What Is Bilingualism in Education?
When a person is bilingual, they can speak two languages fluently. According to recent research, approximately 60% of the people in the world today are either bilingual or multilingual. That means that monolinguals, people who only speak one language, are in the minority. There are many reasons why a person might learn a second or third language. They might have family members who speak a different language and might need to communicate with them. They might live in a community where two or more languages are frequently used and might need to learn them all to participate in society fully. Some people learn a new language when they emigrate to a new country. Others learn a new language to facilitate travel, to challenge themselves, or simply for fun. All of these reasons for becoming bilingual are good, and all of them can be facilitated by having the right educational environment.
In education, bilingualism is a learning style where students speak two different languages during their school years. There are several different styles of bilingual education discussed in more detail below. Bilingual education can bring a wide range of benefits for both students and teachers, and it is an increasingly popular educational option. As the country becomes more diverse, diversity in education and classrooms, as well as bilingual education is becoming increasingly necessary. Many people speak languages other than English, so learning English fluently can help those people function in society. People who do speak English can open up new cultural avenues for themselves by learning a second language.
According to KIDS COUNT Data Center, in 2016, around 12 million kids in the country spoke a language other than English at home. Many of them have become bilingual as a result of their education. Twelve million kids translates to approximately 22% of the children in this country, and that number is climbing all the time. There are also other bilingual children whose second language is something other than English. Most commonly, those students learn Spanish or French at school, though they might also learn a language spoken by their grandparents or by other members of their community. Many students need to learn English to fully integrate into American society, and they should learn languages other than English to integrate into their own cultures or broaden their horizons.
The History of Bilingual Education
Multilingualism has been part of the cultures of North America for thousands of years. Prior to European colonialism, it is estimated that Indigenous groups spoke around 300 languages across the continent. Because those groups had extensive trade networks, it is safe to assume that bilingualism and multilingualism were a common part of life. In the colonial era, English quickly became the dominant language spoken in what is now America, though settlers from other European countries also brought their languages with them.
In 1839, a law was passed in Ohio that allowed teachers to provide instruction to students in both English and German to reflect the students' heritage. This was the start of formalized bilingual education in the country, and similar laws soon followed. Louisiana started allowing English and French instruction in 1847, and New Mexico started English and Spanish educational programs in 1850. Some school programs even provided instruction in both English and Cherokee to reflect the cultural background of students. For many years, German was the most common minority language in the United States; today, Spanish has overtaken it.
Although it has a long history, there was actually a time when bilingual education became less common. Nationalistic sentiment, heightened by the First World War, led to a decline in bilingual education in the 1920s. For the next several decades, bilingual education took a backseat, but in the 1960s it became popular once more. Pedagogical theorists began to recognize the benefits of teaching students a second language and the importance of helping immigrant children learn English. Today, the former stigma attached to bilingual education has all but disappeared, and in many cases, parents will actually go out of their way to get their children into bilingual programs.
Theories of Bilingual Education
There has been a great deal of research on how best to teach students a second language and how students acquire a new language in childhood. One of the most popular theories of bilingual education that guides a lot of pedagogy today is Stephen Krashen's theory of second language acquisition. Krashen, an American linguist, posits that bilingual education should be structured around ''comprehensible input.'' That means that when students receive input in their target language, it should be just slightly above their current proficiency level. That way, most of what students hear and read is already familiar, but there is also the opportunity to improve constantly. Many bilingual education programs utilize the theory of comprehensible input to create a curriculum that works well for students.
Importance of Bilingual Education
There are many reasons why bilingual education is essential, particularly in a multicultural country. Students can learn a second language on their own, but having access to formal linguistic education is often a better, more rigorous approach that provides students with a consistent structure. Language education in a school setting also means a built-in set of partners to practice the language with as well as an expert teacher who can answer questions. Learning a new language at a young age is generally a good idea because children's neuroplasticity means that they often have an easier time absorbing and retaining new languages.
For students who have recently moved to the country and are learning English, bilingual education is a very important part of the process of learning about and integrating into a new culture. For those in multilingual communities, learning a new language can help with employment, socialization, and even just navigating public spaces. Depending on one's industry and where one lives, being bilingual can be anywhere from mildly beneficial to absolutely crucial in the workplace.
Most of all, bilingualism helps people connect and understand each other's cultures and perspectives. It is likely that bilingualism will become even more widespread and even more important in the coming years, and bilingual education programs will be a big part of facilitating that shift.
Types of Bilingual Education
There are several different types of bilingual education with each program designed for students in a different linguistic position; some work best for English language learners (ELLs), while others are best for native English speakers who want to learn a second language. The availability of these programs varies across the country. Some programs are available at most public schools, some only at specialized public schools, and others primarily at private schools. Parents and students considering bilingual education should look into the options in their local district to see what would work best. Common options include:
| Program |
Description |
| Bilingual Classes |
This is what many people think of when they imagine learning a new language in school. Classes are taught in English and the target language and students are encouraged to speak the target language but may also speak English. Classes taught in the target language usually focus on language learning, meaning that non-linguistic subjects like math and science are usually taught in English. |
| Immersion |
Usually designed for English speakers who want to learn a new language. Immersion classes are taught entirely in the target language, and students are usually not permitted to speak English. All subjects are taught in the target language. These programs usually last through elementary school and sometimes longer. |
| Dual Language |
A less common and more experimental form of bilingual education, dual language classes are made up of students who speak English and students who speak another language natively. Instruction is delivered in both languages, and students learn from each other. In addition to being a way to become bilingual, dual language classes also allow students to form meaningful cross-cultural connections. |
| Early-Exit Transitional Education |
Designed for ELLs, this is a form of education where students are taught English over the course of a few years before entering standard monolingual English classes. In the early-exit model, the goal is to get kids into mainstream education as quickly as possible so that their socialization does not suffer. As a result, there is a heavy focus on English and a significantly reduced focus on the student's native language. |
| Late-Exit Transitional Education |
Similar to the early-exit model, late-exit transitional education prepares ELLs for mainstream English classes. However, there is a greater emphasis on retaining the student's native language and supporting their development of both languages. The downside to this kind of program is that it takes several years longer than the early-exit model, so students may miss out on more socialization time with peers. |
Not all bilingual education programs work the same way. It is always worth looking at an individual student's current language knowledge, linguistic aptitude and interest in becoming bilingual. It's also important to know why becoming bilingual is important for that particular student. With all of those factors in mind, the other major determinant of a student's bilingual education is simply the availability of programs. Some states, like California, have much higher populations of bilingual students than others, like West Virginia. Geography plays a big role in the bilingual education that students can receive.
There are many reasons why bilingual education is so popular. There is a wide range of recognized benefits of bilingualism in education for teachers and students. Of course, there are the practical reasons for bilingualism described above, like communication with family and community members, integrating into a new society, and so on, but that just scratches the surface. There are cognitive, behavioral, and social benefits for students who can speak two languages fluently. There are also professional, cognitive, and personal benefits for teachers who speak a second language and teach it in the classroom. There are plenty of resources available for teachers who want a starting part for integrating it seamlessly into their classrooms.
Research into these benefits, particularly the cognitive ones, is ongoing. It is worth noting that while there are undoubtedly cognitive advantages to bilingual education, that does not mean that students who are bilingual will automatically do better in school or in life than their monolingual counterparts. These trends are notable, but they are not necessarily going to work in the same ways for all students.
There are some students for whom a bilingual education is not the best option: it can present academic challenges that are not present in a monolingual education. Students who are not interested in learning a second language may find that they do better academically in an all-English classroom. For some ELLs, learning English remains a challenge for many years. In those cases, students are less likely to have a choice about their language of education simply because of how American society functions.
Student Benefits of Bilingual Education
For students, the benefits of bilingual education are many.
Cognitive Benefits
Most often discussed are the myriad cognitive benefits of learning a second language, especially for those who start learning at a young age. Being bilingual can change the structure of one's brain, making it easier to learn more languages in the future. When using one language, the other is actually also active in the brain. One of the cognitive skills that bilinguals learn is how to use the correct language for a given situation and keep from slipping into the other language.
For children, this skill translates to a kind of personal cognitive control that monolinguals do not need to develop. The process of switching fluidly from one language to another is called code-switching, and doing it swiftly and correctly is its own skill. It is common for young bilingual children to mix up their languages or to use both languages in one sentence, but this behavior tends to stop over time.
There is also a notable advantage for bilinguals when it comes to memory. As documented in a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience entitled "Bilingualism for Dementia: Neurological Mechanisms Associated With Functional and Structural Changes in the Brain," bilinguals and multilinguals typically experience the onset of symptoms of dementia around 4 or 5 years later than monolinguals, though researchers are still not completely sure why.
Students who speak more than one language also tend to do better on memory tests than their peers, especially when those tests involve keeping a lot of information in mind at once while completing a task. These advantages may improve bilingual students' academic performance, allowing them to succeed in school in both linguistic and non-linguistic subjects.
Social Benefits
Besides the cognitive benefits, bilingualism can also improve students' social skills. There is evidence that bilingual students are more likely to have strong self-confidence and they may also have improved social skills compared to their peers. Students who spend time in mixed-language classrooms may also develop a greater understanding of other cultures and that understanding can help them connect with fellow students and make new friends. Because they know how challenging it can be to learn a new language, bilingual students may be more open to connecting with those who do not speak fluent English. When students get older, they may find it easier to travel to parts of the world where their other language is spoken. They may also have an advantage in the workforce, particularly in an increasingly globalized world where intercultural and cross-linguistic communication is becoming more and more essential.
Teacher Benefits of Bilingual Education
Teachers who provide bilingual education can receive many of the same language benefits as their students. Many teachers who speak a second language fluently learned that language in childhood, meaning that they also received cognitive benefits from their bilingualism. Although the cognitive benefits of learning a second language may be less pronounced for those who start learning as adults, there can still be notable improvements in memory and cognitive control for those who take adult language learning seriously.
Professional Benefits
The most salient benefit most teachers receive for their bilingualism is an advantage in the workplace, especially when it comes to becoming an ESL teacher. There are many schools with a large bilingual ELL population and many others where English-speaking students want an education in a second language. Bilingual teachers are the only ones who can fill most of those teaching positions, which means that anyone who can teach in two languages is likely to be in high demand after passing the PRAXIS exam or who has transitioned into a second career as a teacher. The specific combination of languages that a given teacher is able to speak can make a difference when it comes to employment. Teachers who speak English and Spanish are the most highly sought-after bilingual educators because so many people in the US either already speak or would like to speak Spanish. French is also a strong option, as there are a number of French immersion programs around the country. Those who speak other languages may well be able to find good teaching positions, but fewer bilingual education programs focus on those languages.
Social Benefits
As with students, teachers who speak a second language can benefit in a social capacity. They will be able to connect with all students in the class and may be particularly well-equipped to understand student needs and to create an inclusive educational space. They will know the specific difficulties of learning a new language and will be able to work with students to help them succeed. For teachers who live in multilingual communities, being bilingual can also help them forge new friendships and personal connections. Most teachers have the summers off; those who choose to travel during their time off may find it beneficial to travel to places where they can already speak the language. Travel might, in turn, enrich teachers' curricula as they will be uniquely positioned to give students insight into other cultures and languages.
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A bilingual education is any school curriculum where students learn two languages. Students can be native English speakers broadening their horizons or can be English language learners whose education helps them integrate into mainstream American culture.
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For students living in the United States who do not yet speak English, bilingual education is crucial for helping them function in a new culture. For students who do speak English, they may benefit cognitively and socially from learning a second language.
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Bilingualism can improve memory, delay the onset of dementia, and improve cognitive control. It can also build bridges between people and improve people's employment options.
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Children benefit from a bilingual education because they receive cognitive benefits and because they learn about other cultures. They may be more likely to make friends with peers who come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.