Bilingual Education Paper

Bilingual Education: Bridging Language Gaps

Bilingual refers to a person’s ability to communicate in two different languages. In schools, bilingual education is given in a variety of languages.

Immigrants and Language Fluency

Many immigrants have made the United States their home, with each ethnic group speaking their own language from their native countries. As a result, immigrants must be fluent in English in order to settle comfortably in the United States. As a result, schools in the United States typically provide immigrant students with the opportunity to learn school material in two languages, including both their primary and secondary languages.

The Growth of Bilingual Education

In today’s world, there are more than three million students in the United States who do not speak English. In the entire US history, the country has tried so hard to make use of education to push for realistic goals of the most different types. For instance, they use the latter for the purpose of saving souls, converting the foreign-born into being good and desired American citizens as well as giving the student an opportunity to understand their origin and ethnic background to avoid Americanization hence build up multiculturalism. On the one hand, triggered by the reasons mentioned above, establishment and growth of bilingual education have emerged to be a fundamental aspect of education. It has been a subject of discussion since the early 1960s (Zelin 26). However, being solved in those periods, the latter was designed to help the non-Americans who are second language learners to improve their performance in subjects such as mathematics, and science in general. Nonetheless, what was at the beginning, come about as transition course emerged to be an excellent program for the current students. Just to mention one example, a critical longitudinal study liberated in 1991 by the United States Department of Education realized that many schools develop learner’s native language skills, the better academic grades they achieve in the long run, the higher and the proficiency they are deemed to attain. Students as well have the opportunity to excel in literacy language (Aquino, Cristian, Valls, and Fernando 75).

The Downsides of Bilingual Education

Equally, even though this being the most effective approach to teach second language learners, just making use of two languages in a classroom setting is Anghel et al. (1207) say that it is not a complete remedy. Needless to say, the method is promoted unprofessionalism and low-quality teaching which is ineffective in any language skills. Bilingual education indeed, of course, has a lot of merits as we as its downside.

The Costly Nature of Bilingual Education

Starting with demerits, it would be effortless not to say that bilingual education is indeed very costly. It squanders more money since a lot of money is used to educate the second language learner in a bilingual class in comparison to dominant English language students. Furthermore, bilingual education programs give rise to minority language speakers facing stiff opposition in being integrated into the US culture hence they get discouraged in taking part in active learning of English. Consequently, in their effort to maintain their original identities they end up creating two different two different distinct communities, that untimely hinders them from uniting and live as one mainstream community. Ultimately, those who come from outside American end up being linguistically isolated hence lowers one’s earning potential. Lastly, presently, Zelin (31) says that there is already wider rift among different groups in relating to their ethnicity and this is brought about by bilingual education in which students are separated in diverse classrooms to be taught in their language. Kim, Kyong, Hutchison, Lindsey (236) say that the term bilingual has become label given to immigrants. The later is linked with the immigrants hence apparently using the term could refer to those who are poorly educated. But having bilingual education makes those who are undertaking to close their eyes to the challenges they face due to separation.

The Benefits of Bilingual Education

Nonetheless, bilingual education has its benefit as well. Despite the fact that the latter is so expensive, the value is worth the cost spent on it. No matter what, teaching bilingual classroom has emerged to be the most beneficial means of teaching second language learners. Thus, an alternative to bilingual is the interest which most researchers have proved to be the discouraging factors. Kim, Kyong, Hutchison, Lindsey (246) say that in any case, the learners do not understand the language that is being used to teach a given course, they are not able to grasp the content and hence it is lost entirely. Moreover, bilingualism and multilingualism indeed have become or have ever since been global norms. The US Anghel et al. (1209) argues that is among the monolingual minorities, therefore, would derive benefits from educating in exposing its students to the bilingual classroom. Lastly, despite the fact, people who lack proficiency in English are determined to emerge successful people who belong to the mainstream American society using perfect English learning methods. They can as well gain from diversified languages and being exposed to the different cultural background. They then appreciate diversity and hence understand the sense of diversity of American society.

The Importance of Bilingual Education

The American society should not only focus English as the only language to be learned but also offer other chances of bilingual education for most of its natives. They should work more o assisting students who are non-Americans to learning English to avoid any future problems when it comes to employment. When Native American students become bilingual, they gain skills that can make them assist other non-native English speaker in the classroom and other learning others, and thus Aquino, Cristian, Valls, and Fernando (82) argue that bilingual education is not something that can negatively influence American education.

Promoting Language Diversity

When the US permit bilingualism as well promotes Bilingual education, then it will allow the non-native an opportunity to learn English to live and work in the US comfortably, attend schools in English classes and employed to work on English jobs. They can as well be permitted to converse in their native in languages in public and their homes and private places. The most important thing is that Bilingualism should not be obligatory and anyone forced to adopt the same. It should be something transitional in the process which helps people transform from their previous experience into the United States culture.

The Power of Bilingual Education

Conclusively, bilingual education is a useful tool for solving problems in many areas. Nowadays global society is in need of communication skills of more than just one. Thus, bilingual education is the only thing that can save this kind of situation. As noted above education system can be made bilingual to make sure that young people are prepared to fit well in global society when they are done with their education system hence preparing them adequately to face the world.

Works cited

Anghel, Brindusa; Cabrales, Antonio; Carro, Jesus M. EVALUATING A BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IN SPAIN: THE IMPACT BEYOND FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING. Economic Inquiry. Apr2016, Vol. 54 Issue 2, p1202-1223. 22p. DOI: 10.1111/ecin.12305.
Aquino-Sterling, Cristian R.; Rodríguez-Valls, Fernando. Developing Teaching-Specific Spanish Competencies in Bilingual Teacher Education: Toward a Culturally, Linguistically, and Professionally Relevant Approach. Multicultural Perspectives. Apr- Jun2016, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p73-81. 9p. DOI: 10.1080/15210960.2016.1152894.
Kim, Yoon Kyong; Hutchison, Lindsey A. Bilingual education in the United States: a historical overview and examination of two-way immersion.; Winsler, Adam. Educational Review. May 2015, Vol. 67 Issue 2, p236-252. 17p. DOI: 10.1080/00131911.2013.865593.
Zelin, Li. The Choice of a Progressive Bilingual Education ModelChinese Education & Society. Jan/Feb2017, Vol. 50 Issue 1, p25-32. 8p. DOI: 10.1080/10611932.2016.1262184.