Opinions on learning two languages or one?

[iwantavuvezela]

My daughters school offers her the chance to study two languages in Year 7, so she choose two. However it seems like a lot of work ( starting to learn the grammar, two sets of language homework) and I am wondering if it would be better to focus on one until She is more secure. If they do one, then they double the session (so have two lessons, one repeated in one language). This could be I guess a bit "boring", but I imagine that repetition when learning a language is useful?

Or, for those who have children who have done this is it a good option to preserve with two?

I think they can change from two to one or even languages they are learning.

I would say to do one, but that's what I feel about most things. Better to be a master at one thing than to do many things to just an acceptable level.

It depends on the child. DS has a real flair for languages, and he found that learning more than one language was no problem, and in some ways it helped him. At one point he was learning 4, two ancient and two modern!

That's my experience too. Each additional language gets easier to learn.

I think two languages that have similarities are good when learnt together. Latin plus two Latin languages will always support each other. Luckily DD could do triple science and two languages. So many schools do not think children can manage two languages but are quite happy for them to do three sciences plus computer science, so 4 sciences. Children should be offered two languages if they are good at languages. In no other subject do we restrict learning options and refuse to promote talented chidren in their learning just because it is not science based.

I think it's probably a good idea to try two at an early stage. A pupil who has an aptitude for languages may want to continue them both, great; but a child who isn't so keen may find one clicks more easily than the other. More often than not French is the 'default' and German is the 'extra' - but the latter may work better for the logical-minded sciency types. That what my DD found (and I've heard others make a similar observation) - if she'd not been made to do two in years 7/8, she'd have been stuck with French which she really didn't like for gcse as a language was mandatory at her school.

So - I wouldn't necessarily push sticking with two beyond yrs 7/8 but I would encourage trying them.

At Dcs school, they do 3 in Yr7 - Latin, plus 2 of French, Spanish and German. In Yr8 they can choose to continue with all 3 or drop down to 2. They get 6 periods for languages, so if you do all 3, you get 2 periods per language but cover the same as those doing 2... You just have to work faster, so it tends to be the more able students/those interested in languages. Those doing 2 get 3 periods of each so cover the material a bit slower.

It seems to work well to start with more and then so,ex reduce, rather than the other way round, but it is a selective school. All have tried the 3 languages and had at least year of them. Most will just do 1 to GCSE but it is possible to do 2, 3 or even add Greek too.

I think it's good to take opportunities to try new languages, even if you only do them fora short time. Some schools also offer some kind of lessons you opt into on a rotation and it might include tasters of lessons not taught to exam level int he school, such as Hindi, or Welsh or Italian....usually will just be basic conversation and no writing.....its exposing kids to more possibilities and who knows whose imagination might be captured by one of these experiences.