Senna Lee is getting ready to start out faculty subsequent yr and is already forward of the curve.
She might solely be four-and-a-half years previous, however she already speaks a number of languages — together with English.
“She is studying Cantonese and Japanese, in addition to Mandarin and English,” her father, Mark Lee, says.
“I spoke two languages at residence, each English and Cantonese, and I wished to do the identical for my daughter.”
Senna’s mother and father migrated from China and would really like their daughter to stay related to prolonged household — and to her heritage.
Senna Lee (proper) learns English and Mandarin in preschool. Supply: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“After we took her again to China final yr, she was very assured, not so scared [about] what to do,” Lee says.
“Additionally, studying one other language, not simply your own home language, means studying extra about different cultures — and it widens your imaginative and prescient later in life.”
Specialists agree and say the advantages of studying one other language are well-established. Analysis reveals it might enhance a variety of studying outcomes, in accordance with the federal authorities, which has invested virtually $30 million in an early studying languages program since 2014.
Marianne Turner, an affiliate professor of bilingual schooling at Monash College, says: “There are cognitive advantages resulting from the truth that [learning a second language] does actually assist with pondering, with inventive pondering, and problem-solving.”
“Studying multiple language may assist kids with social cohesion and with tolerance as a result of they get extra of an understanding of distinction and fewer concern about distinction.”
The Victorian authorities has additionally invested greater than $50 million to assist preschool kids be taught in a language aside from English, over eight years to 2027.
In Sydney, Senna is enrolled at a preschool within the suburb of Chatswood referred to as MindChamps. It is amongst these trialling a brand new program the place kids converse each Mandarin and English.
“Of our 22 centres in Australia, Chatswood is the primary to have this bilingual immersive program,” founder David Chiem says.
“We did a pilot during the last yr and have now totally built-in immersion the place lecturers converse each languages, daily.”
David Chiem is the founding father of MindChamps, one of some preschools that’s trialling a brand new program the place kids be taught one other language moreover English. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
Chiem based MindChamps in Australia after which opened the primary preschool in Singapore in 2008.
Since then, the group has developed a concentrate on multilingual studying, increasing to greater than 80 preschools throughout Australasia.
“We’re at present in Singapore. Clearly, Australia is a big focus for us. We’re additionally in Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and really quickly within the Maldives as nicely. We’re launching quickly into the US,” Chiem says.
Chiem’s story: ‘Hardships have been simply a part of life’
Regardless of the success of his enterprise, Chiem has by no means forgotten his personal struggles, coming to Australia as a refugee after fleeing southern Vietnam. He was 9 and spoke little English.
“I used to be born in southern Vietnam in the course of struggle, in 1969. And my grandparents have been initially from China. My grandfather arrived in Vietnam and labored very arduous, constructing a small enterprise in [the city of] Rach Giá. After which my dad was working the enterprise,” he says.
“However being from the south, he was additionally conscripted to be a part of the South Vietnamese military. When Saigon (Ho Chi Minh Metropolis) fell in 1975, he was jailed.”
Chiem says his father was lastly launched, and later, the household fled Vietnam in a fishing trawler. It was a terrifying and harmful journey, particularly as they reached the coast of Malaysia.
“Two fishing trawlers flanked us, and so they have been about to board. These have been two pirate boats, and everybody was so scared,” he says.
“Immediately they left, and everybody thought ‘wow’. After which, from a distance, got here this big container ship.
“That Singapore container ship gave us meals and water and checked our engines and pointed us in the proper route — in direction of Malaysia.”
David Chiem got here to Australia as a refugee, fleeing southern Vietnam on the age of 9. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
Chiem says Malaysian authorities “wouldn’t enable us in”.
He remembers his father and different males “crashing” the boat into shore.
“My dad grabbed me and jumped into the water. After that, we have been put onto a camp on an island in Malaysia.”
The months that adopted have been arduous, and meals was scarce, however Chiem discovered a solution to survive.
“Hardships have been simply a part of life. Going to pump water from the nicely and carrying it again, discovering meals by catching lizards as nicely. I nonetheless keep in mind the way you catch a lizard,” he says.
‘I made a decision to be thankful for every little thing we now have’
Chiem’s life modified when an Australian official visited the world. He says his household was on an inventory to be assessed as refugees however missed their preliminary interview.
So, they travelled to a close-by city to seek for him and discovered from a store proprietor that he was staying at a close-by lodge.
“We went to the lodge, and the federal government official was nonetheless there. What was unimaginable is that we have been allowed in to see him,” Chiem says.
He says the official accepted the household as refugees, and in 1978, they flew to Sydney.
The night time we arrived, once we lastly stood on Australian soil, dad was very emotional. He mentioned ‘for each certainly one of us that made it, somebody died. So, that is our rebirth’.
David Chiem, founder MindChamps
“It was a really highly effective mindset for me and that entire expertise left a really deep emotional feeling. I made a decision to be thankful for every little thing we now have,” Chiem says.
Later, at college in Sydney, he excelled in maths and science. He certified for drugs however wished to pursue a profession in performing.
“That was powerful having to inform dad that. And he was fairly clearly devastated that I did not need to go to medical faculty, however I mentioned: ‘Dad, look, let me observe my ardour’.”
Chiem graduated from college and movie and tv faculty and went on to take pleasure in a profitable performing profession.
His journey has now come full circle.
Preschoolers from numerous backgrounds be taught English and Mandarin at MindChamps. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
“My dad gave me the chance to check the theatre and performing was the start of the particular person I’m right now. And that is once I thanked him, and he was so moved, he cried, and he mentioned, ‘No, you probably did that’. And I mentioned, ‘No, dad, you gave me that’.
His expertise helped to form MindChamps’ core curriculum, which is predicated on an idea referred to as the champion mindset. In keeping with Chiem, it has three points: celebrating uniqueness, having the braveness to problem typical knowledge and the power to beat adversity with out concern.
Chiem hopes that educating this mindset to preschoolers will enhance outcomes for the subsequent era.
Specialists consider studying a number of languages can enhance social cohesion amongst younger kids. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
MindChamps not too long ago signed a memorandum of understanding with Western Sydney College to collaborate on enhancing early childhood schooling and making it extra broadly accessible.
“This world we stay in is complicated. There are nonetheless nations who really feel like they will dominate different nations,” Chiem says.
“And I consider the one manner we will really make a distinction to the minds of tomorrow is to show that whereas we go ahead to realize issues, we should not do this on the expense of different individuals.”
