The popoulation that speaks a language other than English in the US has been increasing for the past 30 years. While for decades bilingualism had a negative connotation, scientists have begun to prove that there are many advantages to being bilingual.
While most children can learn more than one language easily, it is never too late to become bilingual.
This is a guest post, an infographic, that was originally published on bestcollegesonline.com. Enjoy!
www.bestcollegesonline.com
Being so passionate about PowerOfTwo, we asked its creators to agree to a giveaway in order to let another couple benefit and enjoy this great tool.
Therefore, we are happy to announce a giveaway of a 1-month free subscription to PowerOfTwo to one couple! How can you win?
Continue reading "PowerOfTwo, marriage conseling-online giveaway!" »
Hi all! This is a product review of PowerOfTwo.
PowerOfTwo is an online alternative to marriage counseling developed by Dr. Susan Heitler, Ph.D. and her daughter Dr. Abigail Hirsch, Ph.D. out of the experience gained after many years spent coaching couples. It is a dynamic, modern and fresh tool.
PowerOfTwo has been designed to meet the needs of modern couples and it combines a diversity of tools and techniques so as to appeal to a variety of different users. Videos, worksheets, interactive activities, puzzles and animations are just a few examples of the different media techniques used by this marriage counseling tool.
Hi all! Today we are hosting a guest post written by Susan Heitler, Ph.D. co-founder of PowerOfTwoMarriage. Enjoy!
Dr. Susan Heitler
What can be done about the reality that cross-cultural coupling means that the loving partners will face many issues about which they differ?
The good news is that resolving differences in a way that yields a solution that both partners like is mainly a matter of technical skills at shared problem-solving. Learn the three steps for turning His-Way versus Her-Way conflicts in Our-way solutions and life together can flow smoothly.
Continue reading "Every couple has differences. Inter-cultural couples just have more of them." »
Bilingual parents and international couples strive to choose the best models and approaches for the bilingual education of their children. Despite being in the information age, help and direction is still needed to help parents sort through the mass of available resources.
This is an interview with Professor Andrew E. Finch, Dept. of English Education at Kyungpook National University, Korea.
Dear Professor Finch, more than ever before Europe and Asia are witnessing a huge increase in population shifts, migrations and language diversity. How does it affect the way languages are taught across schools and institutions worldwide?
Sometimes we forget how difficult life could be for expats and international couples if tools like Skype were not around. This is a guest post written by Houri Tamizifar. Enjoy!
It's hard to believe that 20 years ago, when I moved to the US, it was almost $2.00 a minute to call my home country of Iran. I moved here in 1991 with my mom and younger brother, leaving my two oldest brothers in Iran. Although torn by the distance, we tried through every means possible to stay in touch. Quick phone calls, letters, printed pictures- these were the only options available during this time and unfortunately they weren't enough. We started to grow apart and as my brother and I grew older, we became less proficient in Farsi so communication, both written and oral became slightly more challenging. Not only could we no longer lie under the mosquito tent next to one another at night and gaze at the stars or skip rocks down the river, or just throw snow balls back and forth but the language barrier cut down on our talk time as well.
Continue reading "Your Stories: How Skype Has Brought Our International Family Together" »
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Many many thanks to Aisha Isabel Ashraf at Expatlogue for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! I am pretty new at this and this is the first award that I receive. I like reading her posts since I love those persons that have the guts to do what they believe is right. So, be sure to visit her blog.
International and multicultural couples must usually cope with a higher degree of stress. Many stress factors affect couples but multicultural and international couples undergo a decisively more stressful environment. Can you think of what are the stress factors for you and your couple? Interestingly enough, many of the stress factors you may come up with will be included in the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale. Does it ring a bell?
What are these factors and more importantly, how can they be mitigated?
Continue reading "Stress factors and stress management for international couples - Part 1" »
A question that you might have asked yourselves many times is: 'Why should my children learn the local language?' And the other question that follows suit is: 'Why should I learn the local language?'
Why should you and your children master a foreign language in the first place?
The answer is all but complex. And that is the issue since, in life, when something simple dawns on us, then we start wondering why we have lost so much time thinking it over.
The benefits of learning a language are enormous. If you are an international couple or simply an expat family, thebenefits of learning the local language are simply innumerable. Moreover, like every major investment, the newly learned language will give its fruits for a long time sometimes making your children and nephews benefit from it.
Continue reading "Why should you learn the local language when you expat?" »
International couples and expats are often challeged with the dilemma of whether sending their children to bilingual institutions or not. For many couples, indeed, speaking a second language at home suffices while others believe that international toddlers and children should get a comprehensive bilingual education.
Picture courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com
Continue reading "Bilingual education: what characteristics should you be looking for?" »
Hi all! As part of our series of posts about the benefits of bilingual persons, we are publishing a guest post from BestCollegesOnline.com.
These days, attaining fluency in two or more languages looks fabulous on college and job applications and presents opportunities in numerous corners of life completely denied to the monolingual. Old or young, however, bilingual individuals enjoy some decidedly physiological rewards for their linguistic capabilities, which aren’t always immediately noticeable. Come to find out, the human body’s most important organ receives generous stimulation from soaking up multiple tongues as well. So before griping about that mandatory foreign language course, take a look at some of the most excellent things that could happen after mastering one.
Continue reading "10 Proven Brain Benefits of Being Bilingual" »
