By Denise Diakodimitriou, Pharos Alliance Secretary
This is a valid concern and an issue Pharos Alliance is also keen to address as we look to support parents in their efforts to help their children learn Greek and, also, to assist schools and teachers to have access to the best resources to carry out their work.
Keeping in mind that it takes years to learn a language, and that some skills may be acquired before others (for example, speaking and listening generally come before reading and writing), learning the alphabet will form part of the first years of your child’s learning journey. Evidence of learning it is usually the ability to read, at least to sound out words which are unfamiliar. Bear in mind, students may be able to do this without being able to recite the letters in order!
To prepare your child to enter the next stage of learning, speak to your child’s teacher and ask for their help in addressing this. They will be able to direct you to some activities to boost your child’s knowledge of the alphabet. You can practice at home, make it a game and make reading together a regular activity (the earlier you start with this, the less self-conscious your child will be).
Keep in touch with your child’s school and the teacher through parent teacher interviews, for example.
As educators of children who are now third and fourth generation or of non-Greek background, we are always looking to enlist the most suitable resources, texts and tools to engage our learners. Together with families, we can build motivation alongside skill, not forgetting that learning Greek can also be fun!
Do you want to know more? President of Pharos Alliance, Professor Emeritus Joseph Lo Bianco, of Language and Literacy Education at Melbourne University, is finalising dates for our next seminar for parents, on raising children bilingually. The third in the series, Professor Lo Bianco can provide general and specific information about how parents can play an important role in family language planning.
Do you have a question you would like the Pharos Alliance to answer, send your query to editor@foreignlanguage.com.au or drop it in the comment section under this article on social media.
