Faltis, Christian J. and Sarah J. Hudelson (1998). Bilingual
education in elementary and secondary school communities: Toward
understanding and caring. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Bilingual Education has many faces across America. It includes
different models for teaching bilingual education including the transitional,
maintenance, and ESL models each one with its own goals. It also
includes Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Bengali, and numerous other non-native-English
speaking.
The book, Bilingual Education in Elementary and Secondary School
Communities: Toward Understanding and Caring by Faltis and Hudelson (1998),
explores these models and their success rates in an easily understood way.
One of those models is the transitional or sometimes called early exit
bilingual education model. The goal of this model is for students
to obtain skills in English as quickly as possible. They use both
the learners' native language and English for instruction but only until
the learners can function only in English. Most programs begin when
the student enters school in kindergarten and are moved into English only
instruction and use by the third grade. This model does not show
successful communication in both languages as the result but as somewhat
successful communication in English. I say somewhat because evidence
has shown that it takes from four to nine years for English language learners
to achieve full proficiency in English (Faltis, 1998:27) while this programs
seeks to have the students mainstreamed within three years.
Another approach to bilingual education is that of the maintenance
or late exit model. The goal for this model is the proficiency in
both the learners' native language and in English, and the utilization
of both languages in the learning of significant content (Faltis, 1998:30).
Educators are seeking to facilitate the ability of students to function
in both languages throughout their lives and academic careers. Children
are encouraged to continue to learn their native language and to develop
it at the same time as they are learning English and developing it.
They are instructed in English and their native language and are taught
to value their native language. For example, this is facilitated
through classroom practices such as utilizing stories and literature from
the minority culture, promoting the inclusion of cultural forms and traditions,
and including themes for study that are relevant to students and families
(Faltis, 1998:31). This model, like the early exit one, is still
focused exclusively on the non-English speaking or minority language learners
(Faltis, 1998:31) which is not the only method available.
A model that seeks to include both non-English speakers and English
speakers is the enrichment or two way bilingual education model.
There are a number of goals for the speakers of each language, including
that each one will: (1) learn the language of the others as well as their
own language (develop a high degree of proficiency in both their native
and second languages); (2) achieve academically through and in both languages;
and (3) come to appreciate each others' languages and cultures (Faltis,
1998:32). For those that see the monolingualism of the United States
as the deficiency it is, this is the program that seeks to alleviate that
deficiency. It fosters growth for both cultures and teaches them
the value of one another. It has also shown considerable success
in the U.S. and Canada; resulting in high fluency in the second language
as well as English language achievement equal to or above that of native
English speakers schooled exclusively in English (Faltis, 1998:32).
Although ESL programs are often cited as bilingual education,
they are called English-only programs because instruction is most likely
only in English and even though the bilingual students are receiving extra
help, they are only receiving it to facilitate their abilities in English.
ESL programs are often delivered in a pullout program in which students
are assigned to mainstream classrooms and then are pulled out for instruction
by an ESL educator for a period of time, usually for 15 minutes to an hour.
ESL educators can also be sent into the classroom to help students in their
mainstream classrooms. This allows ESL teachers to provide special
assistance to second language learners. It also lowers the student-teacher
ratio, makes it more possible to break up the class into small groups,
and provides some expertise in adapting instruction to teach second language
learners more effectively (Faltis, 1998:35).
Another method of ESL instruction is that of self-contained ESL
classrooms. This method includes an ESL teacher (who is also certified
in elementary education) responsible for the classroom and daily activities.
The classroom itself is made up of a variety of English language proficiency
levels as well as native English speakers. The instruction is entirely
in English and, although students may converse in their native language,
the teacher will answer them in English. Therefore, ESL programs
are orientated towards English acquisition and use, not the use and maintenance
of other languages, even if many of them are more supportive of native
languages than mainstream classrooms on their own.
The effectiveness of all of these programs (transitional, maintenance,
enrichment, and ESL) is of importance to educators and students alike.
Researchers have found that, for second language learners schooled in the
United States from kindergarten on, the most effective program in terms
of academic achievement is the two-way developmental bilingual program
(Faltis, 1998:47). Success is also shown in late exit programs to
a surprising degree. When they compared these learners' rates of
growth to native English-speaking children on whom the tests had been normed,
they found that English language, English reading, and mathematics growth
was greater for the late exit program children than for the norming population
(Faltis, 1998:46). However, in the transitional and ESL models, the
nonnative English speakers never achieved as well as native English speakers
did on standardized tests (Faltis, 1998:47).
Five Questions that I have for the author and others:
1) What models of bilingual education are being used here in Oregon
and to what success?
2) What socioeconomic class is most supportive of bilingual education?
Least supportive?
3) How do students themselves feel about the different programs they
are taking part in or have taken part in?
4) Is there certain cultures that embrace bilingual education more
than others? Which ones and why?
5) What are some of the best ways to encourage bilingual students in
an English only classroom?
Reviewed by Heidi S. Berryman
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