Posts Tagged ‘Bilingual’

Bilingual Education Debate

June 10th, 2011

Bilingual education in itself could refer to different programs that have different focus areas but in general teach students in two languages. Most programs are aimed at those students whose proficiency in English is limited. Bilingual education programs allows these kids to learn academic subjects in their native language while learning English as a second language. Bilingual education debate is usually about this program of education which is known as Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE). Other bilingual education programs aim at increasing fluency in two languages, therefore, teaching English language students, a second language, and teaching English to native speakers of languages like Spanish. Variations and combinations of these two types of programs are also used very widely.

Bilingual education history can be traced to 1968 with the passing of the Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which funded schools to help those students learn English whose native language was not English. This act or more specifically Title VII which is known as the Bilingual Education Act, led to the start of the TBE program that taught English as a second language to a large immigrant population. The program catered mostly to the large Hispanic population settled in the United States. The bilingual education debate has seen detractors and supporters argue about it for several years now. Let us take a look at the bilingual education pros and cons as put forward by the two groups.

Bilingual Education Pros

Effectiveness in learning patterns due to use of the native language is one of the biggest arguments put forward in the favor of bilingual education programs. The use of a language that they are already familiar with ensures that they do not lag behind English language speaking students. Also in psychological terms, the fact that learning in their native language allows them to keep up boosts their confidence when it comes to the process of learning English. One of the advantages of bilingual education that is often quoted by supporters of the program has been the emphasis on quality. Programs of bilingual education start off in a manner that the child receives ninety percent of the instruction in their native language and ten percent in English and with each grade there is a gradual shift in percentage, slowly increasing fluency in English. » Read more: Bilingual Education Debate

Importance of Bilingual Education

June 10th, 2011

Thanks to the various means of communication, transportation as well as globalization, the world today has become a smaller place. Today, we have people from one part of the world, shifting to another, for work, travel and education, a lot more than what it was a few decades back. This, coming in contact and intermingling of people belonging to different cultures, has increased the importance of learning more than one language. Scroll down to know more on the importance of bilingualism in education…

Importance of Bilingual Language Education

Enhances Skills and Creativity
Researchers have shown that students who learn more than one language, have greater analytical and problem solving abilities. Such children are much more creative, confident and have a higher IQ than their peers, who know only one language. Students who are multilingual have better vocabularies and can express themselves in a number of ways. As these children can express themselves better, they are lesser likely to behave aggressively or fight with others, compared to their single language speaking counterparts.

Increases the Learning Pace
There are many minorities in America who speak their own native language at home. It is seen that bilingual language fastens the pace of learning subjects such as math and science in native speaking children. Since these children are more comfortable in speaking and understanding their own language, when these subjects are taught in their native language, they have a better grasp on the various concepts. Thus, their pace of learning is not hampered as it would have been if these subjects were taught in English. Meanwhile, when they are learning math, science and other subjects, they are instructed and made to learn English as well. Thus, it’s a win win for naïve speakers, as they can learn English as well as other subjects side by side, at the same pace as English speaking students do.

Contributes to Professional Success
Bilingual language is considered a huge plus point for corporate executives. Today, when people belonging to different countries and cultures work together in large multinational companies, an executive who can speak more than one language, is considered an extremely valuable asset. Such an executive is trusted more due to his ability to understand the international customers of the business as well as the foreign market. Bilingual executives can prove to be very useful when interacting with foreign clients as well as fellow international employees of the business. Researchers have shown that because of all these reasons, employers pay bilingual executives much more than those who know only one language. A bilingual executive can look forward to earn anywhere over five percent more than the employees who speak only one language. Thus, the importance of bilingual education lies in the fact that it leads to greater success in career and a better salary and lifestyle. You may read more on importance of education. » Read more: Importance of Bilingual Education