Custom classes available for individuals or groups of all ages. Chinese, Spanish and French are currently available, other languages upon request. Contact us for more information.
 

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Become Bilingual

WASHINGTON — The best time to learn a foreign language: Between birth and age 7. Missed that window? New research is showing just how children's brains can become bilingual so easily, findings that scientists hope eventually could help the rest of us learn a new language a bit easier.

Do Better In School

“Children who are exposed to other languages also do better in school, score higher on standardized tests, are better problem solvers and are more open to diversity,” says François Thibaut, who runs The Language Workshop for Children.

Studies Show

After 12 sessions, 9-month-old babies were able to distinguish phonetic Mandarin elements, according to a study by University of Washington neuroscientist Patricia Kuhl. “Equally astounding, infants who were exposed to the same language material via DVD — either with audio and video or audio alone — showed no learning whatsoever. Apparently, those tapes and videos playing foreign languages to infants are not getting through!” stated Dr. Kuhl

Testimonials

My 10 year old daughter has taken Mandarin classes with Joyce for several years. Joyce even comes to Kings Beach Elementary for an after school program. The classes are always educational and entertaining with fun games and technology. Joyce is a wonderful teacher and is great with the students. I highly recommend taking classes with the Tahoe Foreign Language Center.
Jean Wernette - 14 Apr 2013
Our children (2 and 4) absolutely LOVE their Spanish class at Tahoe Foreign Language Institute. Their teacher (Patty) is young, energetic, and lots of fun. They are excited about their class every week and have learned quite a bit of Spanish while having a blast. We are so lucky to have this here in Incline!
Melissa - 22 Mar 2013

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Reports

Flexible Learning of Multiple Speech Structures in Bilingual Infants

Ágnes Melinda Kovács* and Jacques Mehler

 

Children acquire their native language according to a well-defined time frame. Surprisingly, although children raised in bilingual environments have to learn roughly twice as much about language as their monolingual peers, the speed of acquisition is comparable in monolinguals and bilinguals. Here, we show that preverbal 12-month-old bilingual infants have become more flexible at learning speech structures than monolinguals. When given the opportunity to simultaneously learn two different regularities, bilingual infants learned both, whereas monolinguals learned only one of them. Hence, bilinguals may acquire two languages in the time in which monolinguals acquire one because they quickly become more flexible learners. Link
 
Doctor Patricia Kuhl Video

Dr. Patricia K. Kuhl is the Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair for Early Childhood Learning, Co-Director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, Director of the University of Washington's NSF Science of Learning Center, and Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences. She is internationally recognized for her research on early language and brain development, and studies that show how young children learn. Dr. Kuhl's work has played a major role in demonstrating how early exposure to language alters the brain. It has implications for critical periods in development, for bilingual education and reading readiness, for developmental disabilities involving language, and for research on computer understanding of speech.
 

Student Testimonials

My 3rd and 8th grade girls have been taking Mandarin and Spanish for the past year and a half...we love having access to extra foreign language instruction here in Incline.. Both girls have been in a Spanish Immersion program, and Joyce has been able to find high level instruction to meet their level in Spanish. My 3rd grader loves the Mandarin. We would highly recommend the Tahoe Foreign Language Center...
Sara Shorin - 21 Jul 2011
My 6 year old twins took Spanish at the Tahoe Foreign Language Institute and absolutely loved it! We were thrilled to learn that we had a foreign language center right here in Incline Village. The twins learned so much from Joyce's instructors and, in the process, had a wonderful experience! My youngest son also took Spanish from Joyce and her instructors through the Incline Village Nursery School/Tahoe Foreign Language Center program. We are so lucky to have the TFLC in town!
Jamie Winter - 3 Aug 2011
The Tahoe Foreign Language Center has been a home away from home for my two daughters, ages 5 and 8. They have taken private, semi-private, group and camp instruction in Spanish and Mandarin- each having a dynamic benefit. Joyce has taken such care in addressing our specific academic goals and created an environment which helped inspire a love of language. We feel so fortunate to have this wonderful resource in our community. Thank you Joyce!
Lesley Grant - 7 Aug 2011
I'm a businessperson seeking to learn Spanish for travel and investment opportunities in Latin America. I'm taking private tutoring sessions at Tahoe Foreign Language Center, along with computer-based training at home. This has been a very effective combination. Cana, who is currently teaching Spanish at TFLC, has been a really excellent tutor.
Daniel Fylstra - 9 Aug 2011

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