Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism PDF

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Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism SUMMARY As the title suggests, the book is divided into chapters on Bilingualism (chapters 1-9) and on Bilingual Education (chapters 10-16). Chapters 17-18 look at political and cultural aspects that underlie the understanding of bilingualism and bilingual education. Chapter 19 concludes the book with a look at key issues for the future. Chapter 1, “Bilingualism: Definitions and Distinctions,” gives definitions to key terms that are important to understanding the issues included in the book such as the difference between “individual” and “societal” bilingualism. Chapter 2, “The Measurement of Bilingualism,” discusses the issue of measuring bilingualism in terms of language proficiency and use. The chapter includes a look at communicative language testing and the political nature of language testing in general. Chapter 3, “Endangered Languages: Planning and Revitalization,” gives compelling evidence on the seriousness of language loss and the need for language planning and revitalization. Baker recommends Fishman’s model of reversing language shift to be put into place to restore languages in danger. Chapter 4, “Languages in Society,” gives an overview of sociolinguistic topics including diglossia, language shift, language maintenance, and language death. He also covers the topic of English as a Global Language and its spread and influence as a lingua franca. Chapters 5 and 6, cover the early and later development of bilingualism. Chapter 5 discusses early childhood bilingualism and distinguishes between simultaneous and sequential bilingualism. Code-switching and code-mixing are also defined within the context of how bilinguals differentiate and store languages. Chapter 6 covers the reasons for learning a second language after early childhood. Age and language acquisition is discussed along with a key section on identity and language acquisition. Chapter 7, “Bilingualism and Cognition,” analyzes the research on the link between bilingualism and intelligence. Research from the early twentieth century seemed to support the view that bilingualism led to lower IQ scores while more recent research showed a distinct advantage for bilinguals. Chapter 8, “Cognitive Theories of Bilingualism and the Curriculum,” delves into research on the different theories of cognition and how these theories have an impact on curriculum design. Chapter 9, “Historical Introduction to Bilingual Education: The United States,” examines the historical development of the bilingual education debate in the US culminating in the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act in 2001. Chapter 10, “Types of Bilingual Education,” is an introductory survey about the different types of bilingual education ranging from weak forms such as “submersion” within a mainstream class, to stronger forms such as transitional and dual language models which seek to maintain the student’s heritage language. Chapter 11, “Education for Bilingualism and Biliteracy,” further delves

into an examination of the strong forms of bilingual education. The chapter includes many illustrative examples of dual language education programs. Immersion bilingual education programs are also surveyed including an in-depth look at those used in Canada. Chapter 12, “The Effectiveness of Bilingual Education,” discusses the effectiveness of bilingual education programs. Literacy and proficiency in both languages are the desired outcomes of “strong” bilingual education programs. Chapter 13, “Effective Schools and Classrooms for Bilingual Students,” shares strategies for making bilingual education classes effective. Strategies such as translanguaging and scaffolding are discussed. Chapter 14, “Literacy, Biliteracy and Multiliteracies for Bilinguals,” surveys the different approaches to literacy in the classroom. The approaches covered include construction of meaning, functional literacy, sociocultural literacy, and critical literacy. Literacy as a means to empowerment for bilingual students forms a major theme in the chapter. Chapter 15, “The Assessment and Special Education Needs of Bilinguals,” challenges the pervasive notion that bilingual children belong in special education solely because of their language proficiency in a second language. The author presents research to show that bilingualism is not the cause of language and communication disorders and that other factors need to be taken into consideration (e.g. social and economic conditions). Chapter 16, “Deaf People, Bilingualism, and Bilingual Education,” discusses the similarities and differences deaf bilinguals have with hearing bilinguals. Chapter 17, “Bilingualism and Bilingual Education as a Problem, Right and Resource,” scans the current political situation regarding language rights. Particular focus is placed on the English-only debate in the US and its influence on the political movement against bilingual education. Chapter 18, “Bilingualism and Bilingual Education: Ideology, Identity and Empowerment,” focuses on the ideologies of assimilation and pluralism in relation to bilingual education. The aspects of identity and empowerment in relation to language use surfaces several times in the text and gets further treatment in this chapter. Chapter 19, “Bilingualism in the Modern World,” forms the conclusion to the text and looks to the future of bilingualism. The benefits of bilingualism are discussed from an economic standpoint. Other areas covered are bilingualism in relation to the internet, information technology, and the media....