LET'S TAKE DA QUIZ!!!!

Take the Pathways of Learning Quiz:
PRESCHOOLER
by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
reviewed by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P.

After you answer the 21 questions below, you'll get a profile of your child's different intelligence pathways, along with specific suggestions for things you can do to enhance learning in the various areas. The following questions apply to children from three to five years old.

Although this quiz is based on sound principles of child development, it's essentially just a tool* to get you thinking about your child's aptitudes and abilities within amultiple intelligences framework. No quiz can possibly measure all the different aspects of your child's potential, and you know a great deal about your son or daughter that isn't reflected on the quiz. This insight also is very important when it comes to understanding-and appreciating-your child.

For each statement, click the circle that best describes your child:

*Please note that this quiz has not been subjected to scientific study to find out how well it agrees with a longer, more objective measure of multiple intelligences--in fact, to our knowledge, no such gold-standard test exists.

		never ever	sometimes	often	no response
1.	Loves to listen to children's songs or to sing along
2.	Paints with bright colors, filling page
3.	Spends hours stacking, building, with blocks
4.	Has a friend of same age, not just casual playmates; shows special sensitivity to that friend's feelings
5.	Is aware when other children are upset and tries to comfort them
6.	Has a long attention span regarding storybooks; fills in words left off ends of pages
7.	Moves body joyfully along with music, and often keeps on the beat
8.	Expresses ideas in sentences of several words; asks questions; is rarely quiet for long
9.	Runs with ease; hops on one foot; jumps with both feet off the ground; quickly picks up how to ride a tricycle
10.	Shows interest in counting objects or counting pictures of objects in books
11.	Has steady control of crayon or brush when drawing or painting
12.	Is aware of her body; rarely runs into things or other children
13.	Can recite a simple poem from memory
14.	Uses words for feelings: "sad," "happy," "scared," "mad"
15.	Sorts objects by different qualities--for example, size, shape, color, or use
16.	Organizes other children to play "family" or "house"; is a leader among peers
17.	Uses words to handle conflicts with other children, rather than just hitting or grabbing
18.	Can tell a story about a picture she has drawn
19.	Is fascinated with pouring and measuring water and sand, or with measuring things
20.	Throws and kicks with moderate accuracy
21.	Enjoys listening to music, whether pop, jazz, or classical
		never ever	sometimes	often	no response

Bilingual Baby

Giving your baby the gift of two or more languages is one that they will cherish and benefit from for the rest of their lives. Being bilingual opens so many doors, particular in a world that seems to grow smaller by the day. Babies and young children have an amazing capacity for learning to talk in one or more languages. Indeed, it is a task that parents usually find the most daunting!

‘Early Childhood’

Second Language Learning: How to do it right

Second language learning is defined as the process of learning an additional language besides the native language. Here second language or additional language refers to any language that is acquired or learnt after early childhood. Learning a foreign language or basically any second language might not be a very easy task but with some guidelines this task can be achieved.

Second language learning is like a lifelong journey that needs time and dedication. For this the following tips can be followed:

1. Keep the study sessions short: keeping study sessions short allowing time in consecutive sessions is an important way to maintain the interest in the language. A single two or three hour session is not effective than short sessions of twenty minutes. Regular contact with the language helps you to remember things and stick with it. Therefore your aim should be for short, reachable achievements. The positive results attained would further push you to continue.

2. Make some investments in the training tools: it is always helpful to invest in some tools that would aid in second language learning. You might not be able to hire a private tutor but it is not necessary that to learn a language you need a native speaker. For this tools like, self study kits, do-it-yourself kits, audio and visual aids like cassettes and CDs can be effectively used. As listening is an important requisite when learning a second language, make sure the self study kits include these audio aids. A good kit should also consist of grammatical explanations, organized vocabulary, set phrases for quick motivation boosting and speaking and listening exercises. You can also join night classes as they are more structured and there is a sense of obligation to attend.

3. Practice the language: if you are learning the second language through self-study kits, it is very important that you practice the language and that too aloud. This means that speaking aloud what you have learnt is a good way of learning the language fast. If you do not do this, it is like reading about a dance movement and trying to learn without practicing it. Each language has its own sounds and accents and pronunciations. Your muscles in the throat and face have to be trained in order to speak correctly. Therefore practicing a language aloud is the sure shot way of learning the second language fast.

4. Make use of the films and music of the language: second language learning is aided by the use of music and films of the language. This not only ensures regular contact with the language but also ensures fun and you have a new culture to follow. It is normal that you would not understand things in the beginning but just keep on trying and pick a few words at a time. Listening to the music or films dialog would be greatly helpful later on when your vocabulary has been built and you can guess the right meaning of the word.

5. Regular practice helps in achieving goals: although second language learning might be a lot of work but it can be fun also. You would be watchful and try to form new structures with the language. Also setting small goals and achieving them would boost your confidence and motivate you to keep on learning. You could set goals like aiming for a new verb tense in a week, a new word in the next week and so on.

The most important part of second language learning is to enjoy the new knowledge and you should try to embrace entertainment in the second language.