Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost.nifl.gov [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.8.7/8.8.5) with SMTP id IAA06817; Tue, 11 Nov 1997 08:55:00 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 08:55:00 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <19971111.064931.5031.1.paul168@juno.com> Errors-To: lmann@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: paul168@juno.com (Grupo Primavera) To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:1490] reply to C. Grove X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Juno 1.38 Status: RO Content-Length: 3615 Lines: 90 1. Cummins is the main researcher and advocate of Two Way Immersion. And he calls it "additive."I recently visited a K-6 school which is based on this approach and was quite amazed at the educational and social climate as opposed to other schools practicing "bilingual" education. 2. You make a good point about the term "bilingual education." It really isn't. Transitioning children to English necessarily means abandoning one language and one valuable human resource, especially for the child. 3. Please read my reply to Januzzi. And also perhaps you could tell a little about what you do. Sincerely, Paul Rogers On Mon, 10 Nov 1997 18:55:31 -0500 (EST) Carl Grove <cdgrove@u.washington.edu> writes: >Paul, > >I believe I ran across a new book in the Cambridge catalog in the last >week that is talking about dual language immersion programs. I can't >find >it in Books in Print, but I will try to locate it again in the >catalog. I >too am opposed to the English Only Movement and am currently in the >process of writing a dissertation related to the topic. I belive it >is >Cummins who argues that immersion is a good method, *BUT* only in the >case >where a student who speaks the majority language at home is immersed >voluntarily in a language other than the majority at school. This >type of >program, if I recall correctly (please set me straight if I don't) was >originally called "bilingual education" in Canada; English speaking >students in English majority areas were learning French. I believe it >has >also been termed "additive bilingual education" as opposed to >"subtractive >bilingual education" (in which the native (minority) language is >suppressed in favor of the majority language, as is the case in many >"bilingual" programs in the U.S. today). One of the grave >difficulties in >this whole public debate is that the term "bilingual education" is >impossibly ambiguous in the U.S. as the type of program which is >called >"bilingual" varies remarkably from place to place. I think one lesson >to >be learned by those of us who want to be involved in the debate is the >importance of clearly defining what is being discussed when people >start >using terms like immersion, dual language immersion, bilingual >education, >etc. I've rambled on nearly enough. I'll just restate that I think >the >main problem with immersion language education in the U.S. is the >negative >psychological and cognitive results of suppressing one language (the >native and usually minority language) in favor of another language >(the >second and usually majority language). If politicians wanted to take >my >English speaking son and place him in a Spanish immersion program, I >would >be on the doorstep in a second (given that I was satisfied with the >quality of the program, of course). > >Please keep the dialogue going. > >I'll send the reference as soon as I find it. > >Carl Grove > > >On Fri, 7 Nov 1997, Grupo Primavera wrote: > >> There is throughout this country a "movement" to establish >English >> as the official language and to institute English Only instruction >in >> elementary schools. >> I personally am very opposed to this "movement" and would like >to >> know the opinions of others, especially of those who can offer solid >> arguments destroying the so called "research" touting English >Immersion. >> On the other hand, research on Dual Language or Two Way >Immersion >> programs indicates that such an approach is vastly superior to all >> others. And I would like to hear from people on this program. >> Paul Rogers >> >> > >
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