Adopting a Dual Language Approach in Education: Stakeholders

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Adopting a Dual Language Approach in Education: Stakeholders

Society

Ontario is already a diverse society and is projected to be even more so in the future. It is to society's benefit to embrace diversity and use it as a powerful resource. Schools can play a major role in tapping into this resource by implementing a Dual Language Approach in the classroom.

Discouraging children from developing their mother tongues is quite simply unintelligent from the point of view of national self-interest and also represents a violation of the rights of the child

A society that has access to multilingual and multicultural resources is advantaged in its ability to play an important social and economic role in the world stage.

Educators

The goal of teachers is to prepare students to be productive and contributing members of a democratic society. In an increasing globalized world, students who are able to understand those who they interact with daily will be better able to make participate constructively in society.

Be proactive in affirming children’s linguistic identity by allowing students to:

Write first drafts, notes, journal entries, and outlines in L1

Create multilingual displays or signs

Process information in the first language before switching to English

Work with same-language partners

Complete dual-language assignments

Parents

Caregiver involvement plays a vital role in student success at school. By allowing caregivers to participate in the child's learning through valuing the use of first language at home, a sense of belonging can be developed in them. Parents will feel more connected and valued in the school community as a part of their cultural identity is affirmed.

Important Considerations

When parents and other caregivers (e.g. grandparents) are able to spend time with their children and tell stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother tongue vocabulary and concepts, children come to school well-prepared to learn the school language and succeed educationally.

when we destroy children’s language and rupture their relationship with parents and grandparents, we are contradicting the very essence of education.

Children’s knowledge and skills transfer across languages from the mother tongue they have learned in the home

ELLs

When a students first language is affirmed in school, they can more easily feel a sense of belonging. Having that sense of belonging will empower them to fully contribute their unique strengths to the learning environment. This intern will cause all students in the classroom to benefit from varied perspectives.

Benefits of Dual Language Approach

Students first language provides a vital link with the student’s family and cultural background

Students first language serves as a basis for emotional development

Student's first language provide a foundation for developing proficiency in additional languages

Languages are interdependent from the point of view of children’s development of concepts and thinking skills.

Bilingual children perform better in school when the school effectively teaches the mother tongue and, where appropriate, develops literacy in that language.

Students with a solid foundation in their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language

Students gain a deeper understanding of language and how to use it effectively

Students are able to compare and contrast the ways in which their two languages organize reality.

Develop flexibility in their thinking as a result of processing information through two different languages

Bilingualism has positive effects on children’s linguistic and educational development.