One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language [Paperback]

Patton O. Tabors (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 155766272X | ISBN-13: 978-1557662729 | Publication Date: January 1997 | Edition: 1

Written expressly for teachers, this highly readable resource moves beyond the basics of child development to describe the natural progression of second-language acquisition in young children. Teachers will learn how to create a supportive classroom environment for second-language learners - with effective ways to measure progress, address individual differences, and work with parents - while acknowledging the importance of children's home languages and cultures. This idea-packed handbook combines research findings with firsthand observations of linguistically and culturally diverse children, making it an important addition to every early childhood educator's desk.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a comprehensive and readable resource that early childhood teachers, administrators, and parents will find insightful and invaluable" -- Harvard Educational Review

Early childhood educators of linguistically diverse preschoolers will find this a practical resource... -- Choice

About the Author

Patton O. Tabors, Ed.D., is Research Associate in the Projects in Language Development at the Grad-uate School of Education at Harvard University. For the past 9 years, Dr. Tabors has been the Research Co-ordinator of the Home-School Study of Language and Literacy Development, a longitudinal study of low-income, English-speaking children and their families. For the past 4 years, she has also directed research related to the mother-child book-reading project of the Manpower Development Research Corporation's evaluations of New Chance and JOBS training programs.

Pursuing an interest that developed while teaching bilingual students in the Cambridge Public Schools, Dr. Tabors entered the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University in 1981 to study first- and second-language acquisition. Her qualifying paper and dissertation research, based on 2 years of ethnographic investigation in a nursery school classroom, resulted in the delineation of the developmental pathway for young children learning English as a second language. In 1989, she used this information in planning a trilingual preschool/primary school for the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. In 1995, Dr. Tabors became coordinator of the Harvard Language Diversity Project, a research activity of the New England Quality Research Center on Head Start.

While writing One Child, Two Languages, Dr. Tabors was able to visit preschool classrooms, interview teachers, and hold workshops related to the topic of young children learning English as a second language. Recognizing the importance of a continuing dialogue on this topic, she has established an e-mail account (patton@onechild.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Brookes Publishing Company; 1 edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155766272X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557662729
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent and rare to find, July 26, 2001

By 

Hong Liu (Milpitas, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language (Paperback)

The book arrived two days ago and I only finished a third of it, but I can't help writing this to share how much I liked it. I had searched on the web for information on what a young child (1-5yr), whose home language is not English, will go through when he/she first goes to a English-speaking preschool. I was frustrated for the past two months when my 3-year-old son started preschool. A child at this young age does not have enough social skills to compensate for his lack of competence in a different language, which is again needed to be socially accepted in the new environment. Such a child can become a loner, being ignored by other children, and unable to spell out his feelings. This book is the answer to my several sleepless nights. I am going to copy a few pages which describe the phase my son is going through and give them to my son's teacher so that she will understand what he feels and become more supportive. This is a great book, and I will request my local library to buy it, and I strongly recommend any parents who have the same concerns as I did to read it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, November 3, 2006

By 

K. Bryant (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language (Paperback)

I am an international preschool teacher in Japan whose husband also happens to be Japanese (I am American) and I found this book to be very insightful and relevant to both my professional and personal lives. It is extremely well written, easy-to-follow, and above all interesting. The author explains the acquisition of a second language in very understandable terms. I enjoyed to book imencly.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One Child Two Languages, February 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language (Paperback)

This book is very good for an introduction to second language teaching. It offers practical classroom advise on areas you need to pay attention to.