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听说重要还是读写重要

　　Parents of English as a Second Language (ESL) students around the world have one thing in common- they want to see results. Although similar to other parents in this way, parents in China are in a unique position. They see their children grow quickly in grammar, reading, and writing, but slowly in listening and even more so in speaking. Chinese public schools favor rote memorization, standardized testing, and repetition- not a recipe for strong oral communication skills.Modern, educated parents see a problem that should be corrected but…how?

　　世界上所有外语学习的家庭都有一个共同点－他们都想看到学习的结果。中国家长[微博]也不例外，而且他们发现自己的孩子在外语学习上有个普遍特点－像语法、阅读和写作孩子会学得很快，但在听和说上就不尽人意了。中国学校注重死记硬背、标准化考试、不断重复这一类型对口语没有太大帮助的学习方式。我们的“新家长”们都知道问题所在，关键是如何去改变？

　　As a parent, I face similar issues. My daughter, Stella, has spoken Chinese since birth and is now a native speaker of two languages. My husband and I face a decision in the future- do we continue Stella’s Chinese training when we inevitably move to an English-speaking country? If so, how? Do we focus on speaking and listening or pay for the tutoring and classes that will be necessary for her to read and write? Which is more important? Should reading and writing be developed from the beginning or can it be delayed?

　　作为一个妈妈，我也面临类似的问题。我的女儿Stella一出生就开始说中文，现在能熟练掌握两种语言。我和丈夫正在思考一个问题－如果以后我们搬到英语国家，Stella的中文学习还要继续吗？如果答案是肯定的，那如何继续？我们是应该更关注她的口语听力还是读写能力？那一个更重要呢？读和写应该从一开始就训练还是后期提高？

　　Why Reading?

　　为什么是阅读？

　　All languages have four major categories- speaking, listening, reading, and writing(composition). To become fluent in a foreign language, the student must master each of these four categories. For example, until I decide to tackle reading and writing Chinese characters, I will never be fluent in Chinese. Although my speaking and listening skills help me immensely, without reading and writing I struggle to work in a business environment. In the business world, the ability to read and write is an undeniable necessity。

　　所有语言学习都离不开四部分－听说读写。要熟练地掌握一门语言，孩子在这四方面都得过关。就拿我自己的例子来说，除非我决心攻克我的中文阅读和书写汉字的困难，我永远不会流利地掌握中文。尽管我的中文听说能力极大地帮助了我，没有很好的阅读和写作技能我在商业环境中工作总是很费力。在商业世界里，阅读和写作能力是不可否认的必需技能。

　　Just like a table that’s missing a leg, students of English who skip or delay their reading and writing development have a weak, unstable foundation. The majority of ESL textbooks and courses begin with basic reading kills. Students lacking in this area will continually fall behind their classmates and peers. An 8 years old child with advanced speaking and listening skills will struggle to find a suitable program for their age group and, most likely, will continue to struggle to read and spell until they address the problem as an adult- or give up。

　　就像一张桌子缺少腿一样，孩子学习英语如果在阅读和写作方面落后就会有很弱很不稳定的基础。大多数英语学习教材和课程都是从基础阅读技巧开始教授的。孩子在这个方面薄弱就会持续落后于同学们。一个8岁的小朋友有很强的听力和口语能力会很难找到一个合适他们年龄段的学习项目。这个小朋友在学习阅读和拼写单词方面很可能会继续十分费力，直到他们成年以后解决了这个问题—— 或者放弃。

　　How?

　　怎么去做？

　　Fabulous Phonics-

　　The best way to learn to read in English is through phonics. Think about the English alphabet as a big, 26 letter puzzle. Only people who know the “code”， or the sound that each letter makes, can complete this puzzle. Students grow from learning the sound for each letter to combining sounds to form simple consonant-vowel-consonant words. A strong phonics foundation also affects other aspects of language learning such as spelling and composition. A solid foundation in reading can be accomplished in two-three years, depending on the program。

　　神话般的语音学习法

　　学习英语最好的方式是通过语音。我们可以把英语字母表想象成一个很大的、由26个字母组成的拼图。只有知道密码，也就是每个字母所发的音的人才能把拼图拼完整。孩子从学习每个字母的发音到通过组合发音来形成辅音-元音-辅音组成的简单单词。拥有很好的拼读基础也会使语言学习的其他方面更容易，比如拼写和写作文。一个坚实的阅读基础可以在两至三年时间内获得，具体的进度则取决于不用的课程。

　　Reading vs. Reading Comprehension-

　　For many children, reading skills will come faster than reading comprehension. This means that, in a good program, the student should be able to read words but not necessarily understand the meaning of each word. This is normal. I encourage parents to think of phonics as the foundation of a house- you can’t see it but you’ll definitely know if it’s missing. Reading comprehension is like the paintor the flowers in the front yard- beautiful but not immediately necessary。

　　纯阅读 Vs. 阅读理解

　　对于很多小孩来说，阅读能力比阅读理解能力更先获得。这意味着在一个好的课程中，孩子应该能够阅读单词但是不一定理解每个词的意思。这是正常的。我鼓励父母朋友们把语音学习想成一个房子的地基—— 你看不见它，但是如果地基不牢你肯定能感觉到。阅读理解就像油漆或者庭院中的鲜花—— 虽然很漂亮但是你不一定需要它。

　　It Doesn’t Have to be Fast to be Right-

　　One way to know that your child is using phonics to read words is the process. Children should approach a new word by “sounding out” the word, or breaking it down into its’ original parts. Many parents have the expectation that, if their child can read, they should be able to read quickly. To the contrary, a child who takes the time to break down a word into individual sounds is not only setting the standards up for success in reading and writing, but also developing their critical thinking and process skills. In fact, studies have shown that children who read well in a foreign language can more easily transfer these skills to a third or even fourth language。

　　不一定要很快才是对的

　　知道你的孩子在用语音阅读单词的一种方式是观察过程。孩子应该通过“听单词”，或者把单词分解为一个一个小部分的方式来阅读一个陌生的词汇。很多父母都对孩子抱有期望，认为如果孩子能够阅读就应该能够快速阅读。而恰恰相反，花时间把一个单词分解成每个独立发音的孩子不仅仅在帮助自己获得阅读和写作上的成功，而且还在发展自己的批判式思维和分析能力。事实上，研究表明，能够在一种外语中流畅阅读的孩子可以更容易地把这种技能延续到第三外语甚至第四外语上去。

　　Memorizing is NOT Reading-

　　Many poorly designed programs encourage students to memorize reading passages. This isusually to impress parents who believe that, if their child can’t read the material quickly, they do not understand or have not mastered that material. If a program encourages students to memorize reading passages or associates words that should be read with body/facial movements, parents should be aware that this program may be doing more harm than good。

　　记忆不是阅读

　　很多设计得很糟糕的课程总是鼓励孩子去记忆阅读的过程。这通常是为了让那些相信自己的小孩必须阅读十分迅速否则小孩不能理解和掌握阅读的材料的父母感到很高兴。如果一个课程鼓励孩子记忆阅读的段落或者将一些词汇跟肢体语言或面部表情联系起来，那么父母们要小心了！这个课程可能会害了孩子而不是帮了他们。

　　Growing a Confident Reader-

　　It is important to develop confidence through reading. Parents and teachers should choose reading material that is slightly easier than the child’s current ability. Introduce your child to the wonderful world of reading without unnecessary frustration or impossible expectations。

　　发展阅读的自信心

　　通过阅读来建立自信心是十分重要的。父母和老师应该选择比孩子现有阅读能力更简单一点的阅读材料给小孩。将你的孩子带入美妙的阅读世界，不要给他们不必要的沮丧或者难于达到的预期。

　　The Earlier, The Better-

　　Many Chinese parents voice the concern that their child will confuse phonics with pinyin. While the concept is the same- using sounds to read words-pinyin and phonics sounds differ slightly. Parents- do not worry! Research into brain development shows us that, if a child is introduced to a foreign language before the age of 12, the brain can easily compartmentalize different languages. In fact, brain scientists compare the young brain to a sponge- the younger the child, the moreable the brain is to absorb and compartmentalize information- especially languages。

　　越早越好

　　许多中国父母都表达出他们对孩子会把英语语音与拼音混淆的担忧。虽然这两者的概念是一致的——通过语音来阅读词汇——拼音和英语语音有些许的不同。父母们，不要担心！大脑发展研究告诉我们，如果一个孩子在12岁之前开始接触一门外语，小孩的大脑可以很容易地同时学习不同的语言。事实上，脑科学家将年轻的大脑比作海绵——孩子越年轻，大脑就越容易吸收和处理信息——特别是语言。

　　Remember my big parenting issue? It seems to me that it’s not really an issue, but a decision. A decision to start my daughter’s Chinese language education early and the determination to see it out to the end. And I plan to build her a house with a strong foundation and a table with all four legs。

　　还记得我的当家长的困扰吗？对于我来说这其实不像是一个困扰，而是一个决定。一个让我的女儿提早开始学习中文的决定和一直坚持到底的决心。我打算给她建一所有牢固地基的房子，里面有一个有着四条腿的桌子。