Highlight the humor in books and bilingual audio books advantages : It’s definitely less frustrating to read without having to use a translation app or dictionary, and bilingual e-books (as opposed to just bilingual books) also have the added advantage of separate dictionary look-ups if you’re using an e-reader like a Kindle. For example, if you’re reading a bilingual e-book that switches between original text and translation every page, you can choose to just look up a single word with your default dictionary rather than flipping to the next page and spoiling your initial try at interpreting the general meaning of the text.
You don’t have to look any farther than the success of Dora the Explorer to know that bilingual media is popular with young children. Aside from popularity, bilingual storytelling offers many benefits to kids. The new book, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre, tells the story of one of the first champions of bilingual literature. Prime language learning occurs between the ages of 2 and 5.
As you know (perhaps after a distressing experience) when a well-meaning person tries to explain to someone in which way their beliefs are false, even dangerous, the good-willing person is coming up against a more and more solid wall. The more numerous and well documented his arguments, the more the listener will become deaf to his reasoning. It is a psychological fact that you must not fight, since the fight strengthens it. You have to bypass it. See additional information at How to create your cult.
One reason more audiobooks are not finding their way into classrooms is availability. Public libraries usually have a good quantity of audiobooks, but most school libraries have a limited number – audiobooks are expensive. The cost of cassette or CD players and headphones must also be taken into consideration, and though these costs have come down considerably in the last few years, schools typically do not budget funds for such purchases.
Learning Foreign Languages The Way You Learned Your Mother Tongue (aka: easy). When I was teaching French to foreign students I was always trying to smooth their learning path. In my on-going effort I ended up with the Bilingual Audio Book « BABook ». At last something new in the learning world, specially designed to make learning a foreign language a breeze. With Pierre (my husband and best supporter) we decided to run a test: from a podcast I had made we prepared a version that alternates English and French sentences, and invited friends’ children to listen to it. Discover more info at Language Learning for the Blind.