Diversity in the American Lifestyle of Immigrants: Language Issues
One cannot separate the American lifestyle from the droves of immigrants that helped shape it. Diversity is a part of the fabric of America that makes it unique. As a result of this increasingly diverse culture many children grow up in bilingual households. Research has found both advantages and disadvantages to growing up in a bilingual household. The controversy over bilingual classrooms first surfaced in the mid-1960s and has gained in importance as the population becomes increasingly culturally diverse. The following will explore the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism, with a focus on how if affects the educational system. It will focus on research into the growing trend that calls for the provision of culturally sensitive or bilingual materials in the classroom. It will answer the question, "What are the advantages and disadvantages of a bilingual school curriculum?" Although immigrants have formed a significant portion of the American population, English has remained the dominant language. Recently, the popular media has made an argument that the use of Spanish is quickly matching English in daily usage. However, schools are still taught in English and English is still the language
They see assimilation as somewhat of a human rights violation (Nichols, 2001). This is perhaps one of the greatest benefits of the integrated bilingual classroom. This is a key argument not only for the bilingual classroom, but also for an examination of assessment instruments. They may also experience in different languages according to the teacher (Christian, 1994). It will change the way both groups of children think about certain things. The global economy has created a necessity to gain knowledge about other cultures. One does not have as many decisions to make and staff can concentrate on the core subjects rather than the language barriers in the classroom. There are many topics that must be considered when addressing the issue of bilingual education (Nichols, 2001). This attitude begins in the classroom and with early childhood experiences. They may feel like outsiders or suffer from a lack of sense of belonging to the group (Fitts, 2006). They can adapt more easily to new situations and develop relationships more easily. They may spend so much time per day in each language. They will have to develop greater tolerance for those that are different from them. Bilingual Acquisition in Culturally Diverse Neighborhoods Children who live in neighborhoods where their peers are non-native English speakers are at a disadvantage to those who live in mixed or predominantly English speaking neighborhoods (Nichols, 2001). It is simply easier to require students to learn standardized English.
Common topics in this essay:
Filippini Gerber,
Worthy Rodriguez-Galindo,
Eslami Burlbaw,
Spanish English,
Coulter Smith,
Bridging Gaps,
Schools California,
English English,
English Teaching,
,
bilingual education,
nichols 2001,
bilingual classroom,
bilingual schools,
basic skills,
bilingual programs,
christian 1994,
souto-manning 2006,
bilingual school,
english language,
teaching bilingual classroom,
worthy rodriguez-galindo 2006,
parents play role,
bilingual education school,
jimenez filippini gerber,
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