Abstract
A successful dual language program is one that appreciates and supports the cultural, linguistic, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds of the students in our schools. These backgrounds need to be incorporated into the curriculum to make sure that our students receive the same educational opportunities as their peers. The believers in immersion hold that bilingual education causes the brain to be confused - a zero sum game where learning one language necessarily trades off with the capacity to learn another one. Many against bilingual education also hold the mistaken belief that the academic skills a child learns in one language, like the multiplication tables, will not transfer and and that children must then relearn how to multiply once they are proficient in English. These beliefs may have been based on a crude understanding of how the brain works. Many more methodologically sound studies have shown that preserving one’s heritage language is very beneficial for students. This study considers how three schools in New York City that were using a dual language language model (either a 90/10 or 50/50 model) and how did not provide authentic materials and translated texts that caused the children to be confused. For example, when geography was taught in Spanish the teachers indicated that there were seven continents instead of five, as is indicated in texts from central and South America; and they refer to”tooth fairy” instead of “El Raton Perez,” etc.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Heritage, Language, English, Language, Learner, Cultural, Inclusiveness, Urban, Districts
