Bilinguale Erziehung im h3 Children Center

We proudly present our native English speaker, Andrew! Discover his successful approach to immersive language acquisition in an in-depth interview.

Part One: Getting started – introducing a foreign language in kindergarten

“Hi Andrew! Since October 2019 you have introduced English in our kindergarten Phoenix ONE. What has been the greatest challenge in the beginning?”

“Initially, it was challenging to start using only English, as it felt unusual to use English in a country where it’s not commonly spoken. However, I’ve since fully embraced speaking English with the kids every day.”

“Yesterday, I asked one of your students if she understands you, and she confidently replied, “Yes, of course!” When I inquired why, her answer was wonderfully simple: “Because we are children!” From a scientific perspective, she’s absolutely correct.”

“Absolutely. A child’s brain is incredibly receptive—like a sponge, as we often say. When I arrive in the morning, they eagerly start speaking English to me to showcase what they’ve learned and impress me. You can visibly see their learning process unfolding.”

“It is a common experience that it can take quite a while before children start speaking themselves. This is similar to how infants learn their mother tongue, as they typically spend 1 to 2 years just listening before they begin to speak. Does this align with your experience as well?”

“Oh yes. When I started working here with Alex, he would initially ask the kids to ‘grab a plate or a cup’ by pointing at the cups. This way, the children learn through the situation. Over time, Alex would simply say it, and the kids would respond appropriately. Repetition is key—doing things over and over again really makes a difference.
For instance, some kids have even started asking questions themselves. For example, when we were using the screen to draw, one child asked, ‘Alex, can we have green so we can draw in green?’ Just a week before, Alex had been asking similar questions: ‘Could you draw this in yellow?’ It’s all about repetition – practice truly makes perfect.”

This interview is going to be continued. Follow us to learn more about Andrew and the specific methods he uses daily.