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Language Location Method (And Why it
Works) |
 The
bilingual family has long been
acknowledged as the ideal incubator
of multilingualism. The Language
Location Method is unique because it
actually replicates English
bilingual family learning conditions
and delivers the same benefits to
young English learners worldwide
regardless of country or first
language. The global hegemony of
English makes this possible.
Until now English language learning
methods have failed to recognise and
leverage the unique position of
English as a World language. In
every continent, unlike French,
Spanish or Chinese, we are
surrounded by English in Radio,
Television, Music and Film. Early
learning with LLM enables young
children to develop ‘language
location’ receptors capable of
receiving and processing the English
language media that constantly
surrounds us. Activity based
learning then teaches young children
how to physically respond and speak
the English Language. Together
Language Location and Activity based
learning replicate bilingual family
conditions and comprise the Language
Location Method (LLM).
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This leads to our first critical
condition:
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Young children are introduced to
their native language through social
and physical interaction. This
starts with simple labeling, eg.
‘Daddy’ , ‘Mummy’, ‘Teddy’ starting
at the age of one year and extends
to more complex labeling , eg.
‘oven’ or ‘door’, and object
properties where the oven is ‘hot’
or ‘cold’ and the door is ‘open’ or
‘closed’, at two years old and
beyond. ‘Daddy get Teddy?’ confirms
object relationship through a
consequent physical action.
This process is called
Activity-Based Learning (ABL) and is
normally exclusively conducted in
the native language (we call this L1
and the second language as L2). As
the words are introduced within a
context and through physical
interaction (rather than in a purely
academic situation), it’s easy for
children to memorise these words.
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Your Child’s Innate Distinguishing Ability
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This leads us to the second critical
condition:
Children within a bilingual family
develop the ability to distinguish
between L1 and L2 even before they can
speak, read or write alphabetic
characters.
Your child will be able to locate and
understand L2 but may respond in a
mixture of L1 and L2. This is normal as
he / she wants to respond and uses a set
of words or phrases from his / her vast
vocabulary which is not yet schematised
into L1 and L2.
At this critical stage, a child is
likely to hear words spoken in L2 and
physically turn to the source of L2,
often holding eye contact with the
source of L2.
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Your Child’s
Language
“Switching”
Ability
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This leads us to the third critical
condition:
The next notable milestone for a
bilingual child is when they are able to
converse fluently in both L1 and L2.
In a bilingual household where the
native language L1 is German and L2 is
English, this will usually occur at four
or five years of age. How this happens
and a child learns to ‘switch’
seamlessly between two languages is
again not clear and subject to ongoing
debate (Skinner, Chomsky, Saunders et
al).
To satisfy the above three conditions we
developed the Language Location
Method (LLM).
LLM enables the child to learn
how to locate language L2 and
distinguish it from language L1 outside
of normal bilingual family conditions.
Once this is achieved, further
activity-based language development
builds the vocabulary and primes the
triggers that complete seamless code
switching between L1 and L2 at an early
age – typically four or five years old.
Embracing the principles of Montessori,
our syllabus is of ‘top-down’ design and
‘bottom-up’ build to ensure that all the
modules are correctly positioned to
reflect the age and abilities of our
children. We also ensure that all
progress is measured through proven
quantitative methods and feedback given
to Parents and Guardians.
Click here for a
glossary of the terms used by
BigLittleOaks and a booklist of some
major contributors to pre-school
learning techniques which have
influenced the founders of
BigLittleOaks.
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