Questions are often raised as to whether the learning of two or more languages in early childhood is an advantage in terms of the academic, cognitive and social benefits it brings to a child. Yet, the age for formal school based second language learning continues to drop with very little published research existing to support teachers, teacher educators and policy-makers in this decision.
Drawing on a synthesis of theory, research and practice, this edited volume makes an innovative contribution to the literature concerning second language learning in very young children. It explores language learning in a wide range of geographical contexts and focuses on second and foreign language learning as well as plurilingualism with children under the age of 6 years old. Chapters present theory and research related to practice in teacher education, policy-making,
country case studies, school and home based projects, code switching and language use, and methodologies and approaches. This makes the book essential reading for researchers, academics, teacher trainers, and post-graduate students alike.

The age for early language learning has dropped dramatically in the past decade to include children under 6 years old, yet very little published research exists to support the implementation of such programmes. Drawing on a synthesis of theory, research and practice, this edited volume makes an innovative contribution to literature concerning language education for very young children. It explores language learning in a wide range of geographical contexts with reference to second and foreign language learning, bilingualism and plurilingualism with children under the age of 6 years old. Chapters present discussion around teacher education, policy-making, international case studies, school and home-based projects, code switching and language use, and methodologies and approaches. Early Years Second Language Education: International perspectives on theory and practice will be essential reading for researchers, academics, teacher trainers, and post-graduate students in the fields of early years education, foreign and second language education, language didactics and teacher education.

Captain Jack is a three level pre-primary course, designed to teach English to 3-6 year olds in Spain. The course follows a story-based approach with a variety of age-appropriate activities. Worksheet activities are designed to develop children's motor skills and their cognitive skills with more challenging activities, such as matching, circling and sequencing. Early maths and early literacy skills are also worked on, which helps develop children's linguistic competences. The materials address the whole child and tie in closely with the new educational law in Spain. The syllabus covers vocabulary topics that relate to young learners' immediate environment, and the stories take place within surroundings familiar to children. The syllabus also covers areas of CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) to make children more aware of the world around them. The inclusion of photos in the material help to serve this purpose as well. There is also a light introduction to phonics. Captain Jack is designed for the same market as previous Macmillan Infantil courses for Spain i.e. Robby Rabbit, Patch and Cheeky Monkey. The main difference with this course from previous courses is the new PLUS book which includes two additional units for schools with more hours.