Being Bilingual In High School

Introduction Research question: ‘What role does bilingualism play in educational development? Hypothesis: In my opinion bilingualism plays a major role in the educational development of children. This is because research has shown that children who are fluent in their home language are more successful in learning a second language. Furthermore, being bilingual offers greater sensitivity to language, more flexibility in thinking and better ear for listening. It also improves a child’s understanding for the native language. Moreover, knowledge of other languages increases a career of opportunities offering several job options.

Bilingualism is the ability to With successive bilingualism a child has the advantage of their first language as a base. They use this to both analyze and develop the second.  For example, the child knows that language is organized in a particular order.  The more mature a child is they also have a better vocabulary base, acoustic perception, and comprehension. Therefore they would make fewer errors in a second language.

Compared to other Countries, America stands less developed in bilingual abilities due to language requirements taught within our school systems curriculum. Being bilingual is an important skill to have in America, with multiple different prominent languages spoken within our country other than English, we are constantly surrounded by language. The

Most people who come from a family that is not from the United States of America or England do not know how to speak english. When those certain families migrate to the U.S.( if they choose to) or any other country that doesn't speak their native language decide to start a family, the children who they give birth to and raise are going to be able to speak both their native language and the language that is spoken where they live.Being bilingual can help you by opening up more job opportunities, having the pleasure of accessing more than one culture and it can improve your multi-tasking skills.

Figure 1 Window of Opportunity http://www.yakacademy.com/ Figure 1 shows the prime window of opportunity to acquire a language. The peak age for language absorption is around five years old. So, the most important time for students to be enrolled in foreign language classes is kindergarten. “However, just 15 percent of U.S. public elementary schools offer any foreign language instruction” (Chandler 1). Students are missing out on the ability to more easily learn another language. If students have to wait until high school, learning a foreign language becomes a laborious task due to the stage the brain is in.

We learned in our text that the development of language is a complicated process that involves phonemes, morphemes, syntactic development among several other factors (Siegler, DeLoache, Eisenberg & Saffran, 2014, p. 218). Proper and effective development of these language skills has been shown to have a critical learning period that enables successful fluency of a language; this period usually occurs between the ages of 5 and puberty (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 220). I believe that this critical period is the backbone of the argument against bilingual education. Proponents of this argument believe that the sooner a child is immersed in the new language, the better off they will be with regards to mechanics and use of that language.

I stare mesmerized at the Fourth of July fireworks exploding colorfully overhead and struggle to form an intelligible sound. Gurgling and sputtering, I finally spit out the French word “violet” as if by magic. My first word.

Importance of Being Bilingual Being bilingual will not only help you communicate with others but also give you many different opportunities. Being bilingual is just not about speaking another language but also learning the culture that comes with it. From the new language you will learn about other traditions, music, food, and overall the way others speak and express themselves. Another thing you can acquire from being bilingual is the chance of getting a better job and develop professionally better. Studies also show that bilinguals express themselves better and that it’s better to start learning a second language at an early age. There is doubts about teaching a children a second language because some people believe that if they teach them a second language at an early age it can cause confusion in the child, and they will end up not being able to learn either one correctly. This information has not yet been proven what studies have shown is the complete opposite which is that a bilingual person has a higher possibility of being successful than a monolingual.

In the history of the United States, we have always embraced the remarkable mix of cultures and languages that come to us from all over the world. One area in which this remains true is education. Bilingual education finds its roots as early as the 17th century, when the first English settlement of Virginia was established, and Polish settlers arrived (Goldenberg, Wagner). “From its colonial beginnings, bilingual education in the United States has existed in one form or another to the present day, with a brief interruption during and right after World War I in the wake of virulent anti-German sentiment and a more general nativist opposition to the use of non-English languages” (Goldenberg, Wagner). The persistence of this method of learning is quite telling as to its effects; if they were not beneficial, the method would no

English Language Learners: Bilingual Education Vanielle Williams Letourneau University Abstract English Language Learners are children whose primary language is not English. This paper will include important topics such as: strategies for classroom teachers, How to adjust classroom instruction, and facilitating language learning. This will help guide new and existing teachers in the ELL process.

Language is an important part of our lives. I remember when I arrived to USA I could speak a little English. I went to school to improve my language, reading and writing skills; even now I am learning my second language, without English I cannot survive in this new environment. Now I am raising my own kids and I want them to have this important skill, this privilege of knowing a second language, language of their parents and grandparents. By looking at studies of bilingual children, research shows how important it is for a child to learn a second language. Raising a bilingual child is a benefit because it improves social skills, academic proficiency, introduces child to a different culture, and prepares for the future.

Once you learn a second language well enough, it is said that learning a third or fourth is easier (2). Two languages are better than one. Also, luckily for second language learners, two significant by-products of bilingualism are better cognitive skills and longer attention spans (4). Having those two elements would greatly help with testing, especially standardized exams. Knowing more than one language also increases your job opportunities. Employers are constantly showing interest in bilingual workers. Its beneficial because not everyone who lives in the United States speaks English. It appeals to employers because it makes you seem smarter. Also, as stated above many high schoolers don’t retain the language. Since the 1960s, studies have shown that the best time to begin the study of a foreign language is in elementary school (3). Because children at this age show a better mental flexibility, more creativity, divergent thinking skills, and improved listening and memory skills, kids are able to process language early

Taylor Tayfel Mr. Ramlow English 12CP Period 6 20 March 2015 Learning a Second Language: How Late is Too Late? I have taken four whole years of Spanish and the only thing I know how to say is, “¿Hola, cómo estás?” Research shows that the best time for a person to learn a second language is during the early years of childhood, before the child hits puberty. If this is the case then why do most schools start teaching a foreign language in middle school, after most kids have hit puberty. Some believe that there is not enough money and time to start teaching foreign language during early childhood, but others say this isn’t the case. In order for a person to become fluent in a second language and help us succeed as a nation the person should start learning a second language in elementary school.

According to Crago, Genesee, and Paradis (2011), amount of second language exposure at home, school, and the community is critical for language development (p.84). This means that it is important for bilingual children to be exposed to an environment where it supports their language development and makes an impact to their development trajectories. As children become familiar to more than one language, they also start having communicated proficiency errors in the way they talk with others (Crago et al., 2011, p.115). For example, grammatical morphemes and language mixing are some errors children make. Children also become familiar with another language depending on the help they get from their psychological and social factors. Another thing

Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantage of this outweigh the disadvantages? INTRODUCTION 1 A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe reveals the importance of learning a foreign