When you hear the word, “bilingual”, what is the definition that comes to mind? What does it mean to be bilingual? How do you identify a person who is bilingual? Is a bilingual person equally competent in both languages or more competent in one language than the other? To whom and in what situations do bilinguals use one language and to whom and in what situations do bilinguals use the other?
Defining what exactly bilingualism is can get quite complicated. My blog posts are written for ESL teachers or staff members in an educational setting who have ESL students, so the information in this post will be based on this audience.
Ability vs. Use One way that helps define bilinguals is their ability in each language. Some bilinguals are able to understand and speak in both languages. Others are able to understand, speak, read, and write in one language and speak and understand in their other language. Language dominance, the language the person is more proficient in or uses more, may vary with each bilingual. Bilinguals may use each language in different situations or settings. For example, some may use one language in school with their teachers and peers and another at home with their family members.
Monolingual Schools For many monolingual schools in the US, a common occurrence and perception of ESL students is that they are socially fluent in both languages and academically fluent in the majority language (English). It is important to determine the language goals and purposes of your ESL students. If you are in a monolingual school where most students speak English, then the language goals of your ESL students would most likely be that they learn English with native-like proficiency. Some may question why you do not develop your students’ first language. First, a bilingual who is equally and highly competent in both languages in all four domains (reading, writing, understanding, and speaking) is very rare (balanced bilingualism). Second, many monolingual schools do not have the resources or time to fully develop both languages. Third, many ESL teachers simply do not know multiple languages socially and academically to develop the student’s first language.
How much of the first language should be used in the classroom for ESL students to be successful in and out of school? If you know the student’s first language, how will you use it effectively? Again, knowing your ESL students’ goals and purposes for each language is key. I have been in an educational setting where mostly the first language is used for teaching concepts and completing work in the majority language (English). I observed that these students developed English more slowly and were not confident in using English since they were reliant on their first language. These students remained in their ESL classrooms year after year.In this case, how do your ESL students become less reliant on their first language while developing the majority language?
The students in the ESL classroom are called circumstantial bilinguals. Circumstantial bilinguals learn the majority language that is used in their surroundings in order to function and live in their surroundings. The majority language is the language used for business/employment, education, political, and social purposes. If this is the case, we, as ESL teachers, need to ensure that our students are successful in the community that they must live and function in.How will your language goals and objectives reflect your students’ surroundings and needs? What about large cities where there are multiplelanguages and cultures?
One of the most crucial points when talking about ESL students and bilingualism in monolingual schools is for ESL teachers and staff members to value and accept both of the student’s languages. English is not a substitute for the student’s first language, but an additional language. ESL students are not a problem in schools. The ESL student’s first language is also not a problem. ESL students do not “limit” a school’s performance. This is especially true with standardized tests. ESL students may be perceived as inferior and less competent if they do not score as well as their monolingual peers on standardized tests that are written in the majority language.
Holistic View The holistic view of bilingualism perceives both languages as interconnected. The holistic view believes that both languages are interrelated instead of the two languages functioning separately. The theory that supports this view is called theCommon Underlying Proficiency Model.
The Common Underlying Proficiency Model suggests that bilingual students are able to transfer their knowledge from one language to their other language. Codeswitchingis an example of switching between languages with ease. Cognates are another example where the same words in the first language exist in the second language. Making connections between the students’ two languages can help students develop their second language while raising awareness of their first language. The holistic view also believes that knowing and understanding one language helps the student know and understand their second language. The theory that supports this view is called the Developmental Interdependence theory. If you teach in a bilingual school, do you agree with these beliefs?What are the language goals and purposes of your students? How does your teaching reflect these goals and purposes?