Friday, July 31, 2009

Bilingual Friday: Pros and Cons of ESL and Bilingual Education Programs

I recently read an article comparing bilingual education and the ESL program. You can read it over at Bright Hub.

I think both sides of this argument have merit.

Immersing children in a 'foreign to them language' can help them pickup more of the local culture and ways of their new country as well as teach them a new language.

At the same time, letting them see that their own language and culture have a place in their new home is important too.

Why can't schools do both? Not only will it benefit the children from other countries, but it will help those who are native as well. Everyone benefits when they understand each other’s language and culture.

With that said, I think the hardest part of these programs happens when you have children from several very different foreign language backgrounds, like Spanish and Korean.

Do you offer bilingual education in both languages of pick one?
Do you use one language one week and the other the next?
How could you work it out so every child's language is included?

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this very controversial subject here in the USA.

posted by Joy Delgado
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. I think schools should use both programs.
But I am also thinking about how to solve the problem of having students with different native languages.