Bilingual Versus Dual Curriculum Instruction - Essay Example

BILINGUAL CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION V/S DUAL LANGUAGE CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION Define Bilingual curriculum and Dual language curriculum and historicalbackground on each -6 pages. Bilingual curriculum: Meaning and Definition The term is generally used to denote the use of two or more languages as medium of instruction at the same time within a classroom setting. Historical Background: The United States has historically been home to an ethnically diverse group of people with a range of different languages including French, German, Irish, Welsh, Spanish, Dutch etc. along with over three hundred other ingeniously spoken dialects. Thus, bilingual schools teaching a varied combination of these languages were quite common. Statistical data suggests that during the 1990s approximately 600,000 children were enrolled in schools imparting bilingual education in languages such as German and English (Kloss, 19971). Although despite such vast linguistic diversity, English was commonly and widely used as the official language of communication, since the eighteenth century. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century the acceptance of linguistic diversity was highly dependent on the aspects such as political, social and economic factors. The history of bilingualism in education can thus be categorized into four major stages: i.e. permissive, restrictive, opportunist and dismissive which are explained below. The Permissive Period: Prior to the arrival of the European immigrants, United States was home to a variety of native languages, and after the advent of foreign immigrants into the country, the number of languages spoken within its territory increased to approximately two hundred, which included such languages as Italian, German, French, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Irish etc., among others. Throughout the nineteenth century till the beginning of the First World War, the existence of such diverse languages was commonly assimilated as well as promoted, throughout the country. Language diversity was acknowledged as the custom and promoted via religion, print media such as publishing of newspapers in diverse languages, as well as using education as a tool to promote language use in private as well as public schools. Evidence of such permissive period in the history of bilingual education in the country can be found in the various schools which exist throughout the United States. For instance, the various German-English schools which were established by the German dominated communities in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Minnesota etc. Such sincerity and linguistic tolerance displayed during the latter half of the nineteenth century could be partially attributed to the rising competition between private and public schools, for attracting student enrollment, and partially to the compassionate school administrations, the segregation of schools in rural areas, as well as the cultural harmony within certain areas. The accommodating approach towards the use of native language as well as a second language (English) was thus largely attributed to the presence of ethnically diverse communities in large numbers. Bilingual curriculum existed in various states across the country for instance, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver etc (Baker, Jones, 19982). The Restrictive Period: During the early nineteenth century the government endeavored to suppress certain indigenous communities such as the Indians, by laying out regressive policies which sought to restrict them to their reservations. Furthermore several institutions, such as the American Protective Association, were established which strongly encouraged English-only system of education. The Immigration Restriction Leagues was established during the same period, which aimed at eluding the immigrants from entering in the U.S. by making it obligatory for them to display reading ability of a minimum of forty words in any given language (Higham, 19883). Also there was a wide spread apprehension within the American administration regarding the ideological incursion by the large scale immigration from European countries. As a result it led to the introduction of the Naturalization Act, in 1906, which made it mandatory for immigrants to possess and display English speaking skills. The drive to mono-lingualize the education system received further impetus by the break out of World War I, with Germany, and hence German language schools were substituted with English-only schools, since imparting education in German was largely viewed as unpatriotic by the general public (Bhatia, Ritchie, 20064). The Opportunist Period (1960’s – 1980’s) The implications of the restrictive policies adopted by the United States were evident during the Second World War, when the insufficiency of foreign language knowledge was largely felt. Accordingly changes were made to accommodate and reintroduce the foreign language instruction in schools across the country. The National Defense Education Act of 1958 was introduced to spread awareness and increase the level of bilingual education. The re-emergence of foreign language instruction was also attributed to the changes made in immigration laws, where old laws were revoked to accommodate new ones, and which consequently led to a large scale migration of Asian and Latin American immigrants in the United States. Ultimately, the need to reintroduce bilingual education in schools was felt on account of the existence of culturally and ethnically diverse population, and hence led to the enactment of the Bilingual Education Act, where English was proposed to be taught as a second language across the country (Baker, 20065). The Dismissive Period (1980’s - Present) Regardless of the fact that bilingual education was rapidly spreading across the U.S., the attitude towards mono lingual education became stronger and the drive to reinstate mono lingual system of education, with English as the medium of communication began to resurface. The Bush and the Reagan administration pushed the anti-bilingual drive, stating that bilingual education as anti American (Crawford, 1997, Pp. 536). The reallocation of funds for mono lingual education in favor of English-only schools was seen as a consequence of the anti-bilingual education, drive. The state of California, in an attempt to restrain immigrants from illegally entering the U.S., introduced Proposition 187, and placed heavy restrictions on social as well as education services. Furthermore, the anti-bilingual drive gained further momentum, after the state of California passed proposition 227, which made English as the principal language of instruction in schools for minority students. The California Department of Education (19977), justified the passing of such laws by stating that children studying in bilingual schools had very little exposure to English and had lower achievement scores. However, the funding to bilingual educational institutions, which was cut back by the conservative right wing, was restored by President Clinton, during 1999. Dual Language Curriculum: Meaning and Definition: Dual language curriculum instruction refers to a program which is involved in providing education in two languages (Hurley, 20008). Dual language programs or curriculums, by definition, are aimed at students who belong to diverse linguistic backgrounds and the curriculum is designed in a way that clearly distinguishes the two languages for the purpose of instruction (Freeman, 19989). Historical Background: Dual language programs were first introduced in the U. S. in 1962 with the Dade County Public Schools in Miami, Florida, being the first district to introduce such a program. The popularity of the dual language curriculum was later spread and extended to other states during the 1970s and was implemented in states such as Washington D. C., Chicago, Illinois, and San Diego, California. At present there are over three hundred dual language programs across the country, with Spanish being the most preferred second language. About 94% of the dual language programs comprise of Spanish and English as the language of instruction (online, 201010). Choose one and defend - 1 page Dual Language Curriculum: The foundation of Dual Language programs is based on a well-defined academic rationale and supported by findings from extensive research in the field, conducted with regard to both first and second language acquisition (Genesee, 199911). Such rationale owes its root to the socio-cultural theory, which stipulates that learning in an individual takes place through natural social interaction (Vygotsky, 197812); which is to suggest that the assimilation of native English speakers with the non-natives can be assisted through acquisition of a second language since it helps in encouraging natural, substantive communication among people belonging to diverse linguistic backgrounds. This claim can be further substantiated through research which states that: “academic knowledge and skills acquired through one language pave the way for acquisition of related knowledge and skills in another language” (Collier, 198913; Genesse, 1999). Enhanced dual language curriculum offers the students belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds, an opportunity to receive education in another language as well as learn and explore the second language in a shared educational environment. There were over 400, 000 dual language programs in the United States in the year 2004 and the number is steadily rising (CAL, 200414). Although a significant proportion of such programs mainly offer instruction in Spanish and English, there are other dual language programs which include other foreign languages such as Korean, Cantonese, Arabic, French, Japanese, Navajo, Portuguese, and Russian (Christian, 199915; Garcia, 200516). Lambert (199017) advocates that dual-language programs are the most advantageous alternatives currently available, to resolve problems caused by the unusual and widespread dichotomy between foreign language and bilingual education in the American schools. He further proposes that the main objective of a second language instruction is to assimilate the people from diverse cultural backgrounds with the natives and to give them instruction in English, which is the national language to assist them to mould into the country’s system, quickly and effectively. Lambert believes that the “the foreign language approach aims to add refinement and international class to the down-to-earth, eminently practical American character” (p. 324). In conclusion, the dual language curriculum helps in improving the education system and benefit everyone including the second language and foreign language learners who can avail such an opportunity within the same classrooms. Give examples of each one Bilingual and dual language - 1 page Bilingual Curriculum: The main aim of such a program is to help the non native speakers, students with Limited English Proficiency to become bilingual by fostering the development of English as well as the language spoken by their LEP classmates. The primary objective of the program is to help the LEP student to become a bilingual. The composition of each language group in a bilingual curriculum varies in proportion i.e. from one third to two third of the entire classroom. This program is offered for a minimum period of 4 - 6 years whereby students are encourage to participate in various activities right from the kindergarten level till the maximum level at which it is offered. Language arts are offered in both English as well as the native language of the LEP student group. In several two-way bilingual curriculums instruction is provided in alternate languages for instance math may be taught in Spanish in kindergarten, second and fourth grades and in English, in first, third and fifth grades (Rhodes et al., 200518). Dual Language Curriculum: A dual language curriculum comprises of four basic characteristics / features. The instruction is provided in two languages using the mainly the target language for communication on a daily basis. Only one language is used for certain duration of time. The curriculum includes a program whereby both native English speakers as well as non-English speakers participate in the educational activities, and all the students are integrated for most content instruction. The curriculum is designed in a manner to encourage linguistic, pedagogical and socio-cultural development among the students. (Garcia, Baker, 200719) Linguistic Skills Pedagogical Skills Socio Cultural Skills strict language separation equality in language distribution whole language instruction goals of bilingualism and bi-literacy heterogeneous language grouping appreciation of cultural diversity culturally relevant teaching development of self esteem parental involvement academic achievement for all children math and literature follow distinct linguistic policy thematic organization of units of study teachers as monolingual models References: Baker, C., Jones, S. P., (1998). Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, Multilingual Matters Publication, Pp. 545 - 550 Baker, C., (2006). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Multilingual Matters Publication Bhatia, T. K., Ritchie, W. C., (2006). The Handbook of Bilingualism, Wiley-Blackwell Publication, Pp. 622 - 625 California Department of Education. (1997). Language Census. Sacramento, CA Christian, D. (1999). Two-way bilingual education: Progress on many fronts. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics Collier, V. (1989). How long? A synthesis of research on academic achievement in a second language. TESOL Quarterly, vol. 23, Pp. 509-531 Crawford, J. (1997). Best Evidence: Research Foundations of the Bilingual Education Act. National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, Vol. 10 , Pp. 1 – 55 Freeman, R. D., (1998). Bilingual Education and Social Change, Multilingual Matters Publication, Pp. 244 Garcia, E. E. (2005). Teaching and learning in two languages. New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press Garcia, O., Baker, C., (2007). Bilingual Education: An Introductory Reader, Multilingual Matters Publication, Pp. 50 Genesee, F. (1999). Program alternatives for linguistically diverse students. Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence Higham, J. (1988). Strangers in the land: Patterns of American nativism. Retrieved September 15, 2007, from Rutgers University Press Hurley, J. L., (2000). The Foundations of Dual Language Instruction, Longman Publishers, Pp. 11 Kloss, H. (1971). Language rights of immigrant groups. International Migration Review 5, pp. 250-268. Lambert, W. (1990). Culture and language as factors in learning and education. In A. Wolfgang (Ed.), Education of immigrant students. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Rhodes, R. L., Ochoa, S. H., Ortiz, S. O., (2005). Accessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: A Practical Guide, Guilford Press, Pp. 63 - 64 Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Woodstock, (2010). Spanish-English Dual Language Program, accessed: February 18, 2010 from: Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) (2004). Directory of Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Programs in the United States. Washington, DC: CAL., accessed: February 18th, 2010 from: Read More