training.

Not a Language Friendly School yet? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and be inspired by what other schools do.