Bilingual education

What is bilingual education?
Bilingual education is a form of education in which information is presented to the students in two (or more) languages. Technically, any educational system that utilizes more than one language is bilingual. This means that many, if not most, school programs are bilingual, in at least a literal sense of the word. What differentiates various programs that are toted as‘bilingual’ is the degree to which multiple languages are used. [See “Different types of bilingual education”]

Opponents of bilingual education in the United States will argue that it is costly and wasteful to educate in any language other than English, as English serves as the lingua franca of American society. Though the United States has no officially recognized national language, someorganizations and groups of individuals believe that the presence and use of ‘foreign’ languages is a direct threat to the traditional and esteemed role of the English language. [See “Pros and Cons”]

Supporters of bilingual education, however, argue just the opposite. If non-English speaking students are educated in both their native language and English, they will learn English in a more organicand efficient manner, improving both the students’ skills in English and their mother tongue. The child who is exposed to multiple languages in an academic environment will not feel ashamed to use his or her native language and will consequently be of a more receptive frame of mind to learn and master English. [See “Pros and Cons”]

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|i|  |
|c|Different types of bi- or multilingual education|
|]|*Bilingual education: Information is presented to the students in more than one language. Many educational systems and |
| |programs are bilingual in some sense, but the degree to which the two (or more) instructional languages are utilized and the |
| |structure of the programs differ greatly.|
| | |
| |*Submersion: Student is placed in an English-speaking classroom with native English speakers, regardless of the student’s |
| |level of proficiency in English. The student is expected to learn the content ofthe material taught in English, even though |
| |he or she may still be learning the language. This is not technically ‘bilingual education’, as the material is presented in |
| |only one language (English). |
| ||
| |*Two-way bilingual education: Fluent or native speakers of both English and another language are placed in the same classroom|
| |and instructed in both languages alternately. The goal is for both groups of speakers to become fluent in the other language.|
| |This form of education is most effective if implemented for a period of several years or more.|
| | |
| |*English as a Second Language (ESL): Non-English speaking students are placed in English-speaking classrooms for part of the |
| |day. The other part of the day the students are in a classroom with a trained ESL instructor, where...