Strategies for Multilingual Education - Essay Example

Multilingual Education Introduction Bilingual education is a common aspect of the education system in various parts of the world. Teachers find it difficult to establish an unbiased criterion for handling children who speak English as a second language. In addition, most of the training given to teachers focuses on providing them with skills that promote general education. Teachers lack the skills needed to handle language diversity in American classes. Language diversity is a familiar aspect of American education. It results from the high rates of immigration of individuals into the United States. The education system should therefore, establish mechanisms of enhancing bilingual education within the curriculum. This initiative enables children to relate their first languages with English. Moreover, it facilitates the learning process through an anti-biased approach of learning English. Bilingual Education There are some changes in the demographics of schools in United States. The population of children who speak English as a second language is increasing tremendously in various schools across the United States (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). There is a pressing need for the education controllers to establish appropriate ways of handling this increase of second language learners in schools. Bilingual education entails an education system that comprises of learners with diverse language. English is the first language in United States. Most learners should possess comprehensive knowledge of the English language to enhance their understanding of various concepts in class. The main foreign language akin to learners in the United States is Spanish (Adamson, 2005). There has been tremendous increase in the number of immigrants from Spain into United States since 1960. This immigration contributes to the presence of Spanish speaking children in various schools across the United States. Teachers experience a great deal of trouble when handling children who have difficulties expressing themselves in English(Fuller, Bridges & Pai, 2007). Teachers should establish strategies that espouse the learning of the English language within schools. Bilingual education promotes cultural diversity in the country and enables individuals to appreciate their language regardless of the differences that emerge between the American culture and their cultures. Moreover, it promotes an un-biased learning environment for children, which is essential in promoting education among the diverse racial composition of United States (Ginn, 2008). Anti-bias strategies Teaching children with varying language backgrounds is tasking for teachers across the country. Teachers experience trouble establishing a close relationship between children who speak English as a second language and the natives. Teachers should develop an effective teaching strategy that facilitates learning in schools. Anti-biased approaches in teaching enable children to learn the English language effectively (Mottely & Randall, 2009). There are various strategies of establishing an un-biased learning environment in schools. Encouraging children to earn English is the first approach, which is crucial in achieving effective teaching criterion. Encouraging the Spanish children to study English enables them to see the wide perspective of learning the language (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). In addition, it enables the children to emphasize on the use of appropriate English pronunciations and writing skills, which facilitates the learning process. There are various methods of encouraging children to emulate the English language such as giving incentives for appropriate pronunciations and improved performance. The children also feel determined to learn the language due to the support provided by the teacher (Sinagatullin, 2003). Involving the Spanish children in the learning process promotes effective learning of the English language. The teacher ensures equality when asking questions to the class to promote uniformity in the learning process. Moreover, the teacher ensures maximum participation of all individuals in class activities. This balanced participation in class instils a feeling of appreciation among foreign children, which is crucial in eliminating biasness in class. In addition, students feel appreciated regardless of any language differences that may exist (Sinagatullin, 2003). The teacher promotes equality in the learning process by providing the children with equal opportunities to answer questions. In addition, the Spanish children are able to express themselves in class. Enabling foreign children to participate in class activities enhances their confidence levels when communicating in English. The teacher is also able to identify various mistakes in the children’s spoken and written English. It also provides learners with freedom of expressing in English language. The other children can also correct them whenever they make pronunciation mistakes when communicating in English. Balanced participation of the children in class activities encourages interaction among learners, which is crucial in enhancing communication in class. It also enables the children to appreciate each other’s culture and language differences (Ginn, 2008). This balanced participation approach facilitates learning of English language among the foreign learners. The desire to participate effectively in class activities motivates learners to study more on the English language. Direct interpretation is an anti-biased strategy that is useful in facilitating learning in schools. The teacher asks the Spanish children to answer questions in their first language and then interpret it in English. This criterion enables the children to establish a relationship between their native language and English, which is crucial in enhancing the learning process. The children are also able to study English among their classmates effectively regardless of the language differences. This approach also enables the native children to establish the minor difference between Spanish and English Languages. The strategy enables the Spanish children to incorporate their first language in the learning process, which enhances their understanding of the context (Mottely & Randall, 2009). Direct interpretation also enables the foreign children to appreciate their culture in the new learning environment. It also facilitates the process of learning the English language. The learners are able to relate various aspects of their first language to those in English language. This direct interpretation approach eliminates biasness among learners by encouraging them to appreciate the new language. In addition, the children establish a connection between the two languages easily, which is crucial in eliminating biasness in the English language learning process (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). Focusing on the context enables the teacher to establish uniformity in the learning process. The teacher focuses on the topic of study and ensures that all the children are in line with the teaching approach (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). The teacher should avoid uttering words that indicate language differences in class especially in situations where a foreign student fouls during the lesson. This strategy ensures that all children understand the context appropriately without any bias. It also prevents the other children form identifying abnormalities in the Spanish language. This approach of focusing on the class context ensures that all the children appreciate their language differences during the learning process. In addition, it eradicates discrimination among foreign learners in the English language class, which is essential in promoting an anti-biased multi-lingual learning environment. Another strategy is the use of examples to illustrate how a person can learn a foreign language easily (Adamson, 2005). The teacher should use real examples to establish effective methods of learning the English language. The use of real individuals in the class or school enables the Spanish children to embrace the process of learning English language effectively. It also promotes an un-biased approach of teaching individuals with language diversity (Ginn, 2008). The teacher can also use Spanish language in some instances during the learning process. This enables the children to appreciate language diversity in class. This approach promotes an unbiased learning process in class. The teacher also encourages the other children to involve other children in the discussion groups. Discussion groups promote interaction among the children, which is crucial in the English learning process. The foreigners relate with other members of their class effectively (Ginn, 2008). This interaction creates an unbiased learning environment for the Spanish-speaking children. References Adamson, H. (2005). Language minority students in American schools (1st ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates. Driscoll, A., & Nagel, N. (2008). Early childhood education, birth-8 (1st ed.). Boston, Mass.: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Fuller, B., Bridges, M., & Pai, S. (2007). Standardized childhood (1st ed.). Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. Ginn, J. (2008). Bilingual education (1st ed.). Detroit: Thomson Gale. Mottely, J., & Randall, A. (2009). Early education (1st ed.). New York: Nova Science Publishers. Sinagatullin, I. (2003). Constructing multicultural education in a diverse society (1st ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Read More