Preview

Bilingual Education Benefits Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
456 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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…
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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Spanish speaking kids are able to adapt faster to the curriculum and the culture while English speakers develop better cognitive skills (Latino Voices, April 2014). Furthermore, reports from American Psychiatric Association show that children who are raised bilingual have a better ability to process sounds and therefore develop better concentration skills. They also have reduced levels of anxiety, loneliness and poor self-esteem (Psychiatric News, April 2012). There are several other distinct benefits to the use of bilingual education. Most children enter school with basic language skills already in place – the language may be their native language, such as in Richard Rodriguez’s case, or English. It is entirely up to qualified teachers to use those language skills to help them develop the academic competence they need to succeed in life. Richard might have benefited from bilingual education, have the nuns did not discourage it. It is proven, that children learn more effectively if they learn English through the use of their native language. This method provides solid basis for learning and allows them to keep up with their classmates while acquiring the language they need in order to interact efficiently in society. Bilingual learning preserves children 's sense of pride in the language of their ancestors, allowing them to function in an English dominant society, while…

    • 1381 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bilingual education is certainly a subject of controversy because there is a great number of positives and negatives that are associated with the topic. Many individuals agree that children should be fluent in two…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cafs Irp

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In my opinion bilingualism plays a major role in the educational development of children. This is because research has shown that children who are fluent in their home language are more successful in learning a second language. Furthermore, being bilingual offers greater sensitivity to language, more flexibility in thinking and better ear for listening. It also improves a child’s understanding for the native language. Moreover, knowledge of other languages increases a career of opportunities offering several job options.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    persuasive memo

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When we offer the children in our day school the very best curriculum, it enhances our credibility among our competition and the community. According to the article by Stephanie Meade, “7 benefits of Raising Bilingual Kids”, it shows that bilingual children have the following advantages over that of monolingual students:…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being driven by bilingual experience helps a bilingual person to better process information in the environment which leads to a clearer signal for learning as their attention to details would be heightened. The bilingual language-learning advantage may be rooted in the ability to focus on information about the new language while reducing interference from the languages they already know(The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual By Viorica Marian, Ph.D., and Anthony Shook). This ability would allow bilingual people…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The reasons why being bilingual is better is because students can study or learn their own language. This can help students that fail their classes because they can’t use their own language. I remember when I came here, it was hard to me to do my homework or any other work because everything was in English.…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Benefits Of Bilingualism

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages

    I have always been interested in learning about languages and have been taking classes since I was young. Even though I am currently far from bilingual, I love to learn about other languages, and I also desire to become fluent in a language other than English. I am fascinated with various languages and how being bilingual can influence multiple other aspects of a person’s life. While searching for an article, I was trying to find a study that showed some on the effects that bilingualism can have on a child’s development. This article intrigued me because it focused on the development of the working memory for both bilingual and monolingual children. The studies tested the children’s executive functioning skills instead…

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ece 315

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In America, there is a predominant growth in multiple ethnicities and cultural backgrounds; leading to the usage of multiple languages in the American culture. There is a growing need for many people to learn and utilize multiple languages within the workplace and within one 's own personal life. The importance of bilingualism and the knowledge of multiple languages is ever increasing, and therefore becoming more important for the younger generations. The push for knowing multiple languages and becoming bilingual has many potential negative and positive effects.…

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bilingual Immersion |Appears to improve language arts achievement compared to transitional bilingual programs|Students may be unprepared for transition to mainstream classrooms.|…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    With this growth, Texas has had an influx of different cultures and beliefs. Since Texas is closest to the border of Mexico, it is only logical that the majority of this culture contains Hispanic principles. Spanish is just as common as English in Texas therefore making it beneficial for both parties when participating in bilingual studies. Bilingual education has both pros and cons in our scholastic culture. One positive asset is that studies have shown that bilingual education has worked; making it is easier for students to learn a second language while subsequently helping them to improve their first language. Bilingual individuals are found to have not only more opportunities when it comes to social advantages, but are also found to excel in more things than monolinguals. Bilinguals also have refined linguistic abilities and cognitive abilities. (Curtis…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being multilingual or bilingual is the ability to speak more than one language, for some this can be a huge advantage as it provides more diversity and therefore can be a skill that both the workforce and college admissions look at when determining the best applicants. It is no surprise that having the ability to speak more than one language can come as an advantage, however what advantages does speaking more than one language offer? Parents are often concerned that using a non-community language as the language of their home will disadvantage their children (Bialystok, 2008,p.3). However, it has been found that being bilingual is actually associated with cognitive advantages such as enhanced selective attention and advances the development…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dual Language

    • 4991 Words
    • 20 Pages

    What is Dual language? Dual language is a form of bilingual education that teaches students, as young as pre-k programs, literacy and content in their native speaking language. These programs typically start in kindergarten and continue for the next few years, many are now continuing into middle school and high school. The need for dual language programs in increasing as the years go by. The growth of so-called “dual language programs” has been swift over the last decade (Loeb, 1999) and it continues to rise after a decade past and decades to come. As a child, I have memories of the first day of school. I remember starting school and feeling very frightened when I didn’t comprehend what the teacher was explaining to me because she was speaking a different language. I grew up in a Spanish speaking home and attending school was where I first encountered the English language. As many other struggling students, I learned English the hard way. I learned English because I needed it in order to advance in school and “fit in” with the other kids. I am grateful for the implementation of the dual language program.…

    • 4991 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bilingual students receive additional benefits outside of simply knowing another language. Bilinguals, superior to their monolingual peers, are better at critical thinking, pattern recognition, divergent thinking, and creativity ("Foreign Language A Must..."). These advanced cognitive abilities are shown on tests as after 3-4 years of taking a language students show improved standardized test scores (Porter). This means that students will have better math and English test scores without even taking the classes.…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people don’t see the opportunities that bilingual education programs can have on any person. Bilingual education programs have “a positive effect on intellectual growth” on a child’s mind. Bilingual education programs also produce good listening skills. Lastly it gives job opportunities when the time comes to get a job. Bilingual education programs should not be abandoned because it has a positive effect on intellectual growth, produces good listening skills, and gives job opportunities.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way”(Smith, 2013). Speaking other languages in America can open doors to the future. When a person has the ability or skill to speak a language other than English, he becomes more marketable in the job force such as teaching, customer service, and telemarketing. Bilingualism also brings further awareness to the cultures of others, and one can learn about different religions, traditions, art and music, and government and economic systems. “Our culture, our traditions, our language are the foundations upon which we build our identity”(Anonymous). There are many ways of furthering your career. “We live in a competitive world” (Mtaulier, 2014). You could have…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays