Obstacles in a new country

Have you ever been to a foreign country where you did not understand much of what was said? If you were on holiday there might have been only a few occasions when you had to rely on friendly residents.

But if you move to a new country and you have to cope with many different things in a language you might not speak at all, you face many obstacles.

Children at school with only little knowledge of the instructional language develop strategies to get through the day. They intrepret facial expressions. They try to pick up some meaning of what is said. They pretend to understand, because if you uncover that you understand only little of what is said you identify yourself as someone from outside.

You make the difference

Teachers working with those children make a difference to their arrival.

We interviewed a specialised language teacher and asked different questions on how children with little knowledge of the instructional language can be supported.