In today’s society millions of students speak hundreds of
languages, which generates multiple misunderstandings and, unfortunately,
creates isolation and segregation for many English Language Learners. In
today’s society is a big controversy whether these students should be placed in
bilingual or “English-only” programs.
Statistics have shown that Hispanic students who dropped out of
bilingual programs were less likely to complete high school than those who were
in English-only programs. This led to an emergence of an English-only movement
because people feel as if bilingual education threatens the presence of English
as the nation’s primary language. I personally believe that English Language
Learner students will not be able to grasp a curriculum if it is taught in a
language that they do not understand. A mix of both their native language and
English should be utilized in the student’s daily school life. It is the jobs
of these students’ teachers to make sure that their students are being provided
for to meet their maximum potential. They must use a variety of instructional
strategies to satisfy ELL students’ needs such as, hands-on activities and cooperative learning groups. There are two different approaches that
schools can utilize when implementing a bilingual education program. They are the
transitional approach, where students are taught in their native language first
and then gradually transition to English, and the maintenance approach, where
students are taught in both languages and ideally occurs throughout their
entire educational career. I believe that the maintenance approach would be the
most effective because students are enhancing both languages and no just one.
Their native language should not be strayed away from, but rather develop as
much as their new language, English.
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