Bilingual Approaches To Language Learning: (Mary Mcgroarty)

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BILINGUAL

APPROACHES TO
LANGUAGE
LEARNING
(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.
BILINGUAL
A 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
SECONDARY
ELEMENTARY- POSTSECONDARY
BILINGUAL
LEVEL PROGRAM BILINGUAL
APPROACHES
MODELS 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
PROGRAMS
Aim 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 APPROACHES
Bilingual 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
ORGANIZATION
access 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
CONCERNS
The 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!

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