1. English language learners need specialized instruction in both content and language. Describe in detail a program model that meets the needs of ELLs and the resources (staff, curriculum, etc.) that are necessary to implement a program well.
English language learners need specialized instruction in both content and language. A model that focuses on these needs is the Two-way immersion model. The two-way immersion program integrates language minority and language majority students. Both groups of students are working in both their L1 and L2. This program is known to be an additive program that is implemented as early as kindergarten and usually lasts 5 to 6 years making it a late-exit program. The teachers that are qualified to teach a classroom like this are those that are bilingual or are bilingual proficient, those who have acquired their immersion certification, and those who are trained in multicultural settings. The Instructional Materials that are used are materials that are in minority language and English, they use these materials as required by curriculum of study (Crawford).
There are many advantages to implementing a program like this in a school. Because the dual immersion program integrates students for the entire day, both student groups have the advantage of learning from their peers. This also gives them more access to practice speaking and working with native speakers, increasing the likely hood of social interaction outside of school. As there are advantages there is also a disadvantage. There is one disadvantage in this model and it is the damage moving would do to a child. The goal of this model is to promote bilingualism and biliteracy yet not all schools have implemented this program so students who are taken out of the program would suffer greatly if put into a mainstream classroom.
This program specializes in instruction and content that is helpful to the students. The two-way immersion program meets the needs of ELLs and offers more advantages to students than any other model. The two-way immersion program is a program I would enroll my child in, because it offers the most success.
2. You are talking to a person who expresses confusion about ESOL/bilingual education. Using any information learned in this course, describe two misconceptions this person may have, and how you would respond to them. Be sure to cite the Crawford text and class notes.
A common misconception in many parents is that they believe that immersion may have a negative impact on their child’s English language development. Another misconception is that if they enroll their children in an immersion program they will not be able to help their child because they do not speak the second language. The way I would approach this person would be to talk with the truth and try to explain as much as I know. I would show her and explain the “What Parents Want to Know About Foreign Language Immersion Programs” article and highlight the question she has shown interest in. Explaining the recent research will show her that in fact immersions experience consistently enhances English language developments. She should understand though that full immersion students’ English development may lag temporarily in reading, word knowledge and spelling while instruction is occurring. However, after a year or two of instruction in English language arts, this discrepancy disappears. I would explain that it is normal for this lag to occur that it is temporary and to be expected.
Another misconception expressed by this parent is that if she enrolls her child in an immersion program she will not be able help her child because she does not speak the second language. The way I would approach her is by letter her know that, having parental support is very necessary for this program but there are other means of helping a child without having to know the language. Parents need to provide their children with experiences that will enhance their English language and literacy developments; some way to achieve this is by simply reading to their child. They should also play games and do activities that complement their classroom learning. “Research shows that the stronger the development of the native language, the greater the proficiency in the immersion language, so children who enter an immersion program with a strong base in English will succeed more easily than those whose English skills are not as strong.” Another important ways to help a child is by communicating with the teacher on a regular basis and volunteering.
Not knowing the language should not become an obstacle to provide a child with such a great experience as learning a different language. There are many different ways to involve yourself with your child school and to help him succeed.
3. If you were working to combat the English Only and anti-bilingual initiatives in Oregon, what research study would be the fist important to present to voters? Write a description of the study and relate the study to the problem of programs that do not support students; first language.
If I were working to combat the English Only and anti-bilingual initiative I would use the executive Summary by Diane August. In this research summary she explains how teaching language-minority student to read and write well in English is an urgent challenge in the nation’s K-12 schools. She also explains how language-minority students who cannot read and write proficiently in English cannot participate fully in American schools, workplaces, or society. This however can be changed in the classroom. Oral proficiency and literacy in the first language can be used to facilitate literacy development in English (August pg 5).
There is evidence that language-minority students are able to take advantage of higher order vocabulary skills in the first language when speaking a second language. “Studies have also indicated that students are able to take advantage of cognate relationships between their first language and English to understand English words, an important precursor to comprehension” (August pg.5). The evidence presented should be comforting to people because if students are allowed to use their first language their success level will rise.
There is more successful research that indicates that instructional programs work when they provide opportunities for students to develop proficiency in their first language. There have been studies that have compared bilingual instruction with English-only instruction demonstrate that language-minority students instructed in their native language as well as in English perform better, on average, on measures of English reading proficiency than Language-minority students instructed only in English.
The studies I have decided to include are those done in the Executive Study presented by Diane August. English Only advocates need to become aware that providing bilingual help in schools will not only help our students pass their classes it will help them achieve the best scores possible. The most important aspect of voting is listening to all the fact and not becoming influenced by the media. Providing extensive research and studies will show the voters that English Only is not the way to go.
4. Choose one Court case AND one aspect of federal legislation that all teachers should understand. Provide some background of the issue and explain why it is especially important to educational equity for ELLs.
The court case I have chosen is Castaneda v. Pickard. In this case Castaneda argued that his children were being discriminated against in school because they were Mexican-American. Mr. Castaneda felt his children were being segregated by using a grouping system for classrooms based on racially and ethnically discriminatory criteria. School districts were required to establish bilingual education according to the Lau vs. Nichols ruling, yet, there was no way to evaluate the adequacy of the school’s approach. Consequently, sometimes it could result in inadequate separation. The court ruled in favor of the Raymondville Independent School district. The court did not find that the rights of the children had been violated.
Castaneda did not like the result given from the court; he felt they had made a mistake, so he filed for an appeal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of Castaneda and his children.
What makes this case significant is the change it has brought to the school system. In 1981 The Court created a three-part assessment for determining whether or not an educational program is taking “appropriate action” according to the EEOA.
The criteria includes:
1. “The bilingual education program must be “based on sound educational theory.”
2. The program must be “implemented effectively with resources for personnel, instructional materials, and space”
3. After a trial period, the program must be proven effective in overcoming language barrier/handicaps.” ( Crawford pg. 127-28)
This new standard applied to the schools gives LEP students the educational opportunities just as English-only speakers are given. This test also makes each and every teacher of ELLs a responsibility to make sure that they and the school district follow the three-part assessment. Every teacher should know about this assessment and this case to know that they are following with regulation and to know that they are doing everything possible to make each student successful.
The piece of federal Legislation I have chosen is the Equal Educational Opportunity Act (EEOA). The Equal Educational Opportunity Act was put into place to prevent unfair treatment of people who are of different race, gender, or national origin. It also provides everyone with an equal change to receive the best education possible. This act includes the education of everyone which means that programs that help non English speakers learn the same content as English speakers. This act not only provides protection from discrimination towards students but it also offers protection to the teachers and staff as well.
The Equal Educational Opportunity Act was implemented to change the face of education which indeed has changed the way ELLs have been educated. No longer is it politically correct to discriminate any students or person based on their national origin. The implementation of this act has given every student the equality they deserve.
5. What can those of us who work with English learners do in order to be advocates for our students, their families, and our communities? How can we fight against language discrimination or “linguistic racism” in order to support the native languages of our students? Address ideas for action on the personal level (as an educator- in the first person, using “I”), and at least one other level: the school level, the district level, the community level, or the policy (state or federal) level.
As a future teacher there are a lot of different ways to advocate for our students, their families, and our community. For my students I can do so many things; just being a bilingual teacher will help them. I plan to provide my students with all the help possible by reading the most recent research and implementing as much of the information I have learned in my ESOL classes. I also plan on understanding their struggles of coping with a different language and a society that is not as passionate of a bilingual society. Having been an ELL myself will truly help me keep an open mind toward the education of my students.
Being a bilingual person will help me relate with families of my students; the language barrier that has been there before with other teachers will not be there with me as a teacher. As a teacher I will try to make them as comfortable as I can to have them volunteer or become involved in the classroom.
Now in the community level that’s where it becomes a little bit more difficult but advocating for bilingual classes for community members and regular informational meetings would be a must. As teachers and community member we have to actively fight the negativity towards other language speakers. Instead of complaining about them and being negative we must help them gain bilingual status for themselves. More people are starting to become bilingual yet sometimes the classes and resources are not available. As a community we must want our community members to succeed and achieve bilingualism. We must let down our guard and let go of our linguistic racism to help our community because our children need our help and they are our future.
Providing regular informational meetings should be available in other languages other than English for the community. Many bilingual people do not attend community meeting for the fact that the meetings are sometimes difficult to understand. The language used is too advanced or the information covered may not be to much relevance to them. As a teacher providing community meetings in other language would be a priority. How I would go about this would be difficult but involving everyone in the community is a must.
The changes I have implemented have not been too drastic and I believe are manageable. With these changes more people will start attending bilingual classes which will increase the participation in the community. Having bilingual community meetings will help the participation and awareness of what is going on in a community that will help formulate a sense of unity. Students will get the best education by having a teacher that is ESOL endorsed and who is bilingual. Advocating for my students and their families is something that I will do once I become a teacher.
Bibliography
· August Diane. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. New Jersey. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 2006.