School Placement Research - Essay Example

School Placement Research Memos Observation Memo Learn the International Language As a volunteer in a bilingual school, I have observed that the students learn English language efficiently, as this international language is important for developing their competency level globally. It is observed that the math teacher at the time teaching the students uses English. The students are able to hear the new languages from the teachers on classroom sessions. It is identified that from hearing the new language from the teachers, the students have learnt the language up to some extent. The students are also able to understand the language to a certain extent. Moreover, it is observed that some of the students are keen to speak and interact with teachers in English. This enables the students to learn the language more effectively. The teacher is also recognized to motivate the students, who show interest in learning the language. The motivated students demonstrate more interest to learn the language. Further, the other students of the classroom on observing the interest of some of the students and the motivation from their teacher also attempts to learn the language. These students also makes attempt to learn the language. This creates a learning environment in the class with regard to English language. Learning of English language is extremely important from the perspective of the development of the students. The students would be able to communicate with the people of other nations. The students would be able to communicate with people who are incapable in speaking in Chinese language. Moreover, learning the International language English is of significant benefit to the students when they would undertake higher educational degrees at foreign universities. The learning of International language is one of the key factors that lead to the overall personal developments of the students. Observation Memo 2: Students Unable to Understand some of the Instructions During the period of volunteering in a bilingual elementary school, it is observed that some of the students are unable to understand the instructions from the math teacher. The math teacher although speaks in the native languages to the students, but at the time of teaching, the teacher uses English language. The students are not the native speakers of English and are unaware of several words and phrases in English. The teacher at the time of teaching uses some of the words or phrases or others that the students are unable to understand. This creates a communication gap between the teacher and the students. This leads the students to be deprived of some of the teaching instructions. The students as a result of such are deprived of the learning outcomes from the class. The entire session of teaching goes in vain, if the students are unable to understand the learning outcomes. On account of such communicational gap, the students are de-motivated to learn mathematics as well as English from the class. It is also observed that very less number of students is keen to ask questions regarding understanding of the phrases or words to the teacher. Moreover, it is important to note that there are certain words in English that cannot be translated in simpler forms. It is also observed that at certain times, the teacher is also incapable in translating the instructions in simpler English language that can be understood by the students. This creates a significant barrier in the learning process of the students. Observation Memo 3: Educational Advancements of Students From the observation in the bilingual school as a volunteer, it is asserted that the students possess educational advancements. The students on account of the bilingual school are able to have a fair knowledge regarding both international language English as well as native language Chinese. The students having a better understanding of English are able to understand several other books that are written in English. The learning of English also lead to the understanding of several sources of learning that is instructed in English. It is important to note that as English is the international language, majority of the books and scholarly articles for the students are written in this language. The reason behind this is that maximum students can read the book or scholarly articles. It is also notable that there are several books that are not translated to Chinese language. Thus, the students that do not have proficiency in English are incapable of gaining knowledge from such sources. However, from observing the students of the bilingual school, it is asserted that the students are capable of understanding English. It is also observed that the students are able to read several other books that are written in English. In this respect, the students gain a significant amount of knowledge from these books. As a result of this, the students possess significant knowledge outside the textbooks. In addition, the students of the bilingual school that teaches English as well as Chinese possess extensive external knowledge. This educational advancement of the students is of greater benefit to them for their overall development. Observation Memo 4: Cognitive Development of the Students From the voluntary participation in the bilingual school, it is observed that majority of the students possess highly developed cognitive skill. It is identified that majority of the students possess high attention skill as well as higher memory as compare to the other schools where the learning system is based on a single language. The students are noted to be more active in judging and evaluating different aspects. Moreover, it is observed that the students are more active in undertaking a wise decision by logically understanding the scenario. Moreover, the students are recognized to be more active in solving several issues. Based on the aforementioned factors, the cognitive development of the students is ascertained. The evidences of such cognitive developments are observed from several games and other activities that the students participated in the school. The students participate actively during the class session and show higher attention in the class as well as higher memory power. The reason behind this development is the increase in the learning capacity of the students by learning new language English. The learning of new language requires a significant amount of efforts and these efforts lead to the cognitive development of the students. The cognitive development of the students is of significant importance for the overall development of the students in the present competitive job scenario. Observation Memo 5: Students have Less Interest in Native Language One of the major observations noted during my voluntary participation in the bilingual school is that the students are less interested in the native language. It is observed that majority of the students prefer higher value to the international English language as compared to the native Chinese language owing to the fact that the students with English language proficiency are able to enhance their competency level. The students perceive that English language is of greater worth and thus, provide higher importance. The students are more focused on learning English rather than concentrating of native Chinese language with the aim of improving their job prospects in the international business. This lack of interest among the students regarding learning native language is a significant threat to the language. It is also noted that some of the students do not prefer to use the native language while communicating with teachers as well as others. Further, it is also observed that the students on account of the bilingual school are weaker in the native language. Respectively, the students are identified to possess less proficiency in grammar, literature and vocabulary among others with regard to the native language. Introduction Bilingual school is a type of school, where instruction to the students is provided in both English as well as in native language of a region. The prime reason for such type of school is to ensure the academic advancements of the students along with the understanding of the international language (Ramsey, 2012). Contextually, the objective of the essay is to undertake an analysis of the five observations memos that are developed during the course of visit to a bilingual school as a volunteer. It has been observed that in bilingual schools, the students learn international language effectively along with native language with the aim of building their competency level. It is also recognized that the students gain significant academic development as well as cognitive development from bilingual schools. However, the students are identified to be unable to understand some of the instructions offered by the teachers in English language. Thus, creates several confusions among the students regarding the subject content. Moreover, interest towards the native language has been diminishing to a certain extent amid students. In this respect, the central theme of the essay is based on the learning of an international language i.e. English at the stake of native language. The prime objective of the essay is to develop and justify the central theme developed. Central Theme: Development of Students at the Stake of Native Language Effective English Learning in Bilingual English School According to Calderon et al. (2011), several bilingual schools in the world have been teaching English for better future development of the students. It is also important to note that English is the most spoken language in the world. It is also the language spoken by most of the developed and developing nations of the world including the UK and the US among others. It is also the official language of almost all the international organizations in the world. Thus, English is the most important language to be known by the people in order to undergo personal development as well as for the development of a nation. In this regard, for the development of the people as well as a nation, governments of several nations have undertaking the strategy of introducing bilingual schools that teaches English along the with the native language. It is observed that most of the countries that have developed bilingual schools with English as one of the subjects produces students that are highly effective in communicating with the language. For instance, India is one of such nations in the world that have several languages. However, majority of the schools in the nation is bilingual in which English is a compulsory language. This has leaded the nation to possess a significant number of people that are capable of communicating effectively with the use of English language. India is one of such nation in the world that possesses a significant number of people capable of speaking in English. This has led the nation to communicate with other nations effectively. Effective communication with the foreign individuals has also lead to the improvement of international trading and business. In contrary, it is also important to note that China is one of such nations in the world that has provided less opportunity to learn English from the bilingual schools and other educational institutions. Few percentages of the schools in China teach English. This has resulted to majority of the Chinese people to be unaware of English. Despite such lack of proficiency among the people regarding English, still China has grown extensively. Moreover, it is important to note that China has grown and developed more than India despite Indian people has more proficiency in English as compared to the Chinese. In this argumentative notion, it is important to assert that China has grown due to proficiency in economical policies. China could have grown more if the people had higher proficiency in English language for better international integration. In this regard, the government of China has adopted strategies to improve the proficiency of the students and the people of the nation with regard to English. The government and the people of China have established several bilingual schools for improving proficiency with English. The introduction of such schools has led to learn English vocabulary and English grammar among the students. The students are also able to learn English spellings, pronunciations and others. This has led the students of the nation to be able to communicate with others effectively both in writing and oral form. English Learning Leading to Educational Development of the Students As per Moore & Kearsley (2011), there have been evidences of English learning that has led to the development of several nations. In this regard, the prime reason for such is the educational development of the students as well as the people. It is observed that English learning has led to the educational development of the students. The reason behind this is that learning of English language helps in accessing several sources of knowledge that are written in English. It is to be noted that most of the books in the world are written in English languages. The students who are capable of reading English have the privilege of gaining knowledge from such books. Besides reading books, several television programs provide information and learning materials that are significant for the development of the students. However, these television programs are communicated through English. The students who are incapable of understanding English are deprived of such valuable learning materials. Thus, it is extremely important from the perspective of a student to understand the international language that leads to the overall educational development of the students. Moreover, learning and understanding of the International language i.e. English is also an important considering among other aspects of student’s educational advancements. In this regard, it is observed that majority of the top universities and colleges have the learning medium English. The students in order to pursue educational qualifications from such top universities and colleges for the educational development need to have an understanding of English language. It is also observed that in China alike other nations, the country has majority of the universities that possess learning medium based on English. In this regard, the students who have poor understandings regarding English bear a major concern regarding understanding of their specific subjects. It is also noted that the students who have good understanding in English have the privilege of understanding the subjects at ease without having any language barriers. Thus, considering all these it is asserted that English learning leads to the overall educational development and advancements of the students. Learning New Language Leading to Cognitive Development of the Students According to Mitchell et al. (2013), it is perceived that learning of new languages lead to the cognitive development of the students. The students who are engaged in learning more than one language not only enjoy the benefit of learning new languages, but also lead to their cognitive development. More elaborately, cognitive development is the development of an individual with regard to intelligence, decision-making ability and conscious thought process. In other words, cognitive development is the process through which an infant becomes an intelligent person. In this process, infants receive knowledge that leads to the mental development. Contextually, it is observed that by learning a new language, the students learning ability increases. It is important to note that the increase in the learning ability leads to higher attention and concentration of the students towards study materials. This makes learning more effective. Moreover, it is important to note that the learning of new languages is effective for improving the memory power of the students. This increase in the memory of the students is not only important for academic advancements, but also for the personal development of the students. Further, it is observed that the students who learn multiple languages are seemed to have developed analytical and reasoning abilities. This is because of the increase in the learning ability of the students. This analytical and reasoning mind not only aids the students during the course of his/her studies, but also supports the students at different situations. The students having higher analytical and reasoning mind are also capable of evaluating and interpreting different situations effectively. The ability of evaluating is of extreme importance for the overall personal development of the students. Furthermore, the cognitive development of the students is evident from the increase in the ability to judge and make decisions effectively. This form of cognitive development is recognized in case of the students who are engaged in multiple languages. The reason behind this is the increase in the intelligence of the students. On account of effective decision-making, the students are effective in generating solutions to several problems. This development in the problem solving approach significantly supports the students in their personal lives as well as in academic advancements. Thus, it is evident that the learning of new languages leads to the cognitive developments of the students, which is of significant benefit for the overall personal academic and professional development of the students. Ineffective Learning from Non-Native Languages Although it is evident that the learning of multiple languages leads to the overall academic and cognitive development of the students, still there are certain loopholes in learning from non-native languages. In this regard, as per Cook (2013), most of the students at young age are not familiar with foreign languages. The students are unaware of several words, phrases and vocabularies of the foreign languages. The instructions provided by the teachers in the foreign languages are often not perceived by the students. This is prominently because of the language barriers. The students on account of lack of understandings regarding the topic of the class are identified to lags behind in leaning. On the other hand, it is observed that the students who have the privilege of learning academic contents in the native language are more likely to understand the contents effectively. These students are more effective in relating the theoretical learning to the practical world. This is prominently notable in case of botany students who learn the subject in foreign language. It is observed that the students learn plant physiology of different species. However, it is unfortunate that majority of the students are unaware of the same plant present in their surroundings. On the other hand, the students who learn the same subject through the native language are more aware of the presence of these species in their surroundings. Thus, the students of native language are highly effective in relating the academic theories with the practical world. This suggests an ineffectiveness of learning in non-native languages in a school. Bilingual Schools Providing Threat to Native Language As per the view of McLaughlin (2013), bilingual schools have been extremely popular throughout the world. In this regard, it is observed that in most of these schools, the teachers instructs in English as well as in native language. The students considering the importance of English language in the modern era shows more interest in the language. However, the students show less interest in the native language. As a result of this, the students become weaker in the native language in terms of spelling, grammar, vocabulary, words and phrases among others in the native language. The student who lacks the knowledge regarding their native language is a significant threat to the sustainability of the same. The language of a community is very important aspect, as the loss of the native language implies the loss of the identity in a community. Moreover, the loss of native language also signifies to the loss of the culture in a community. Development of the Central Theme It is observed that majority of the schools throughout the world are bilingual, where the instructions are provided in both English as well as in native language. This form of instructions provided to the students is highly effective, as the students are able to learn the international language along with the native language. Moreover, it is also asserted that learning of international language is extremely important considering the opportunity that the students would derive from the same. The learning of the international language is not only a benefit to the students, but also to the nation. The students as a result of the bilingual study are more academically advanced. The students can access to more books and other sources of learning that are written in English language. The students also do not have to encounter major issue during the course of university studies or higher educational programs. Moreover, it is important to note that bilingual schools significantly lead to the cognitive development of the students. It is evident that the students develop their intelligence, logical understanding and analysis, effective decision-making, and problem solving based on the course provided by a bilingual school. Thus, the benefit and the importance of bilingual schools cannot be denied from the perspective of a student as well as a nation. However, it is important to note that the bilingual schools are accountable for the loss of interest of the students in a native language. The loss of interest regarding a native language is of significant threat to the sustainability of the language. Lack of interest in native language is a significant loss to the identity and the culture of a community. Moreover, it is observed that the students become confused on the subject contents, while undergoing a study in a bilingual school. Thus, from the study, it is asserted that bilingual schools lead to the development of the students and a nation, which is extremely important. However, this also leads to the generation of threat to the native language. Conclusion From the course of observations in a bilingual school, where instructions are provided in both English and Chinese language, it is analyzed that there is an overall development of the students. However, it is also important to note that the bilingual schools are identified to possess both negative as well as positive aspects. Positively, the students with an understanding and knowledge about the international language i.e. English are able to enhance their competency level in different areas that include decision-making and job opportunities among others. On the other hand, the bilingual schools create a threat to the native language. The loss of native language threatens the loss of identity as well as culture of a community. This is a great loss for any community in the world. The loss of a language also signifies the loss of the heritage of a community. Nevertheless, this loss can be restricted by a serious effort by the government as well as the people of a community. It is important for the government of different countries to promote the native language as well as its culture and rich heritage. The promotion of the rich culture and heritage of the community as well as their language, would lead to the development of a good image of the native language. This would influence the students to undertake interest in the native language along with the international language. Moreover, it is important that the parents should undertake responsibility of influencing their child regarding the significance of the native language. References Calderon, M., Slavin, R., & Sanchez, M. (2011). Effective instruction for English learners. Project MUSE, 21(1), 103-127. Cook, V. (2013). Second language learning and language teaching fourth edition. London: Routledge. McLaughlin, B. (2013). Second language acquisition in childhood: Volume 2: School-age children. New York: Psychology Press. Mitchell, R., Myles, F., & Marsden, E. (2013). Second language learning theories, third edition. London: Routledge. Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning. New York: Cengage Learning. Ramsey, P. J. (2012). The bilingual school in the United States: A documentary history. New York: IAP. Read More