Bilingual Education Vs. English Only Essays - Linguistic Rights

Bilingual Education Vs. English Only Essays - Linguistic Rights Bilingual Education Vs. English Only The Debate Between Bilingual Education and English Immersion Programs Bilingual Education is defined as any school program that uses two languages. In a more theoretical sense it is any educational program whose ultimate goal is for the participants to be fully versed in all facets of both languages (i.e., able to listen, speak , read, and write in both languages). The definition of a coordinated, developmental bilingual approach has emphasized the goal of being equally fluid in both languages. Realistically, this has not been the goal for most K-12 bilingual schools in the United States. More commonly in the United States we are using the words bilingual program to describe a program that will provide literacy and content in the primary language, while building English fluency, to the point where all instruction will occur in English. These programs are label transitional bilingual programs as their ultimate goal is to transition all students into an English only learning arena. One of the down sides of these programs is that they are not maintenance (development)bilingual programs which are designed to preserve and develop students primary language while they acquire English as a second language. Bilingual Program Models All bilingual program models use the students' home language, in addition to English, for instruction. These programs are most easily implemented in districts with a large number of students from the same language background. Students in bilingual programs are grouped according to their first language, and teachers must be proficient in both English and the students' home language. Early-exit bilingual programs are designed to help children acquire the English skills required to succeed in an English-only mainstream classroom. These programs provide some initial instruction in the students' first language, primarily for the introduction of reading, but also for clarification. Instruction in the first language is phased out rapidly, with most students mainstreamed by the end of first or second grade. The choice of an early-exit model may reflect community or parental preference, or it may be the only bilingual program option available in districts with a limited number of bilingual teachers. Late-exit programs differ from early-exit programs primarily in the amount and duration that English is used for instruction as well as the length of time students are to participate in each program (Ramirez, Yuen, & Ramey, 1991). Students remain in late-exit programs throughout elementary school and continue to receive 40% or more of their instruction in their first language, even when they have been reclassified as fluent-English-proficient. Two-way bilingual programs, also called developmental bilingual programs, group language minority students from a single language background in the same classroom with language majority (English-speaking) students. Ideally, there is a nearly 50/50 balance between language minority and language majority students. Instruction is provided in both English and the minority language. In some programs, the languages are used on alternating days. Others may alternate morning and afternoon, or they may divide the use of the two languages by academic subject. Native English speakers and speakers of another language have the opportunity to acquire proficiency in a second language while continuing to develop their native language skills. Students serve as native-speaker role models for their peers. Two-way bilingual classes may be taught by a single teacher who is proficient in both languages or by two teachers, one of whom is bilingual. ESL Program Models ESL programs (rather than bilingual programs) are likely to be used in districts where the languageminority population is very diverse and represents many different languages. ESL programs can accommodate students from different language backgrounds in the same class, and teachers do not need to be proficient in the home language(s) of their students. ESL pull-out is generally used in elementary school settings. Students spend part of the school day in a mainstream classroom, but are pulled out for a portion of each day to receive instruction in English as a second language. Although schools with a large number of ESL students may have a full-time ESL teacher, some districts employ an ESL teacher who travels to several schools to work with small groups of students scattered throughout the district. ESL class period is generally used in middle school settings. Students receive ESL instruction during a regular class period and usually receive course credit. They may be grouped for instruction according to their level of English proficiency. The ESL resource center is a variation of the pull-out design, bringing students together from

What Did You Do This Summer College Interview Question

What Did You Do This Summer College Interview Question When answering a college interview question about your summer activities, no one is expecting you to be busy every day of the year. Summer is indeed a time to recoup after a busy academic year. Students who treat summer like an 80-hour-a-week job are setting themselves up for burn-out. That said, your interviewer will want to see that you did something productive in the summer. Youll want to show that you seek out meaningful and enriching experiences. A question about your summer activities has similarities to a question about  what do you do in your free time.  Summer, however, is a lot more substantial than a few free hours on the weekend, so your interviewer is going to be looking for something meaningful that youve accomplished during those months off from school. Strong Answers to a Question About  Your Summer Activities Your answer to the question, of course, is going to depend entirely on what you did in the summer, but work to identify a few meaningful activities from your summer break before you set foot in the interview room. Some activities that  will  sound good to your interviewer include: Travel.  Did you go somewhere interesting? A national park, historic site, cultural center, or some other destination that expanded your world view or opened your eyes to new experiences?Reading.  Your interviewer wont want to hear that you spent the whole summer indoors with your face buried in books, but they love to hear about reading. Students who read a lot tend to do well in college. You may even find that your interviewer asks you to recommend a good book.  Work.  Whether you helped on the family farm or cleaned dishes at the local eatery, students who work reveal a level of maturity and responsibility that will impress the admissions folks. Your summer may not be as exciting as a trip to Europe, but colleges truly do value work experience.Entrepreneurship.  This could be related to work, but youll certainly make a good impression if you started your own lawn mowing business, developed a useful app, or did something else that reveals creativity, confidence, and motiv ation.Volunteerism.  Community service and volunteer work play an increasingly important role in the college admissions process, and summer is the ideal time to do meaningful volunteer work. Education.  Did you attend a summer engineering or creative writing camp? Did you take a class at the local community college? Needless to say, colleges want to enroll students who like to learn. Weak Answers to a Question About Your Summer Colleges will want to see that youre not the type of student who lets three months go by without doing anything productive. Answers such as these are not going to impress anyone: I built a really cool world in Minecraft. Good for you, but realize that a lot of students fail out of college because they give video games priority over all else; three months staring at the computer screen represents a rather anti-social- even if multiplayer- and unproductive use of time.  I was burned out from school, so I relaxed. For three months? Also, dont highlight academic burn-out in your college interview. Sure, it happens to most students, but such an answer also sends a message that you get overwhelmed by school work. This isnt what you want to tell a college admissions representative.I hung out with my friends. Having friends is good. Colleges want to admit friendly students who build meaningful relationships with others. But what exactly did you do with your friends? Develop this reply to explain the meaningful activities you did with your friends. Ideally, you did something more productive than cruise the local shopping mall. The list could go on, but you get the idea. Answers that suggest you let the summer slip by without doing anything to enrich yourself or help others arent going to impress anyone. A Final Word About Summer Activities Your answer to the question will obviously be unique to your own interests and activities, and thats largely the point here- make sure you are telling your interviewer about summer experiences that have helped make you the person you are. Show that when you are given the time, youll do something meaningful and productive. In short, show your interviewer that youre the type of interesting, curious, hard-working, motivated person who will contribute to a campus community in positive ways.