Peter Temes article appears to have a great deal of bias present. As the piece progresses, the bias falls away in favor of providing some interesting commentary on what bilingual education is, and why it should remain a part of the American education system. Temes brings in items that could be connected to the multiculturalism debate and he claims bilingual education “doesn’t work because it’s just a bad idea, supported only [by] ethnic blocks” (Temes 346). Temes even manages to go a step further and connects the “ethnic blocks” to a demand that has been created “for Spanish-speaking teachers and education workers” only (Temes 346). He does not elaborate about the need for teachers to be multilingual; however, he claims “that good bilingual…
All students of the American education system should be fluent English speakers. Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez, two revered essay writers both possess conflicting opinions about how bilingualism should be handled. Espada believes that language has ties to culture, and they should all be preserved; however, Rodriguez’s view of bilingualism is more methodical, he thinks learning the language used for public communication is the most beneficial method, regardless of any cultural ties that may be abandoned. Martin Espada’s view of bilingualism can be explained through his usage of a metaphorical analogy, wherein his essay he wrote, “English and Spanish are like two dogs I love. English is an obedient dog.…
According to the Society of Neuroscience, bilingualism not only improves an individual's concentration ability, but might also protect the human brain against age-related diseases (Susan Perry). There is no doubt that bilingualism brings out individual cognitive benefits. But, what about collective advantages? James Fallows effectively addresses those benefits in his article "Viva Bilingualism. "…
Rodriguez grew up in a Spanish speaking family thriving and eager to expand his education and vocabulary in the “loud, booming with confidence” English language. According to Rodriguez, bilingual educationists have strong disbelief in the idea that schools should be assimilated with bilingual education because the students lack “a degree of ‘individuality’” This sense of individuality is absent in public society because often your heritage sets you apart from most others around you.…
Coming to a new country and learning a new language sometimes causes individuals to forget the language that they were once so used to speaking. That language is the language spoken at home with family members. In elementary school, the English language is learned and this helps individuals forget that a dissimilar language is spoken at home. Being bilingual can be beneficial, but it can also raise social and emotional issues. In the texts “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “Achievement of Desire” by Richard Rodriquez the readers are able to experience how bilingualism can affect the way individuals interact.…
America is considered a melting pot of both cultural and ethnic identities; accepting the diverse languages and religions of the world. In the argumentative essay about bilingualism “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” in the book Fields of Reading: Motives for Writing, Gloria Anzaldúa writes, “So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity - I am language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself” (172). Anzaldúa believes that her ethnicity is the very thing that makes her who she is, her language.…
Jennifer, Our campus is a bilingual campus and even though I do not teach bilingual, our team works very closely with our 3rd grade bilingual classroom collaborating and planning to ensure all students receive proper instruction. I love that our ELLs receive instruction with the direction in their native language. Being a bilingual campus allows our bilingual parents to feel more comfortable on campus as well as building relationships with the faculty and staff. What a great idea for all ELL students to have the opportunity to go to the summer program that specifically aims to enrich their English learning experience and enhance their academic literacy. Our district provides a summer nutrition program for all students but what a great idea…
And if a student from another place that speaks a different language moves to a new out of country school that speaks a different language, they will not understand the language in which it was written in. Katherine McKnight phd, wrote an article about the problems that standardized testing affects non-language speaker, or the special needs, “Decades of research has demonstrated that black, Latino, and Native American students, as well as students from some Asian groups, experience problems with high-stakes testing. For many of these students, there is no pathway to success under our current test-driven system, and as a result, they are most definitely being “left behind.” (McKnight) Most children that speak a different language will have a difficult time trying to understand the test. Also children with special needs will also have a hard time trying to take the test, since that special needs students sometimes are not at the learning standards in the grade they’re in, “students with disabilities, who are often required to complete required testing in English before they have mastered the language; the chance of being suspended, expelled, “counseled out,” or otherwise removed from school due to low test scores, in an effort to boost school achievement results and escape test-based sanctions mandated by NCLB; and disproportionate misplacement of students of color in special education programs based on test results.”…
1. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, it seems to be a fact that bilingualism plays a vital role in worldwide education. It is due to the necessity of communication among people from all countries in the world so that as Madrid and Hughes (2011: 351) point out “there are more bilingual than monolingual citizens” and the number of bilingual people is going to increase considerably during the next years. Consequently, in the last few years there has been a growing interest in foreign language learning and teaching due to bilingual education has become understood as a real priority in schools around the world.…
Though the Bilingual Act has been amended and changed since 1968, it is undeniable that is has shaped the way that we deal with the needs of our immigrant students nationwide. It helped to bankroll the creation of bilingual education mechanisms in all 50 states. This, in turn, has led to the increased success for immigrant students who are now given the tools to both learn English and succeed in the US. Unfortunately, bilingual education today has transitioned from an emphasis on teaching both the student’s native language and English to a system which emphasizes assimilation and learning English as fast as possible. This is due to our state’s heightened focus on standardized tests rather than the student’s individual…
Statistics show that the Mexican-American race has the highest number of people that populate the United States, and this demographic continues to grow even more. A Mexican-American is an American of full or partial Mexican decent. My parents, both born in Mexico, migrated to the United States in search of a better future for themselves and children. Because of my Hispanic roots, and my birth in the U.S., I am considered a Mexican-American. As a result of my equivalent exposure to two different cultures, I grew up being bilingual.…
Assessment of English Language Learners The assessment of English Language Learner (ELLs) consists of a variety of practices. Different terms are used when in the evaluation of ELLs in educational settings. Additional terms utilized when conducting assessments of ELLs include bilingual assessment or nondiscriminatory assessment. Although the term bilingual assessment may suggest that the student has mastered both languages and is, in fact, bilingual, in practice the term generally refers to a student who speaks a native language other than English.…
Special Education has been at the center of high criticism for many years, but the topic of students in Bilingual Special Education is a much bigger demon to tackle. Students who are Bilingual are either over represented or go without receiving the services they need due to poor testing methods. Many students are being deprived of a quality education when they are placed in a Special Education program unjustly or if they are not placed where their needs will be met. Historically, advocates of language minority students have been severely critical of special education principally because many students with English language limitations were misplaced in special education not because of disabilities, but because of their limitations in the English…
In chapter 8 it discussed a reason why we have to teach a balanced bilingual curriculum in the classroom. The textbook “Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism” by Colin Baker expressed the cognitive theories of bilingualism and the curriculum. There are three theories that make up the cognitive theories for bilingualism; The Balance Theory, The Iceberg Analogy, and The Thresholds Theory. Within the Iceberg Analogy it broke town the 6 parts of the Common Underlying Proficiency. Also within the chapter the book did a great job of discussing the distinctions between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP).…
I love that this reading addressed one of the things that came up in another discussion board previously: the fact that we hold students to a grammatical standard without simultaneously teaching what that means. The text says, “Language issues beyond simple ‘grammar’ correction are not addressed extensively even when the assessment of student texts is based at least partly on students’ proficiency in the privileged variety of English… [students are] being held accountable for what is not being taught” (p. 640). This applied heavily to our own ENG 101, ENG 102, or ENG 105 classes where students aren’t required to look at any teaching on grammar (It’s optional, but does making that available absolve us from teaching it?), but they are held to…