Bilingual Education Benefits Essay
The Academic Benefits of Bilinguals
When it comes to the academic benefits of bilingual education amid students, it has been pointed out that grade three students who were taken through bilingual education from their kindergarten level of education did not perform in the same way Spanish-speaking students who started in English-only programs did in their class tests (Carlson &Meltzof, 2008). Spanish speaking children performed exceptionally better. However, as the same students advanced in their studies to the fifth grade, students who were subjected to bilingual education were more likely to read to the same standards or even better compared to their peers who went through English-only programs (Soderman, 2010). Bilingual education enabled individuals to read and write better in the additional languages they …show more content…
acquired. The prevalent languages that individuals were taken through, in America, in their learning of bilingual languages were Spanish and English languages. Furthermore, authorities in Washington D.C created regulations that required learning institutions to take their students through bilingual education programs so that when persons graduated from their institutions of learning they were well equipped in terms of bilingual proficiency (Soderman, 2010). In Oregon, state officials allocated roughly 1 million dollars in their budgets, which was to help with the establishment of dual language programs in learning institutes more so in elementary schools found in the state (Soderman, 2010).
Supporters of bilingual education programs have argued that allowing students to learn a second language prepares individuals for the life they would experience in their future (Soderman, 2010). One thing that has encouraged parents in different states to subject their children to bilingual learning programs is because of the impact of such programs on children’s brains.
On the other hand, for several years in the past, numerous psychologists were against the act of putting children through the bilingual education programs.
As a result, parents and teachers were instructed against teaching children a second language because it was bad for their brain development (Yang, Yang & Lust, 2011). It was only through studies that were contacted in recent times that individuals discovered that contradictory assertions that were relayed by some critics in the past were not true. Currently, researchers have discovered that when individuals learned an additional language they developed cognitive advantages that enhanced their levels of self-control, ability to tackle conflicting information and individuals’ level of attention to the events that went on in their surroundings.
The Challenges
Most people have developed the misconceived notion that allowing students to learn more than one language at the same time usually resulted to great confusion amid students subjected to such learning trends (García & Baetens, 2009). However, one thing that is for sure is that there are more benefits to bilingual education than individuals know
of.
When it comes to the academic benefits of bilingual education amid students, it has been pointed out that grade three students who were taken through bilingual education from their kindergarten level of education did not perform in the same way Spanish-speaking students who started in English-only programs did in their class tests (Carlson &Meltzof, 2008). Spanish speaking children performed exceptionally better. However, as the same students advanced in their studies to the fifth grade, students who were subjected to bilingual education were more likely to read to the same standards or even better compared to their peers who went through English-only programs (Soderman, 2010). Bilingual education enabled individuals to read and write better in the additional languages they …show more content…
acquired. The prevalent languages that individuals were taken through, in America, in their learning of bilingual languages were Spanish and English languages. Furthermore, authorities in Washington D.C created regulations that required learning institutions to take their students through bilingual education programs so that when persons graduated from their institutions of learning they were well equipped in terms of bilingual proficiency (Soderman, 2010). In Oregon, state officials allocated roughly 1 million dollars in their budgets, which was to help with the establishment of dual language programs in learning institutes more so in elementary schools found in the state (Soderman, 2010).
Supporters of bilingual education programs have argued that allowing students to learn a second language prepares individuals for the life they would experience in their future (Soderman, 2010). One thing that has encouraged parents in different states to subject their children to bilingual learning programs is because of the impact of such programs on children’s brains.
On the other hand, for several years in the past, numerous psychologists were against the act of putting children through the bilingual education programs.
As a result, parents and teachers were instructed against teaching children a second language because it was bad for their brain development (Yang, Yang & Lust, 2011). It was only through studies that were contacted in recent times that individuals discovered that contradictory assertions that were relayed by some critics in the past were not true. Currently, researchers have discovered that when individuals learned an additional language they developed cognitive advantages that enhanced their levels of self-control, ability to tackle conflicting information and individuals’ level of attention to the events that went on in their surroundings.
The Challenges
Most people have developed the misconceived notion that allowing students to learn more than one language at the same time usually resulted to great confusion amid students subjected to such learning trends (García & Baetens, 2009). However, one thing that is for sure is that there are more benefits to bilingual education than individuals know
of.