Bilingual Education Rocks!
by Sarah McKeown
Bilingual...Whats that?
- Bilingualism is the ability to communicate more than one language.
- Bilingual education is the use of two languages in a classroom by the teacher, students, or both.
- Monolingual is when you can only speak one language.
Why Bilingual Education?
- Becoming bilingual is easier when you are taught two languages early and at the same time.
- Students taught in their primary language are able to make better sense of the English they hear and see in print.
- Skills learned in a primary language will transfer to the use of a secondary language.
- Students in bilingual classes learn as much English and sometime more than students enrolled in all-English classes
- Bilingual education provides students with an understanding of other cultures, the ability to speak with people they could not have before, and helps them to better appreciate people from other countries.
- Solid bilingual programs build self-confidence and decreases school failure.
What does research have to say?
- Bilingual people perform better on IQ tests than those that speak only one language of the same socioeconomic class.
- Kids who are bilingual out perform monolinguals on tests of attention and cognitive control. This may have benefits in preventing Alzheimer's!
- Bilingual education programs are more effective than non-bilingual programs.
Did you know?
- The five most spoken languages around the world are: Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, Arabic, and Hindi.
- Knowing a second language could provide you with opportunities to work and study abroad.
References - look here to learn more
- http://www.healthofchildren.com/B/Bilingualism-Bilingual-Education.html
- http://www.nabe.org/BilingualEducation
- http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/bilingual/Bi152.shtml
- http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1788/Bilingual-Education.html
- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-of-bilingual-education.html
- http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/10/cognitive-ability-improved-when-bilingual/20740.html
- Baca, L. & Cervantes, H. (2004) The Bilingual Special Education Interface, Columbus Ohio, Merrill.