1st session bilingualism

Enrique Arias CastañoBILINGUALISM

Ley General de Educación (1994)

“The acquisition of elements of conversation and reading in at least one foreign language” (Article 21, m)

Lineamientos Curriculares: Idiomas Extranjeros (MEN, 1999)

Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo (PNB) (2004-2019)

Estándares Básicos de Competencia en Lenguas Extranjeras: Inglés (2006)

Common European Framework (CEF) to measure proficiency of teachers and learners (2004)

RECENT POLICY AND CURRICULAR REFORMS IN COLOMBIA

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE?

Learning a second language provides a number of advantages, not only for the individual, but society itself.

COMMUNICATION ADVANTAGESWider communication (extended family, community, international links, employment)Literacy in two languages.

CULTURAL ADVANTAGESBroader cultural understanding and multicultural sensitivity, “two language worlds of experience” (Baker, 2000)Greater tolerance and social harmony

COGNITIVE ADVANTAGESThinking benefits (creativity, sensitivity to communication)Greater problem-solving and analytical skills

PERSONAL ADVANTAGESRaised self-esteemFlexibility and adaptabilityConfidence in social interactionsGreater interpersonal skills

CURRICULUM ADVANTAGESConceptual development in two languagesTransfer of academic skills across two languages.Collaborative and cooperative learning

CONSIGA EL MEJOR PUESTO

Bilingualism

Definition

Maximalist Minimalist Functional

The almost native control of two languages Bloomfield, 1935

To have linguistic abilities even in a minimal way Macnamara, 1969

To use 2 or more languages in daily life, over regular bases

Grossjean, 1982

“Bilingualism as a countenance”

(Hornberger 1989)

Intensification Bilingual

• Subject (English)

• 10 Hours• Language as an aim

• Foreign language teachers

• “Trained teachers”

• Curriculum is articulated through the 2 languages (content – language)

• Language as a “resource”

• Content is a way to acquire the language

• Bilingual subjects – Specialists

• “no trained teachers”

- Bilingualism as a social phenomenon- Societal bilingualism- Bilingualism as an element of cross cultural

communication or conflict

Bilinguality-Bilingualism as an individual phenomenon-Individual bilingualism-Effects of bilingualism on mental processes

BilingualismBilingualism

Interdisciplinary nature of bilingualism

Languages in contact

Common occurence of bilingualism

Domains of language use

Diglossia

Language shift

SOCIETAL BILINGUALISM

• More than the sum of two monolinguals (Grosjean, 1985)

• Degree of bilingualism• Language as a tool of cognitive

functioning• Influence of feedback mechanisms• Codeswitching in bilingual

development development

INDIVIDUAL BILINGUALISM

Definitions based on levels of proficiency

(maximal and minimal)-balanced bilinguals-semilinguals

Definitions based on use (functional)

-conversational fluency (BICS)-academic language competence (CALP)

DEFINITIONS OF BILINGUALISM

What can we formulate about bilingualism in

Colombia and our institutions?

CONCLUSIONS

Total immersion program

TYPES OF BILINGUAL PROGRAMS

% of Lge

100

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 50 50 50

grade

pre 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

11th

Bilingual process

Partial immersion program

TYPES OF BILINGUAL PROGRAMS 2

% of Lge

75 75 75 75 75 75 50 50 50 50 50 50

grade

pre 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

11th

Bilingual process

BILINGUAL HYBRID PROGRAM

% of Lge

50 50 50 50 50 50 Intensfication program (with emphasis)

grade

pre 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

11th

Bilingual process

EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

Team teaching strategy

Preview-review methodology

Bilingual contextsActivitiesScenarios

1.The Common Underlying Proficiency Theory

2.Context Embedded and Context Reduced Communication

(Cummins, 1981)

THE COMMON UNDERLYING PROFICIENCY THEORY (THE ICEBERG ANALOGY)

Context embedded communication exists when there is a good degree of contextual support in communications, e.g. body language, gestures, intonation etc.

Context reduced communication there are very few clues to meaning outside language.

CONTEXT EMBEDDED AND CONTEXT REDUCED COMMUNICATION

Length of time needed to achieve age-appropriate levels of contexts-embedded language proficiency

Level of language proficiency

Monolingual child

Second language learner

Length of time

Development of context embedded second language

fluency

Length of time needed to achieve age-appropriate levels of contexts-reduced language proficiency

Level of language proficiency

Monolingual child

Second language learner

Length of time

Development of context-reduced fluency.

Taken from Castillo (2009) based on Cummins (1984)

CALP Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

Los estudiantes deben siempre tener tareas en este cuadrante.

(Escritura de textos)

Reducida en contexto

No demandante cognitivamente

Cognitivamente Demandante

Apoyada en contexto

BICS Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills Tareas simples, mecánicas, Especialmente útil para estudiantes con dificultades

Los estudiantes bilingües necesitan la mayor cantidad de trabajo acá de manera que se asegure la comprensión mediante procesos concretos y ricos en contexto

Los estudiantes Bilingües deben ser llevados a lo largo de este eje para asegurar la comprensión

Ejercicios repetitivos como planas, dictados, desprovistos de contexto, poco significativos y poco demandantes a nivel cognitivo.

“Bilingual education…a program where two languages are used equally as media of instruction”

(Romaine, 1989:216)

DEFINITION OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION

“The basic idea underlying immersion, a notion borrowed from communicative language learning theory, is that by using the target language as a language of communication in authentic situations, such as subject-matter instruction or any other form of teacher-student or student-student communication outside strictly instructional contexts, students’ acquisition of the target language will be improved”

(Heller,1990:73)

“Content based language teaching is an approach to second language instruction that involves the use of a second language to learn or practise content”

(Met, 1998:35).

Content-driven Language-driven

CONTENT-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING: A CONTINUUM OF CONTENT AND LANGUAGE

INTEGRATION

Total immersion

Partial immersion

Subject courses

Subject courses/language teaching

Language classes based on thematic units

Language classes/use of content for language practice

`True` bilingual schools have everything (or nearly everything) taught in the foreign language – English

After a short time, children will develop into “balanced bilinguals”; “two monolinguals in one person” (Grosjean, 1985: 467)

Schools that employ native speakers of English as teachers are better than schools that hire bilingual Colombian teachers.

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT COMMON MYTHS ABOUT BILINGUAL SCHOOLSBILINGUAL SCHOOLS

“As a result of globalisation and widespread use of English worldwide, the term ‘bilingüismo’ has acquired a different meaning in the Colombian context. It is used by many . . . to refer almost exclusively to Spanish/English bilingualism. . ”

“The teaching of other modern languages (e.g. French . . .) has also been undermined by the spread of English and by people’s increasing desire to ‘invest’ in English”

(Valencia, 2005:1)

Hiring native speakers as teachers is more expensive and may lead to difficulties in training teachers and equipping classrooms

Native speaker accents may seem too remote from the people learners expect to communicate with

Native speakers may not possess some of the skills required by bilingual speakers, such as those of translation and interpreting

Many countries are revaluing the importance of hiring native speakers of English as teachers due to changing needs and aspirations of learners

NATIVE SPEAKERS

Older learners have the benefit of a well-developed L1

Older learners have the benefit of well-developed literacy skills in their L1 which can facilitate the transfer of L2 literacy skills (Cummins, 2000)

Self selection- student who voluntary choose bilingual education at secondary level are likely to be highly self-motivated and academically capable

Older learners learn more in a given unit of time than younger learners, probably because of their superior academic, cognitive and meta-linguistic ability (Carey, 1984; MacLaughlin, 1982; Fathman, 1975)

ADVANTAGES OF LATE BILINGUAL EDUCATION

PROGRAMMES