Making meaningful connections with prior knowledge in a student's home language is a very effective way of accessing new learning.
Students have been learning new vocabulary in English by translating words in their home languages and applying their knowledge of the words in meaningful sentences.
Another way of using students' prior knowledge in their home languages is by encouraging them to do research in their home language first and then take notes in English.
Students can also make helpful notes in their home languages on a text and this may help them new English content more easily.
Students are also encouraged to approach new vocabulary holistically by also looking at other aspects of word knowledge, such as parts of speech, synonyms and antonyms etc.
Prior knowledge in a home language is really important for accessing new content in English. For that reason, at ISH we look at home languages as an invaluable tool for effective learning.
