In class today there was a presentation on language development. This presentation really opened my eyes up to how students develop language skills, especially Dual-Language Learners.
Observing in my classroom with my DLL student, I noticed that he was in a transitional program in which he was slowly transitioned into the mainstream classroom with only English instruction. One of the activities that we participated in in class today involved playing a card game without speaking to each other or using any form of language whatsoever. This made me think back to my observations and how it must feel for my Dual-Language Learner in the classroom. My DLL is a third grade student, but when he first started school he must have been terrified by the new culture and by not knowing any way to communicate with his teachers and with the other students. Total English Immersion programs are overwhelming for students, leaving them afraid of school and at a disadvantage when it comes to learning the English language.
Bilingual programs are more advantageous for students, and I think that my DLL would have had an easier time learning the English language if he would have been placed into a different bilingual program rather than a transitional program. He could have developed his native language more fully and transferred skills from that language to his second language.
This makes me wonder, why is more funding not going towards bilingual programs in schools? Also, why are immersion programs still used in schools if they are not as effective at helping students learn and succeed?
Observing in my classroom with my DLL student, I noticed that he was in a transitional program in which he was slowly transitioned into the mainstream classroom with only English instruction. One of the activities that we participated in in class today involved playing a card game without speaking to each other or using any form of language whatsoever. This made me think back to my observations and how it must feel for my Dual-Language Learner in the classroom. My DLL is a third grade student, but when he first started school he must have been terrified by the new culture and by not knowing any way to communicate with his teachers and with the other students. Total English Immersion programs are overwhelming for students, leaving them afraid of school and at a disadvantage when it comes to learning the English language.
Bilingual programs are more advantageous for students, and I think that my DLL would have had an easier time learning the English language if he would have been placed into a different bilingual program rather than a transitional program. He could have developed his native language more fully and transferred skills from that language to his second language.
This makes me wonder, why is more funding not going towards bilingual programs in schools? Also, why are immersion programs still used in schools if they are not as effective at helping students learn and succeed?