New Study Shows Academic Benefits Of Two
Miami School Readiness Project data suggests two-way immersion is associated with faster English language acquisition and higher achievement.
Blog Post
Lindsay Rapkin
Almost five million English learners are currently in our countrys public schools, and this number is growing. Schools are responsible for providing EL students with both academic instruction and language instruction to help them develop proficiency in English. While the pendulum has now swung in favor of bilingual education, some ELs are still subject to English-only instruction. These instructional models have typically been sold as ways to help EL students learn English as fast as possible.
However, a growing body of research suggests that participating in dual language programs, which support ELs home language development, actually promotes faster English acquisition than English-dominant models. And now, a recently published study bolsters these findings and provides additional evidence of the academic benefits of dual language programs.
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Heritage Language Learners: Spanish
Latino students enter U.S. public schools at varying degrees of language literacy. Some are from families who have been in the U.S. for generations and happen not to speak fluent Spanish. Some are bilingual in Spanish and English. Some are immigrants who cannot speak a word of English, while others are illiterate in even their native tongue from lack of formal schooling.
The linguistic needs of a second or third generation Latino are very different from someone who arrived in the U.S. at age 16, says Villanueva, who has conducted research and written numerous papers on language and cultural heritage. Whatever their grasp of English, we should use their linguistic skills to empower and enrich their education and sense of self.
Dual language programs and curriculum, says Villanueva, can prompt students interest to connect new words and knowledge with their own learning experiences and surroundings.
When students make these connections, they create an internal relationship with the subject matter, new words, and culture that builds their confidence, she says. This ultimately leads to academic success.
Encouraging them to read and write in Spanish not only prepares them better for academic success in mainstream courses, it also enhances their learning skills in English, she says. Dual immersion programs work well because these students are motivated to cultivate their Spanish as well as their English skills.
What Is Bilingual Education
While bilingual education can take many forms, it strives to incorporate multiple languages into the process of teaching. For example, since there is such a large Spanish-speaking population in the United States, many primary and secondary school students can benefit from educational environments where they are learning in both English and Spanish.
Bilingual education can often be the most effective when children are beginning preschool or elementary school. If children grow up speaking Spanish as their primary language, it can be difficult for them to be placed in English-speaking elementary schools and be expected to understand their teachers and classmates. In a bilingual classroom, however, young students can further establish their foundation of Spanish as well as English, better preparing them for the rest of their education.
Of course, this works for students who begin school speaking any language as their primary language. Children whose parents have come to the United States from another country may have limited English skills when they first begin elementary school. Teachers working in bilingual education classrooms will balance their use of two languages when teaching math, science, history, and other subjects to help these students develop a stronger foundation of their first language as well as English as their second language.
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Benefits Of Bilingual Education You May Not Know
With an expanding national population, it is evident the United States will continue to grow and diversify over the upcoming decades. While English is the most commonly spoken language, there are millions of Americans who speak Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic and others. Though the U.S. does not specifically have an official language, academic institutions have often opted for a complete nix of languages other than English. This submerging strategy constantly receives mixed perspectives on potential and success, often undermining the language barriers direct impact on students social stability and academic performance.Contrary to belief, some data suggests that children learn and perform best when they are taught in both their native and target language. Dr. Ginny Torres-Rimbau, director of the bilingual/dual language Education Program at the University of St. Thomas, shares her perspectives on the unique advantages of receiving a bilingual education.
What is bilingual education?
4 Intriguing benefits to dual language education
The research is quite strong. If a monolingual child starts a dual language program at five or six years old, they are going to have substantial cognitive, academic performance and cultural awareness benefits, Dr. Torres-Rimbau shares.
Join us as we expand on these topics below.
Increased cognitive abilities
Improved academic performance
Empathy and cultural awareness
Equity and inclusion in the classroom
What Are The Benefits Of Dual Language Programs
Benefits of Dual Language
- Ability to speak, read, and write fluently in English and Spanish.
- Increased level of cognitive capacity and critical thinking.
- Increased level of academic achievement for students enrolled in the program long-term.
- Improved cultural awareness and appreciation of our diverse community.
How do bilingual programs work?
Bilingual education is the process of teaching students using two languages. Educators usually teach students in their native language in conjunction with a second language utilizing differing levels of the native and second language depending on the requirements specified in lesson plans and teaching models.
How do I set up dual language?
Add a language on Gboard through Android settings
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What Are The Benefits Of Bilingual Education
Bilingual education is immersive and helps students become proficient in both languages. A recent article in Kidspot points out that “children will certainly have an advantage in life learning and being educated in two languages.” Being bilingual opens up education and career opportunities. Students who are fluent in a second language can easily choose to study or work in another country.
Dr. Viorica Marian, Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University has studied bilingualism for two decades. In an article for Psychology Today she says, “My research shows that both minority- and majority-language children benefit from dual language education.”
To illustrate, Dr. Marian cites a district-wide Illinois research study in which Spanish-native students in a two-way immersion program outperformed their Spanish-speaking peers in both reading and math. What’s interesting was that English-native students in the immersion program also outperformed their English-native peers in monolingual classrooms.
How Much Time Is Spent In The Partner Language
Dual language programs use the partner language for at least half of the instructional day or at least two class periods per day at the secondary level. The two most common models in Washington are:
- 90/10 In 90/10 programs, students begin in kindergarten with 90% of the school day in the partner language and 10% in English. English instruction is increased each year by about 10% until students are learning for 50% of their time in each language. Research shows that the 90/10 program is the most effective dual language model because it immerses students quickly in the partner language for initial content and literacy instruction. With this solid foundation, students develop strong English skills as English instruction increases.
- 50/50 In 50/50 programs, students have 50% of instruction in the partner language and 50% in English beginning in kindergarten and continuing throughout high school. The 50/50 program model is also an effective model for students, according to research, but may take longer for students to reach high levels of proficiency in the partner language.
In all dual language programs, students are immersed in the partner language for extended periods of time to provide strong language modeling and significant practice in using the language through grade-level academic content and literacy instruction.
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What Is Dual Language Education
Dual language education is a form of instruction in which students learn literacy and content in English and another language. Dual language is also sometimes called two-way or one-way dual language, or dual language immersion. Programs begin in preschool or Kindergarten and extend through high school.
Most dual language programs in Washington are taught in Spanish and English, although there are also programs that use Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, or a Tribal language as the partner language. Teachers of the partner language have high levels of proficiency in that language. In elementary programs, students may have one bilingual teacher who teaches both languages at different times of the day or two teachers who each teach exclusively in one of the languages.
The goals of dual language education are to help students:
- Become bilingual and biliterate with high levels of proficiency in both languages.
- Perform at or above grade level in academic areas in both languages.
- Develop positive cross-cultural attitudes and global understanding.
How Do Kids Benefit From Language
Decades of research consistently find strong benefits for most learners in pre-K through grade 8 who participate in an immersion, dual-language or two-way language program. In a good program, Youre not just teaching a language, says Kathy Kotchick, head of the French International School of Philadelphia in Bala Cynwyd, PA. Youre teaching through language.
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What Are The Requirements
Interested families need to attend a dual language orientation at their school of choice . Applications to the program are completed after the orientation. If accepted, this becomes your new permanent school. Students and parents do NOT have to be bilingual to be successful in the program. This program is designed for three types of students:
Dual Language Programs: Helping Students Learn In New And Effective Ways
Finally, dual language programs are vastly different from the methods by which a student would normally acquire a new language. Students are not taking a class specifically to learn a new language in small increments. Instead, they master that language while learning science, math, social studies, and language arts at the same time. They also use the language to develop relationships with peers and teachers.
In other words, students use language in relevant and real-world ways. For example, in a dual language classroom, students might engage in a hands-on science lesson in the target language. In this way, learning becomes even more purposeful and relevant to students. They will become more invested and motivated to achieve academically while learning a new language at the same time.
To learn more about bilingual education or watch this video.
Originally published: March 19, 2019
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How Dual Language Programs Benefit English Language Learners
Learning a new language is always a challenge, but its even more so for students in a new country where the native tongue is not their own. In those situations, students are not only trying to learn a second language but doing so in tandem with their regular academic studies. Learning a new language adds to the challenges for students who may also have to adapt to a new curriculum.
Dual language programs may provide the answer. Theyre on the rise in the U.S., with over 2,000 programs now helping students as young as pre-kindergarten to learn a second language. They are one of the most efficient, effective, and rewarding ways to pick up a new tongue while maintaining their native one.
Dual language programs are also proving to be far more beneficial to English Language Learners than simply placing those students in English-speaking classrooms.
What Makes A Bilingual Program Successful
A successful bilingual program develops students language and literacy proficiency, leads them in successful academic achievement, and nurtures sociocultural integration. The level of language and literacy development for each language will depend on the goals of the program.
What is the definition of a dual language program?
Dual language programs, broadly defined, are educational programs in which students learn academic content in the partner language such as Spanish, Mandarin, or Arabic and in English.
What happens when you become a dual language learner?
As dual language learners begin to learn their second language, they may have difficulty communicating, following directions, expressing ideas and feelings, and responding to questions consistently .
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Benefits Of Bilingual Education
Education Dive defines bilingual education as “the instruction of two languages and the use of both as mediums for all curriculum.”
A dual language classroom is generally set up to have students spend half of their school day with a teacher who speaks English only, and the other half of their day with a teacher who only speaks another language. In the U.S., bilingual programs are for students whose native language is English and who want to learn a second language. These programs also serve students whose native language is not English but want to become fluent in English.
How Do I Put Two Word Documents Together
You can switch between the dialogue and the main Microsoft Word window at any time to perform additional editing tasks.
What do you call a dual language program?
Dual Language Program. Dual language program is sometimes referred to as two-way bilingual program. In a dual language classroom, half the student population is made up of native English speakers, and the other half is comprised of students who speak the same foreign language. Teachers have to conduct half of the entire course in English and
Why are dual language programs on the rise?
Learning a new language adds to the challenges for students who may also have to adapt to a new curriculum. Dual language programs may provide the answer. Theyre on the rise in the U.S., with over 2,000 programs now helping students as young as pre-kindergarten to learn a second language.
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What Does The Research Say About Dual Language Immersion
Dual language programs are the most impressive forms of education being offered in the United States, and there is a significant increase in demand for these programs throughout the country. I thought Id summarize the research about dual language programs in this blog post and include links to the longer research reports for parents who are interested in conducting their own analysis. We are excited about implementing a research-based dual language immersion program at Empower and will support parents and students every step of the way.
Summary of Research:
-Native English speakers often meet or exceed the performance of their peers participating in a monolingual program, with the added benefit of being bilingual.-Students participating in dual language programs develop multicultural competencies along with social skills.-Dual language programs are the most effective in closing the achievement gap.-More English does not mean better results in English reading or writing, for both native English Speakers and native Spanish Speakers. Test results show that most dual language schools outperform their other demographically similar schools, the state, and local school district.-There are additional cognitive benefits, including delayed onset of Alzheimers for bilingual children. Their brains are flexible and require increased levels of concentration not typical of a monolingual brain.
Excerpts from Research
Enhanced Cultural Awareness And Diversity
Learning a new language is about far more than just acquiring new vocabulary it gives students a better understanding of a new culture. They will learn about everything from societal norms to history and local cuisine along the way. Language allows us to understand each other in everyday interactions but also gives us insights about the culture of a country and its people.
Educating students to be more culturally aware through dual language programs has the additional benefit of teaching them about global leadership. It exposes students to other cultures outside of their own experiences, and help them to become more curious and empathetic about the wider world and people from different backgrounds.
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The Benefits Of Dual Immersion Programs For Kids Speaking Minor Language
Commonly called Dual Immersion programs, these programs are designed to serve children who have a minority language as their first language and those who have English as their first language, and make them all into bilinguals.
The underlying ideology of such programs is that bilingualism is a beneficial thing, and that we do not only want to foster it among children who speak languages other than English in the home, but also promote it among children who speak English at home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dle
Can my child start the Dual Language program at any age? For the majority of Dual Language programs, children who do not have a background in Spanish must enter no later than 1st grade so that they can build language skills in the early grades. The one exception to this policy is Columbia Heights Education Campus , which has a structured late-entry program that accepts students of all language proficiencies in 6th grade.
My pre-K child doesnt speak Spanish. How will s/he understand? Dual Language teachers are trained as both subject area and language teachers and make lessons understandable to all students by using hands-on learning, visual supports, interactive activities, and by teaching subject areas thematically.
We dont speak Spanish at home. Is that a problem? It is not necessary for the new language to be used at home. Dual Language teaching teams work together to make sure that your child is developing both their first and second languages from the early childhood grades and on.
How long will it take my child to learn Spanish? Although your child may begin speaking and understanding their new language during their first year in the program, research has shown that it can take 47 years for students to develop full proficiency. This program requires a long term commitment from parents and students!How will learning in two languages affect my childs test scores? Studies have shown that bilingual children often outperform their monolingual peers.
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