Collier and Rodriguez (Part 1)

According to Collier, “On first hearing about bilingual education, everyone immediately wants to know the method of teaching…A bilingual teacher learns how to become a teacher first of all…Differences, however, are created by the two major variables of language and culture.  How the two languages are used in the classroom is one aspect of methodology…To oversimplify, there are three major models in actual practice in the United States today: transitional, maintenance, two-way enrichment.  As in all education, politics and ideology are expressed by the selection of a given model” (228).

Is anyone else bothered by Collier’s assertion?  Is it true that “as in all education, politics and ideology are expressed by the selection of a given model?  Thus, through the examination of each methodology, I plan to ‘unpack’ the contention by reviewing the system for categorizing various theoretical models of bicultural education.  Noting, a paradigm is presented for examining the congruence between the theoretical model, teachers' beliefs and actual classroom practices to determine the effectiveness of a bicultural language program. Recent political and policy initiatives have brought about dramatic shifts in policies for educating language minority children and bilingual education programs in the United States.  Please view the video on the Bilingual Education Act.

These policy shifts stem from struggles over social dominance among cultural and ethnic groups within the larger society. The ideology of cultural and linguistic assimilation and the relative power and status of speakers of different world languages among mainstream, immigrant and minority populations have spawned conflicting social and political agendas that play themselves out in the public schools. So, maybe Collier was not that far off?

Let’s examine each model ...

Information is provided from http://home.grics.net/~jhv/201_Website_S_08/BilingualEducation.html.

Transitional bilingual education (TBE):

•         The goal is to prepare students to enter mainstream English classrooms (a transition usually completed within two or three years) by providing a portion of instruction in children's native language to help them keep up in school subjects, while they study English in programs designed for second-language learners.

•         The bulk of federal Title VII grants must support this approach, requiring only that some  amount of native language and culture be used.

•         TBE refers to a range of approaches from stressing native-language development to nothing more than the translation services of bilingual aides.

•         Studies have shown that English is the medium of instruction from 72 to 92 percent of the time in TBE programs.

•         TBE is referred to as a compensatory model meaning it is compensating for students' needs or as subtractive bilingualism attempting to replace a child's native tongue with English as quickly as possible.

•         TBE is associated with low level of proficiency in both languages and underachievement in school.

Maintenance or developmental bilingual education:

•         The goal is to preserve and enhance students' skills in the mother tongue while they acquire a second language.

•         Maintenance bilingual education is considered an enrichment model, adding to students' linguistic abilities or additive bilingualism, continuing the development in both languages.

To be continued...