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Bilingualism and home language use
- 1. Bilingualism and Home Language Use Shaun Podunavac SEI/503 Advanced Structured English Immersion Methods March 19, 2018 Dr. Lisa Kempton
- 2. Sociocultural Aspects • Language Transfer: Applying knowledge from one language (L1) to another (L2). • Generational Status: Research shows that high aspirations of academic achievement in the US often fades with societal discrimination and limited opportunities, (Slama, 2012). • Native Tongue: Immigrants from various countries have differing experiences learning English. German speaking students tend to have less difficulty than Spanish speaking students when learning the English language.
- 3. Bilingualism and Home Use • Acculturation: Cultural identities that exist prior to, and are shaped by this process when adapting to a new culture, (Hagan, 2004). • Additive Bilingualism: Promotes the acquisition of a second language at the same time that all abilities in L1 are maintained, (Lee, 1996). • Cultural Pluralism: Promotes a multicultural learning experience and “ensures that all students are provided educational opportunities to learn,” (Richards, 2004).
- 4. Cultivating Home/School Partnerships • Effectively Communicate with Parents: Emails, Phone Calls, and Parent-Teacher Conferences. • Embrace student’s culture: Provide books in the classroom in different languages, multicultural projects, observe cultural holidays. • Establish and maintain respect for multicultural students: Allow ELL students to discuss their heritage, beliefs, and traditions with the class. Allow for classroom questions to further learn about new cultures to promote cultural awareness and tolerance.
- 5. Cultivating Home/School Partnerships Continued • Build trust/rapport with parents: This is a vital component of determining learning outcomes for students and addressing behavioral issues, (Christenson, 2003). • Encourage community relations with ELL students. • Coordinate with the school to host a community events, i.e., weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Services could include translators for Spanish, German, French, etc. Community services like police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel should be invited to speak.
- 6. Evaluating the Effectiveness of School and Home Partnerships • Utilize “climate surveys” to get honest feedback from parents; questionnaires should include rating satisfaction with classroom environment; effectiveness of classroom instruction/accommodations, etc. • Provide parents opportunities to view student’s academic progress. • Continually encourage parents to meet with teachers as much as possible. • Make every effort to document parent’s participation in their student’s academic performance.
- 7. The Role of Leadership in Cultivating School/Home Partnership for ELLs. • School administrators should actively ensure all personnel are following all mandates concerning Equal Opportunity for ELL students. • School administrators should ensure all ELL students are properly screened for English language assistive services. • School districts should make every effort to include ELL parents in their student’s learning objectives. • Teachers and administrators should properly address any questions/concerns parents may have regarding services for their student.
- 8. The Role of Leadership in Cultivating School/Home Partnerships Cont. • School administrators should continually encourage parents to be advocates of their student’s learning experience. • School leadership should verify each classroom’s environment is welcoming towards multicultural students. • School leadership can encourage parent participation by sending home newsletters concerning upcoming school events, holidays, and ways to contact teachers and administration.
- 9. References Christenson, S. (2003). The Family-School Partnership : An Opportunity to Promote the Learning Competence of all Students. School Psychology Quarterly, 18(4), 454-482. Hagan, M. (2004). Acculturation and an ESL Program: A Service Learning Project. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 32(1), 443-448. Lee, P. (1996). Cognitive Development in Bilingual Children: A Case for Bilingual Instruction in Early Childhood Education. Bilingual Research Journal, 20(3/4), 499-522. Richards, A. (2004). Pluralism, Equity, and Minorities and Minority Women’s Expectation to Achieve Academically. Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, 22(1), 124-139. Slama, R. (2012). A Longitudinal Analysis of Academic English Proficiency Outcomes for Adolescent English Language Learners in the United States. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(2), 265-285.
Editor's Notes
- The sociocultural aspects for bilingual students in the classroom cannot be underscored. There is overwhelming research to support the importance of such aspects inside of each classroom. For ELL students the process of language transfer is pivotal in their development of oral English comprehension. They are able to take aspects of their home language (L1) and apply it to the English language. Spanish, in particular, is a language that benefits from language transfer. There are common cognates that promote the process of language transfer while ELL students shift from their native Spanish tongue to the English language. An example is the English word “alarm.” Its Spanish equivalent is “alarma.” There are numerous examples of these cognate similarities in Spanish/English transfer. Generational status is another important ingredient of sociocultural aspects in the classroom. Economic class, classroom experience, and English proficiency are all areas that can affect an ELL student. Research supports the claim that ELL students lose motivation when they are faced with discrimination and limited opportunities. It is imperative that educators take the time to value the culture/beliefs of their ELL students. Showing them that we care is necessary to overcoming obstacles to learning.
- The cultural impact of bilingualism and home use occurs in different ways. A common process to many ELL students is acculturation. This is the process of adapting to a new culture. While learning the English language inside of a classroom, many ELL students will speak their native language at home or in other social settings. For many, this is a way to keep their native heritage intact. This is also a component of additive bilingualism. This is the process of acquiring knowledge in a second language while maintaining the ability to speak in their home language (L1). Teachers and school districts are not meant to erase an ELL student’s native heritage, culture, religion, or beliefs. Instead, they should be inviting this diversity into the classroom. When this occurs, it leads to the acceptance of cultural pluralism. Pluralism allows ELL students to maintain their cultural identity in the classroom. Teachers also set the example of acceptance/tolerance for the rest of the class to follow.
- Strategies for cultivating partnerships between the school and home should be a priority for any school district. By bringing the parents into the learning process of the student, it creates a better atmosphere. One of the best ways to cultivate this relationship is for teachers to effectively communicate with each ELL student’s parents. By sending regular emails, phone calls, or requests for face-to-face meetings, teachers are better suited to keep parents abreast of what is happening with their student. Embracing the culture of the family is another way to promote this partnership. Having multicultural books in the classroom that students can share with their parents shows the school cares about their cultural identity and needs. Also, by showing respect and acceptance towards an ELL student’s culture, it promotes a positive learning environment for the student and demonstrates respect to the family. Giving an invitation for the family to come to the classroom and speak to the class about their culture/beliefs also helps to forge a partnership between the home and school.
- As with any relationship, trust and rapport must be established between the school and the parents. This is a process that may take some time, but it is essential in a successful partnership between the school and home. Showing genuine care and concern for the needs of an ELL student helps to build trust within the student’s family. Schools should also encourage community outreach with ELL families. An example is hosting community events at the school. Including translators builds cohesiveness between the parents and teachers, which goes back to the first point of trust and rapport. The school can decide how often to hold these events, and invite guest speakers (i.e. emergency services personnel) to speak at these events. This is a way to engage the ELL families into the community to develop a sense of belonging within their surroundings.
- There are also different strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of school and home partnerships. One way is to send “climate surveys” to the family to obtain feedback about the services the school provides. This should include as many areas as possible to determine the satisfaction of the families and to obtain feedback on ways they can improve. Educators should take the time to keep parents aware of their student‘s academic progress. If a student is struggling, this information can help parents and teachers collaborate to find the best measures to aid the student. Also, parents like to know when their students are performing well. Teachers should continually encourage parents to meet with teachers as much as possible. Establishing an “open door policy” is a great method to initiate regular communications. This policy allows teachers to meet formally or informally to discuss their child’s academic process.
- The leadership inside the school has an important role in cultivating partnerships between the home and school. First, they should ensure that all teachers are strictly adhering to all state and federal laws concerning Equal Opportunity. There should be zero tolerance for any cases of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, or religion. Leadership should also ensure that all ELL students are properly screened for English language assistive services and are placed in the corresponding programs to develop their English language proficiency. Any questions or concerns a parent may have concerning their student should be immediately addressed by the leadership and teachers. Resolving any problem a parent may feel is present is necessary to building a lasting relationship between the school and the home. It is vital that school leadership does everything within its power to obtain and keep the trust of the family.
- School administrators should also encourage parents to be advocates of their student’s learning experience. Keeping the family involved in the child’s academic performance will help in that student’s success. There are various ways that schools can encourage parent participation. Sending home newsletters about important upcoming events is a good way to encourage this partnership. Knowing important test dates, progress/report cards, and school contact information all promotes a solid relationship between the school and home. Leadership should also continually observe classrooms to verify that the environment is welcoming towards multicultural students. Showing ELL students and their families that we appreciate and respect their cultural beliefs is critical to building a lasting, healthy relationship between the school system and the home.