I really enjoyed our class with Mr. Bud Larievy. I learned so much history of the development and issues in English language learning in the U.S. and issues of bilingual education. I appreciate him sharing and informing us of the statistics and his personal experience with immigration and English language learning. The movie he showed us entitled, "Speaking in Tongues" was a great documentary to illuminate and bring to life English language learning and bilingual education.
Up until this class, I did not know what bilingual education meant. I had a foggy sense that it meant speaking two languages (English and the native tongue) to gain proficiency in one, mainly, English. Viewing the students from the film in their bilingual schools and classroom I saw that bilingual education meant teaching two languages so that students are proficient in more than one language, while also strengthening their English language skills. This may seem naive, but I wonder how many other people are unclear on what is meant by bilingual education and its purpose. Up until this video, I do not think I would be a supporter of bilingual education because I did not see the value in utilizing two languages to teach one. Now I see the tremendous value of being multi-lingual as a important goal of educating students as global citizens and change makers of the world.
Any thoughts? Please share.
Nathalie
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