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 JAA07537; Tue, 11 Nov 1997 09:50:14 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 09:50:14 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <34671F90.F65@spc.cc.tx.us> 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: deanna hines <dhines@spc.cc.tx.us> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:1492] Re: English Only Discussion X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win95; I) Status: RO Content-Length: 4178 Lines: 72 Andres Muro wrote: > > The English Only movement is a movement of scapegoatism, designed to > promote fear among uneducated voters. The rhetoric of the movement is > similar to Hitler's "My Struggle". This movement, or variations of it, > become popular with politicians who want to get votes based on a > "reduction in spending" agenda. The argument is that we spent too much > money on immigrants who are lazy, do not want to assimilate and refuse > to learn English. If we vote for these politicians, they will reduce our > taxes by not paying for bilingual education and other programs designed > to aid immigrants and blah, blah, blah. > > The English Only movement is not based on any well researched > pedagogical approach, nor it is based on sound cultural studies. It is, as I > said before, a movement designed to promote xenophobia. California's > Pete Wilson, has been one of the masters at effectvely promoting > xenophobia among voters. > > Regarding the pedagogical value of multilingual education vs. total > immersion programs, the merits of these approaches depend on context > and ideology. Street argues that literacy practices are rooted in ideology; > and acquisition of literacies are often mediated by power struggles. > Therefore, the effect of an immersion program, vs. a multilingual program > can have different sociocultural and psychological effects, and may be > received differently depending on the particular context. > > Populations who are resisting assimilation and acculturation efforts from > a dominant culture will respond differently to pedagogical approaches > from those populations who are not. Overall, Lambert argues that an > "additive" pedagogical approach (one that adds to the existing cultural > experience) is favorable to a "subtractive" approach (one that favors > one cultural experience while trying to subtract another one). For > oppressed immigrants with poor self esteem, a subtractive approach can > be culturally devastating. This type of approach often can lead to > passive resistance. > > In the anthology "Literacy as Praxis" Ogbu makes an analysis of > minorities' status and the school experience. Ogbu identifies voluntary > vs. involuntary minorities. Voluntary minorities are those who came to > the US voluntarily seeking economic well-being. Minorities who acquired > such status by slavery, conquest or colonization are involuntary > minorities. Involuntary minorities may see an immersion approach as a > cultural threat while voluntary minorities may not perceive this. > > Good discussion, > > Andres No one is suggesting doing away with language as a structured class... No one is suggesting that immigrants learn and practice English in their private lives... No one is promoting xenophobic attitude... No one is promoting fear in English-challenged (notice I didn't say uneducated) citizens... Simply put, English Only programs in public schools can only help to streamline and make more efficient, the job of American teachers who must conform to Government (whether local or national) guidelines for teaching subject matter within a given time period...Teachers who must, not only teach the material, but translate on a one-to-one basis, can not possibly do their jobs in a timely and effective way...Intensive English programs taught early can only help the new citizen in job search and society placement when their mandatory education requirements are satisfied...Gentlement and ladies, please...you're discussing cultural assimilation...not language assimilation...they are two very different areas...their are thousands of cultural societies in the United States, all different, all unique to customs brought from their ancestral beginnings...it would be impossible to unify them: NO ONE IS TRYING TO DO THIS...but society and the government of the United States operates on the assumption of a knowledge of English in ALL these cultures...what we DON'T need, is dissidents bringing political negativity into a genuine desire to help American citizens become unified against opposition, and this DOES require a basic unification of information resource through a common language.
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