DH
The Debate Between Bilingual Education and English Immersion Programs Bilingual Education is defined as any school program that uses two languages. In a more theoretical sense it is any educational program whose ultimate goal is for the participants to be fully versed in all facets of both languages (i.e., able to listen, speak , read, and write in both languages). The definition of a coordinated, developmental bilingual approach has emphasized the goal of being equally fluid in both languages. Realistically, this has not been the goal for most K-12 bilingual schools in the United States. More commonly in the United States we are using the words "bilingual program" to describe a program that will provide literacy and content in the primary language, while building English fluency, to the point where all instruction will occur in English. These programs are label transitional bilingual programs as their ultimate goal is to transition all students into an English only learning arena. One of the down sides of these programs is that they are not maintenance (development)bilingual programs which are designed to preserve and develop student's primary language while they acquire English as a second language. Bilingual Program Models All
Realistically this has not been the goal for most K-12 bilingual schools in theUnited States. - Goldberg (1997) described an all-English program for LEP children in Pennsylvania who received a "language rich curriculum" in English in kindergarten, with 75 minutes daily of ESL. Among the above 70% of LEP students, more than a third receive SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English), which was initially designed to be a transitional pedagogy for students from a bilingual setting who were being mainstreamed into English-only classes. Current research on bilingual education for children and for adults indicates that the bilingual education approach is generally more effective than the English-only approach if learners are put into comparable programs with comparable resources. Its creator, Dave Sperling, is an outstanding example of an ESL professional who is using the Web in imaginative ways to enhance English language instruction for teachers and students. This practice is detrimental to the child's development in both languages. Arguments Against Bilingual Education The Little Hoover Commission published a very hostile and critical review of bilingual education in 1993. There have been instances where well-intentioned non-native English speaking parents or parents with a very limited command of English have been advised to work with their children exclusively in English. Some technologies lend themselves better to the acquisition of certain language skills than others. Another site worth mention is the Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) project site. Internet Resources for Second Language Learners The number of sites that provide information to support second language learning and to emphasize the importance of a second language are growing as fast as the internet itself. Ramirez (1992) reported that after one year in an all-English "immersion program, only 3. Late-exit programs differ from early-exit programs "primarily in the amount and duration that English is used for instruction as well as the length of time students are to participate in each program" (Ramirez, Yuen, & Ramey, 1991). Neither textbooks nor technology can replace the live, unprogrammed feedback and interaction of the language teacher. The persistence of the myth of English monolingualism in this country reflects the belief that English is the only language that counts and the mentality that language diversity is a problem rather than a resource.
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Acceptance Essays
