For this week's blog post, I've decided to talk about an article relating to the political side of TESOL.
My article is called "California Voters Consider Law Banning Most Bilingual Education," but it has a bit of a misleading title. When I first saw the headline, I was outraged, thinking "How in the world can they ban bilingual education?!" However, it turns out that many people want to repeal an already existing law in California, called Proposition 227, which banned several forms of bilingual education in schools. Proposition 227 insisted on pure English immersion for English language learners (ELLs). Proposition 58, which is on the ballot in California this November, would repeal most of Proposition 227, and allow parents of ELLs the choice to have their students taught in two or more languages, not just English. Under Proposition 227, the only way to get a bilingual education is for parents to sign a waiver. Proposition 58 is expected to pass, and seems to be much less controversial than the law it is trying to reverse.
I am glad that California, a state with an immense Hispanic population, is recognizing the benefits of teaching in multiple languages. With teaching in other languages banned, many ELLs would struggle to get by in their classes because they have few connections to their native language to help them understand. These students are simultaneously trying to learn language and content, which can be frustrating. Teaching bilingually can help students make connections and encourage content mastery in not one language, but two. Bilingual education is not only beneficial to children of immigrants, but also to native English speakers who want to become bilingual for the global benefits.
I would love to see an increase in bilingual education programs not only in California, but across the United States. I would also be interested in learning about different technology that would support bilingual education. This article has inspired me to expand my Google Alerts to include bilingual education and bilingual technology. I look forward to learning more about this particular area of language education.
Article: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/10/08/california-voters-consider-law-banning-most-bilingual-education/
It's hard to believe how California can be this far behind especially considering what you said about the high population of Hispanics in the state. You are right on point when you mention the benefits of bilingual education for global benefits. People today enjoy traveling. With the advancement in global travel, more people are visiting the countries they are learning the language for in bilingual education. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteConceptually, I completely agree with you. I believe all students to learn more than one language as kids, especially because that is the best time to teach a new language, not high school, like many other districts. That said, I've seen some pretty poor implementations of bilingual education. Schools that do not do bilingual education well struggle with pacing from my observations. Because they need to learn some content in both English and another language, they often run out of time and miss out on some other key content. I've had students transfer out of those schools who were full grade levels behind students who were only taught in one language. That said, I've seen schools that did masterful jobs integrating both languages seamlessly so as to not miss any other content. It's just difficult.
ReplyDeleteConceptually, I completely agree with you. I believe all students to learn more than one language as kids, especially because that is the best time to teach a new language, not high school, like many other districts. That said, I've seen some pretty poor implementations of bilingual education. Schools that do not do bilingual education well struggle with pacing from my observations. Because they need to learn some content in both English and another language, they often run out of time and miss out on some other key content. I've had students transfer out of those schools who were full grade levels behind students who were only taught in one language. That said, I've seen schools that did masterful jobs integrating both languages seamlessly so as to not miss any other content. It's just difficult.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to read this law existed. After reading the title of the article, I was thinking the exact same thing that they were trying to ban bilingual education. I am glad to hear they are trying to get this changed. This would give all students the opportunity, if they wish, to learn more than one language. I think you have a great point that this should extend to other states, not only California.
ReplyDeleteI read a article this week on bilingual education in Texas. It is so surprising to me how far behind and unprepared these states are in education for bilingual students. It is a major problem that needs to be addressed in many places. I fear this will eventually spread to most major cities (if it hasn't already) in the U.S. and we as educators will not be equipped and ready to teach these students.
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