Multilingual Early Language Transmission (MELT) - Mercator ...

7) "Golden Rules" for parents, which allow children a successful early immersion experience.
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These above guidelines include second language input quantity and quality,
contextualisation, multisensory learning, speech intonation, interaction strategies,
scaffolding, and parental involvement. The ELIAS project describes in a conclusion that these
guidelines are far from complete but focus on the idea that children learn languages only if
they are exposed to "good" input.
To integrate the language activities pre-school practitioners should practice the language
activities at the workplace. In the MELT Guide one of the suggestions for beginning or
uncertain practitioners is to practice storytelling, playing games etc. in a small group. In this
way the practitioner will experience the reactions of the children. ‘Adults as linguistic role
models’, ‘Interaction’ and ‘Working with themes’ are some key words. To make language
activities easier the MELT Guide suggest the use of picture cards and concrete materials to
make new words visible and concepts are to clarify concepts.
The data and analyses of the ELIAS studies also came to the conclusions that children show
the best results when teachers provide a high quantity and quality of language input, when
they ensure comprehension by visualising and contextualising everything they say and when
they explicitly encourage the children’s language production. 104
In 2010, a second edition of “Das Handbuch Schnupperangebot: Deutsch als Fremdsprache
im Kindergarten 105 ” was published. This handbook provides many suggestions, ideas for
content, learning objectives and methodological approaches to promote German as a
foreign language in kindergarten. It is aimed at teachers and educators who are looking
abroad and want to teach their pupils German as a second or third language. The activities
and recommendations are intended for children aged four to six years, children who come in
contact with the German language for the first time. One of the didactic methods they use is
the Total Physical Response (TPR)-method.
The TPR-method , developed by James Asher in the 1970s, 106 is a language teaching method
built around the coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through
physical (motor) activity. This approach introduces the language through the use of
commands (imperative sentences) and let children demonstrate their understanding
through action responses. TPR is based on the premise that the human brain has a biological
program for acquiring any natural language on earth - including the sign language of the
deaf. The process is visible when we observe how infants internalize their first language.
The secret is a unique "conversation" between the parent and infant. For example, the first
conversation is a parent saying: "Look at daddy. Look at daddy." The infant's face turns into
the direction of the voice and daddy exclaims: "She's looking at me! She's looking at me!"
Asher calls this "a language-body conversation" because the parent speaks and the infant
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For further descriptions of the “golden rules”, visit
http://www.elias.bilikita.org/docs/guidelines_for_language_use_in_bilingual_preschools_e.pdf [Accessed May 2011].
Kersten, K. et al. (2010). Guidelines for Language Use in Bilingual Preschools. ELIAS- EU supported multilateral Comenius-Project.
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Kersten, K. et.al (eds.) (2010). Bilingual Preschools Volume 2 Best Practices (p. 79) Trier: WVT Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier.
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Widlok, B. (2008, 2nd edition 2010) Das Handbuch Schnupperangebot: Deutsch als Fremdsprache im Kindergarten München: Goethe-
Institut e,V.
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James Asher is a professor of psychology at San Jose State University and developed the TPR-metod. http://www.tpr-world.com
[Accessed June 2011].
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