BILINGUAL APPROACHES TO

LANGUAGELEARNING

(MARY MCGROARTY)

Rona R. dela Rosa

• Bilingual Approaches to Language Learning

describes the various bilingual models found at

different levels (elementary, secondary, post-secondary

and adult education), identifying key instructional features and emphasizing

the drive for quality instruction.

In many parts of the world, the attainment of proficiency in two or more languages is viewed as a highly desirable

goal. Sometimes the development of bilingual

skills takes place outside the bounds of formal education,

impelled by individual factors in sociocultural

context.

The emphasis here is on understanding how

two(or more) languages are used within an

educational system to promote the goal of

bilingual proficiency for enrolled students.

BILINGUALA person who has age-

appropriate language skills in two languages, though the nature and extent of skill in

each language will vary according to many individual

and situational influences.

BILITERATE

Able to read and write in two languages.

(Hornberger and Skilton-Sylvester 2000)

BILINGUAL EDUCATION APPROACH

Is one in which two languages are used as

media of classroom instruction for the same

group of students.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM BILINGUAL APPROACHES?

Any student has a potential to benefit from a bilingual approach to instruction as

long as the particular approach chosen suits the

student’s linguistic situation and provides good quality

instruction.

Bilingual education is not only for recent immigrants;

there are particular approaches aimed at

monolingual students who speak only the majority language and wish to

develop strong proficiency in another language (TESOL

1992).

Linguistic majority students-students whose native

language is that spoken in the larger national community

Linguistic minority students- students whose native

language is not the same as that used in larger national

community.Bidialectal students- students

who regularly use a dialect different from the standard.

Bilingual approaches are potentially useful for any

student at any educational level. However, their appropriateness and

feasibility for particular instructional levels and

settings varies and depends in part on school-related

factors and in part on matters of the social context

surrounding the school.

BILINGUAL APPROACHES:

PROGRAM TYPES

ELEMENTARY- LEVEL

PROGRAM MODELS

SECONDARY BILINGUAL

APPROACHES

POSTSECONDARY BILINGUAL APPROACHES

ELEMENTARY-LEVEL PROGRAM MODELS

EARLY- EXIT

LATE-EXIT

IMMERSION

PROGRAMS

EARLY-EXIT OR TRANSITIONAL

Usually developed to serve young students who are recent

immigrants to a new country. It aims to use two languages for

classroom instruction up until the point at which children have developed sufficient oral and literacy skills to receive all

classroom instruction in their second language.

Early-Exit programs always include oral use of

the children’s native language in the

classroom; they may or may not include the active teaching of literary skills in the children’s native

language.

Goals:To ensure mastery of grade-appropriate academic content

Facilitate the speedy acquisition of the dominant

language so that children can move into mainstream

classrooms within three years of program entry.

LATE-EXIT OR MAINTENANCE

Aim to serve young students who are either immigrants to a country or who are members of relatively large groups

within a country and who speak a native language

different from the dominant one.

GOALS:

Development of literacy skills in both the native language and second

language.Development of academic

literacy skills in both languages theoretically

continues for the duration of the program.

IMMERSION PROGRAMSAim to immerse

students in a language different from their

native language.

GOALS

Build strong academic literacy skills in that

language.Give students access to

subject matter taught entirely through the

second language

SECONDARY BILINGUAL

APPROACHES

Bilingual programs found at the secondary level are usually some

variant of early-exit or transitional bilingual programs in which the

students’ native language is used just long enough to help them make

a transition to the socially and politically dominant language which

they are then expected to use through the rest of secondary

school.

POSTSECONDARY BILINGUAL

APPROACHESBilingual programs for adults in

the United States have been developed to provide short-

term, highly focused vocational training for special population

such as refugees who qualify for special government support .

Where there are large numbers of English learners who share a

native language background, native language instruction may

be included as a part of relatively short programs aimed

at helping participants find employment as soon as possible.

FROM PROGRAM MODELS TO QUALITY

INDICATORS

Contemporary discussions of bilingual education emphasize

the match between the characteristics of an

educational program, the sociocultural context of the students it serves, and the

resources available to support educational efforts.

All these affect the nature of related teacher expertise,

choice of instructional approach, and outcomes to

be expected in any instructional programs,

including bilingual approaches.

AVAILABILITY OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL

STAFF

Teachers must be both highly proficient in at least

one languages of the program and appropriately certified to teach the grade

level or subject area for which they will be

responsible.

SOUND CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL

ORGANIZATIONaccess to the core curriculum ; close articulation of grade and

subject levels; flexible groupings;

Team teaching;Use of meaningful task ;

Pedagogy that actively involve the students in instruction;

Teaching materials appropriate in quantity and quality to subject taught;

peer and cross-age tutoring;Collaborative staff planning;

Average class size;Budget for materials and

teacher training.

APPROPRIATE REGULAR

ASSESSMENT

Good bilingual programs demonstrate a regular and

systematic approach to assessment of student

progress in all curricular subjects in the relevant

language.

MULTIPLE CHANNELS OF PARENT/COMMUNITY

OUTREACH

Determine the most effective ways to establish

and maintain links between school-level

efforts and the activities of students’ families and

communities (McGroarty 1998).

ONGOING CONCERNSThe implementation of good

bilingual education programs requires concerted

efforts on the parts of teachers, school leaders, students, and families.

It is often believed that bilingual instruction means

instruction in one non-English language only, when,

as emphasized in this discussion , the bilingual

approaches most commonly used in the United States

always involve the use of two languages, one of which is

English.

Thank you!