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Helms 1 Alyssa Jane Helms Instructor Reyes English 102-14 24 July 2012 Cmo?

No Entiendo las Palabras de tu Boca: Unlocking Understanding Through Dual-Immersion Schooling Want to hear a joke? What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Multilingual. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks only one language? American. This popular joke, while merely shared in jest, does actually point out a common stereotype among the world population that very few Americans speak more than one language. Furthermore, it suggests that citizens of other countries are at the very least bilingual. Is this a fair assessment though? Are Americans linguistically challenged? It depends on how the data is interpreted. The United States Census Bureau reports that as of 2009, about 20 percent of Americans speak a language other than English at home (qtd. in Erard par. 3). Commonly, this is interpreted as meaning that only 20% of the population knows another language. However, Michael Erard, a linguist, points out that this statistic is taken out of context and actually only represents those who speak another language at home, leaving out those who speak another language only partially or when alone (par. 3-4). Thus there are potentially many more people who could be considered bi- or multilingual. How many more though, and more importantly, why do so many people think that Americans know only one language? Where are the language programs and classes hiding?

Helms 2 In Idaho, most language learning occurs at the high school or college level. The lack of foreign language education in the younger grades probably contributes to Americans global image; however, across the United States a trend is beginning, and it is picking up speed. The name of this trend? Dual-language immersion programs. According to Education Week, a national newspaper covering education topics, these programs have been steadily growing in public schools over the past decade or so, rising to more than 2,000 in 2011-12 (Maxwell 1, 16). These programs began with a desire to unite a student body that was divided by language (Scanlan and Palmer 391). However, their designs have grown to include helping everyone to achieve high levels of academic and bilingual proficiency, to develop their self-esteem, and to promote positive cross cultural attitudes (Ballinger and Lyster 290). In short, these programs seek to bring a diverse student population together, and to cultivate them into good students who all have equal opportunities to learn and succeed. The development of a second language almost seems like a happy afterthought. Yet it is the entire premise of the program. Susan Ballinger and Roy Lyster, professors at McGill University in Canada, explain that in order to be classified as a two-way immersion program, the student body should consist of native speakers in both tongues (a societal majority language as well as a minority language), class time should be split either equally between both languages or unequally with more time spent on the minority language, and regardless of the split in class time, both languages should be clearly separated with two teachers and two classrooms (289, 290). Everything in their description points to a language program. So how does a two-way immersion program that concentrates specifically on language learning, bridge cultural gaps? It doesnt always. In many places it is not an option for everyone. Instead it caters to those few disadvantaged students who are lucky enough to get in, and the many privileged students who are forced into it by their

Helms 3 parents. This opportunity should be open to everyone, though. These programs should be given an opportunity to work through the requirement of American elementary students learning both English and Spanish in a two-way immersion experience. First, this English and Spanish immersion should be required in elementary schools rather than later on in middle school or high school because the early start will help with speaking ability in the long run. Dr. Wally Lazaruk, president of an education consulting company, wrote a paper examining the benefits of a French and English Immersion program located in Canada in Canadian Modern Language Review, a peer-reviewed journal. In it he explained that as students finish with their immersion experience in elementary school, their secondary language skills are generally comparable with native learners in listening comprehension and reading. However, their speaking and writing skills are generally subpar, with speaking being the worst (608609). This means that in passive activities, students are more apt to perform well. However, once they are required to utilize critical thinking and act upon the knowledge that they have learned, they freeze up. This behavior is attributed to a sort of intimidation that comes with speaking a minority language and it exhibits itself regardless of [the students] language background or skill level (304). However, the case study done by Ballinger and Lyster and Dr. Lazaruks research both demonstrate that entering the program at an earlier age improves these speaking skills (Ballinger and Lyster; Lazaruk 610). This is most likely due to the increased amount of time spend with the second language. For this reason, and in order to encourage conversation and give students time to become comfortable with the foreign language, this immersion process should start as soon as possiblein the elementary schools, not later on. This early introduction poses a problem for some parents though. They feel that if their

Helms 4 child is learning a language unknown to them, they wont be able to help them with homework. This is a valid concern; however, there are ways to overcome this problem. For example, at Juan Diego, an immersion catholic school located in the Western United States, the schools principal initiated small group meetings with parents in an effort to help them learn the material they would need to know in order to assist their children with homework (Scanlan and Palmer 407). Even in the public sector, many teachers are willing to work with parents so that they can help at home. While this is an inconvenience for some, it would be an invaluable tool for those interested in their childs success. Additionally, this would only be a first generation problem. Hopefully once students have learned the material themselves, they will be able to understand it well enough to help their kids years later. Second, this immersion experience should be required for all students because it will enrich the students learning and help them in subjects outside of language learning. Learning a language teaches cognitive skills which can be applied in other situation in life. Dr. Lazaruk discusses in his paper how bilinguals are more flexible and elastic in their thinking. They see things as concepts, shapes, and ideas and dont let one word hold down an object. They do especially well on tests requiring mental manipulation, reorganization of visual patterns, concept formation, and symbolic flexibility because they have been able to make object associations with something richer and deeper than language (Lazaruk 617). Basically, they connect to the essence of what something is, rather than the definition. This is helpful when writing, regardless of the language, because bilinguals can consider multiple ways of saying the same thing and pick the one that fits the message best, in that moment. Additionally, bilinguals exhibit heightened sensitivity to verbal and non-verbal cues, and show greater attention to their listeners needs (Lazaruk 619). This is because they often look to verbal cues while learning a

Helms 5 new language in order to understand unfamiliar vocabulary. This skill allows them to be great conversationalist, as well as a very considerate person. Learning a second language also helps with the mastery of the first. Even though the grammar rules and vocabulary are different, Spanish and English actually share many of the same grammar concepts. As students try to make connections between languages, a lot is learned about the first language. This means that English grammar skills (almost an oxymoron among todays students) would become stronger as students put in the effort to learn Spanish. This is especially true as students concentrate on mastering just one grammar point. In an effort for real understanding, the original and additional languages are researched quite extensively until both the similarities and differences are easily distinguishable by the student. However, in an immersion program, students are not only learning Spanish and English. They are also learning Math, Science, History, Art, and so on. Half of the time these classes are in one language and then it switches to the additional language for the other half. This can be done on a daily or weekly basis. There is some concern in this practice that children will not be able to understand half of everything that is taught to them; especially since they are still learning the language itself. This hasnt proven to be true though. In Education Week, Virginia P. Collier, a professor emeritus of education at George Mason University [] who has studied dual-language programs extensively, and her research partner Wayne P. Thomas, disclose that their research has shown that gaps in reading and math achievement between English-learners enrolled in dual-language classes and their white peers who are native English speakers are smaller than gaps between English-learners who are not in such classes and white students (Maxwell 16-17). This means that students, for whom English was a second language, performed better in their other subjects while in the immersion classes,

Helms 6 than in normal classes outside of the program. This isnt that surprising because half of the classes were taught in Spanish, the students first language. However, Dr. Lazaruk suggest[s] that immersion students were in no way impeded in learning subject material taught in the [foreign language] (613). In other words, students were able to perform will in any subject area regardless of the instructors language, meaning that regardless of background, the immersion environment would be a rich learning area. Which is why, third, the Spanish and English immersion program should be required for ALL students, regardless of background. Martin Scanlan, an Assistant Professor at Marquette University in the Department of Educational and Policy Leadership, and Deborah Palmer, an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, completed a joint-case study on the inequalities present in two different immersion programs. At one of the schools, Medgar Evers, there is a disproportionate enrollment of African-Americans in the Spanish-English Immersion program. While the school is diverse as a whole (38% Latino, 30% African-American, 28% White American, and 4% Other), African-Americans only make up 5% of the special program, making them the dominant race in the mainstream student body (400). This means that a significant part of the schools culture is not being represented in these classrooms. Is this appropriate? Are these programs not meant for anyone besides whites and Latinos? Scanlan and Palmer found that there is a widespread (and mostly unspoken) assumption among staff that the two-way immersion program would not attractand perhaps would not even be appropriate for the African-American students from the surrounding neighborhood (400-401). However, this is a short-sighted opinion that doesnt take into consideration the benefits afforded to all students. According to Education Week, several studies in recent years have demonstrated that

Helms 7 [] frequently low-performing groups, such as African-American students, do well in duallanguage programs. Furthermore, English-speaking African-American students who are in dual-language programs are outscoring black peers who are in non-dual classrooms (Maxwell 16-17). This means that academic success correlates with these dual-immersion programs. However, it doesnt necessarily spell out why these circumstances are found together. It is possible that this difference in scoring has something to do with the investment that comes along with signing up for a program like that, or that the program itself helps improve academics. The causes and effect order is not established, so these types of conclusions are premature. However, it does show that any race of student can succeed in this dual-immersion environment if they try. All these efforts will be wasted, though, if everyone in the school does not participate. This is because school wide participation is linked with positive results. The Medgar Evers School, discussed by Scanlan and Palmer, is a small program within a larger school and it did not fulfill its purpose of uniting the student body. Instead it divided the school and catered to elitists who wanted the program purely for educations sake. And why did that happen? It was because the entire school was not involved. This just doesnt work with these types of programs. In fact, critics argue that much like tracking or ability grouping, internally segregated magnet programs have been shown to have little of the positive effect of true integration upon the academic achievement of minority students (403, 412). Lastly, this nation-wide immersion program should consist of English and Spanish. Currently, Spanish is by far the most prevalent second language taught in dual programs, followed by Mandarin Chinese and French, according to national language experts, (Maxwell 16). Regardless of current trends, Spanish makes the most sense for our country. Based on the data from our last census, the bureau reported that over fifty million or 1/6 of the US population

Helms 8 is Hispanic. The increase was caused by births, not immigration, so its projected that the percentage of Hispanics will continue to increase and, by 2050, [Hispanics] could make up a third of the U.S. population (Ceasar par. 1-2). If this increase in population comes from births, then its possible that there will be a decline in Latino students whose first language is Spanish. However, if their parents know that they will be taught Spanish in schools, perhaps they will teach it in the homes. Its sad when parents choose not to pass on the family language to their children because they feel it will be disadvantageous for them. Hopefully, if Spanish becomes a regular part of American life and schooling, it will be easier for Hispanics to embrace their heritage. Also, Spanish is a phonetic language. As long as the letter sounds are learned correctly, its easy to pronounce words and reada lot easier than English because there are no silent Es to trip on. It also shares an alphabet with English; as does French, but the pronunciation has many rules and is difficult to learn. The best part, however, is that by learning Spanish, it will be easier to learn other languages. According to Dr. Lazurak, literacy-related skills can be transferred from one language to another (614). This means that it isnt necessary to start from scratch with a new language. These new languages can build upon skills developed learning old ones and work to utilize the foundation that is already learned. For example, it isnt necessary to learn what an adjective is more than once. That knowledge is ingrained from the very first language and allows language learners to skip over that step in the learning process. In the future will that punch line be as funny as it is now or will it get blank stares? If, Americans choose to require elementary students to attend schools employing two-way immersion programs in order to learn both English and Spanish, the joke will die. Its only alive while public policy does nothing to disprove it. However, the reasons go beyond a better global

Helms 9 image. This program, in its current form, will improve the youth of America. By beginning this program at a young age, they will be more confident with their speech and more quickly reach fluency. By participating in this program they will learn better cognitive skills and do better in the rest of their studies. Learning a second language will help them be critical thinkers who can arrive at the same point in a variety of ways, or use the same path to get diverse variety of places. Requiring everyone to participate ensures that everyone has a good experience and that no one is left out or cheated of an enriching experience. Its necessary to make a commitment to both languages and that is impossible unless everyone agrees to it. Lastly, its important that the language be Spanish. The United States is right above Central America, which is made up of mostly if not all Spanish speaking countries. Additionally, there are many people in the US who speak Spanish even now. Americans shouldnt continue to ignore these permanent members of society. Plus, Spanish is good foundation for other foreign languages. If everyone just starts with one more language, Spanish, then with some time, but before long, the joke will go: What do you call someone who speaks one language? Monolingual. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks three or more languages? American.

Helms 10 Works Cited Ballinger, Susan, and Roy Lyster. Student and Teacher Oral Language Use in a Two-Way Spanish/English Immersion School. Language Teaching Research 15.3 (2011): 289306. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Jul 2012. Ceasar, Stephen. Hispanic population tops 50 million in U.S. LAtimes.com Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Jul 2012. Erard, Michael. Are We Really Monolingual? NYtimes.com. New York Times, 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Jul 2012. Lazaruk, Wally. Linguistic, Academic, and Cognitive Benefits of French Immersion. Canadian Modern Language Review 63.5 (2007): 605-628. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Jul 2012. Maxwell, Lesli A. Dual Classes See Growth in Popularity. Education Week 31.26 (2012): 1, 16-17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Jul 2012. Scanlan, Martin, and Deborah Palmer. Race, Power, And (In)Equity Within Two-Way Immersion Settings. Urban Review 41.5 (2009): 391-415. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Jul 2012.

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