A Case For Bilingual Education

According to a 2006 report by the Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Culture, Science and Education in France, “[B]ilingual education based on the mother tongue is the basis for long-term success.” Citing many of the known and accepted benefits of bilingualism and biliteracy, the Committee makes the case that bilingual education should be supported whenever possible, to help minorities retain their native language – and moreover increase their potential for higher levels of academic achievement in the process.Concerns that children who grow up with two languages will either fall behind academically because of it, or are at risk of not mastering either language well, have largely been disproved by research, the committee stated.”The language which is the vehicle of instruction has a crucial role in that command of it is the key to classroom communication and consequently to pupils’ acquisition of knowledge. A great deal of research has confirmed that types of education based on the mother tongue significantly increase the chances of educational success and give better results,” they concluded in their report.What is Bilingual Education?Bilingual education programs teach speakers of other languages academic subjects in their native language while gradually transitioning them into English-only classrooms. The majority of these programs in America teach to native speakers of Spanish, Chinese, or Navajo. Bilingual education is different from ESL because ESL programs are meant only to teach speakers of other languages English, while bilingual education programs are meant to encourage further retention and development of the native language while teaching English, enabling the child to develop fluent bilingualism and biliteracy.What are the benefits of Bilingual Education?Bilingual education teachers generally transition students from the bilingual classroom to the English mainstream classroom over a period of 1-6 years. This can be beneficial for one because it allows the students to continue their own academic advancement while learning the dominant language, whereas students who must learn a language and other academic subjects in that language often fall behind. By teaching children academic subjects in their native language while acquiring English, the students learn the language while continuing to progress academically. Furthermore, they become fluent and literate in both languages.Studies have shown that quality bilingual education can be an effective approach for teaching second language learners. Successful programs have found that developing and maintaining the student’s native language does not interfere with English language acquisition, but instead enhance it.The advantages of bilingualism are not highly debated. Some of the advantages plurilinguals have, cited by the Parliamentary Assembly, include:• An enhanced faculty for creative thinking• More advanced analytical skills and cognitive control of linguistic operations• Greater communicative sensitivity in relation to situational factors• Improved spatial perception, cognitive clarity and analytical skillsFurthermore, bilingual programs encourage the preservation of a minority group’s linguistic and cultural heritage. Children who are put into English-only schools from a young age will greatly lose their mother tongue and culture unless it is taught and frequently spoken at home – however it is all too common for second and third generation Americans to lose their heritage language.If the benefits of bilingualism are not highly disputed, why is bilingual education highly disputed?Common arguments and sentiments against bilingual education in America include the following:ImmersionThe argument is that if a person is not totally immersed in the new language, they will not learn it – that immigrant children should be totally immersed in the language and therefore be taught entirely in English right away, instead of learning gradually, because they will not learn as well with a gradual approach. Critics of bilingual education often believe that retaining and developing the first language inhibits the child’s ability to learn English. However, bilingual education supporters maintain that retaining the first language will facilitate learning in the second. Opportunities for immersion, moreover, are all around, whereas quality bilingual education opportunities are not.Insufficient mastery of the English languageSome express doubts about the success of bilingual programs in teaching language-minority students mastery of the English language, citing low test scores and poor reading skills in both English and the native language as a result of the programs. However, low scores can be attributed to the child’s social context more than to the effectiveness of bilingual education, according to the 2006 report by the Parliamentary Assembly.Furthermore, according to a 1987 study commission by the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), children in “properly designed” bilingual education programs learn English quickly and meet grade-level standards in English and mathematics in three to five years. The report used data collected from 25 schools in seven California districts to dispute the claim that bilingual programs slow the acquisition of English and keep children out of the mainstream longer.BiasSpanish as well as other minority languages have not historically been valued as highly as they should be due to prejudice and xenophobia. One and two generations back it was not acceptable for immigrants or natives to speak a language other than English in school, and parents did not teach their children for fear they would not excel or that it would hold them back. This prejudice still haunts us today.FearIn 2010 Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) banned Mexican heritage and cultural study in their high schools. They claimed that the courses were teaching Mexican-American children to resent white Americans and encouraging them to want to overthrow the US government. Although the school was seeing rises in academic achievement, the program was teaching minority students about their culture and not the mainstream one, and so the programs were cut. This closely mimics the battle bilingual programs have faced in America as well.Insufficient research
Moreover, it does not help that research on bilingual education presents its own set of problems. “Research on the effectiveness of bilingual education remains in dispute, because program evaluation studies – featuring appropriate comparison groups and random assignment of subjects or controls for pre-existing differences – are extremely difficult to design,” wrote James Crawford, researcher on bilingual education. Crawford, however, maintains that there is strong empirical support that native-language instruction does not inhibit or slow the acquisition of English, and that well-developed skills in the native language are associated with high levels of academic achievement.A 1997 press release from a committee of the National Research Council formed perhaps a more well-rounded conclusion. They stated that political debates over how to teach children with limited English skills have hampered bilingual education research and evaluation efforts. The committee recommended that research focus on identifying a variety of educational approaches that work for children in their communities based on local need and available resources. And indeed this availability of resources can be a major concern when talking about constructing quality bilingual programs, as well as the scarcity and demand for quality bilingual teachers.”In recent years, studies quickly have become politicized by advocacy groups selectively promoting research findings to support their positions,” said Kenji Hakuta, committee chair and professor of education at Stanford University. “Rather than choosing a one-size-fits-all program, the key issue should be identifying those components, backed by solid research findings, that will work in a specific community.”If bilingualism has an educational advantage, why don’t our schools support this advantage?Another often disregarded advantage of bilingual education in America is that native English-speaking children can enroll and acquire a second language. America is known for being one of the least dual-tri lingual countries in the world, with a bias toward English-only, while most other countries in the world teach many languages from a young age. The interesting thing is that most Americans would recognize the benefits of speaking two or more languages, although bilingual education remains a highly debated topic.Bilingual education programs have the potential to help encourage and support plurilingualism in America and ultimately improve our nation academically.”The view that bilingualism or plurilingualism is a burden on pupils is… incorrect – they are assets,” the 2006 Parliamentary Assembly Committee reported. “‘Strong’ bilingual educational models which aim to equip the future adult with real bi/plurilingual proficiency and, in particular, bi-literacy, have many advantages over ‘weak’ models which treat bilingualism as an intermediate stage between mother-tongue monolingualism and official-language monolingualism rather than as an end in itself.”

The Five W’s of Real Estate Training

Who?Who can and who should take the real estate training or course?Practically anyone who wants to make a career in the property industry can choose to go for the training. If one feels that they can carve their niche in the property sector and have what it takes to excel in the profession, a good real estate course will be of crucial importance.Amid the current financial recession when all industries appear to be toppling, property industry is still somewhat stable. Although there is an evident slowdown in the industry, yet it is growing. So the requirement for real estate professionals has not eroded and every property company needs a property professional. Today, when career opportunities in other professions show a great deal of saturation, the potential of real estate industry is slowly dawning upon people who are now taking up real estate training courses to enter this vast field of opportunities.What?What are the real estate training courses about?Real estate of course! Every country of the world has its set real estate laws and ordinances. These laws may vary largely from country to country, and also from city to city within in a country. This is one reason why it is important for a real estate professional to not only become aware of, but also have a deep insight into his region’s property laws and regulations. The real estate training courses consist of a series of classes or lectures which cover anything and everything about real estate in your region. The courses are designed, handled and delivered by the area’s real estate experts with vast experience of the local property market. The most common things covered in the property training are the property laws governing your area’s real estate industry, your responsibilities as a real estate agent, and the types of real estate present in your zone of operation. The courses are also designed to hone your buying and selling skills as a property agent.Where?Where are the real estate training courses available?Probably not far from you. These courses are gaining popularity around the world and many established property companies and agencies have taken this initiative. Not only established real estate companies, but also experienced property professionals have started educationg people about the property business and its ethics with a special focus on the latest real estate trends of their own region’s property industry. So it’s very probable that after a brief search, you’ll be able to find a property company, agency or individual offering this course near your house or somewhere else in your city. And if you don’t, there are numerous real estate training courses available online in which anyone can enroll with ease. All it takes is a little online search and you’ll come across innumerable options. Most people consider online course more convenient than the classroom study as you can study at your convenience without having to rush for taking classes. It saves you the time and hassle of the traditional classroom study. Many online universities and institutions have even started bachelor and master degree programs in real estate development and management.When?When can you enroll for the course? How long does it take to complete?It depends on various factors. Your choice between online and classroom study, the mode of training, and the trainer’s discretion, all these factors come into play. The best way to find an answer to this question is to visit the trainer in person if it’s an offline (classroom) course, or to visit the website of the trainer if it’s an online course. The websites of educational institutions bear all the details of the courses they offer including the course objective, outline, duration, and choice. One trainer may offer more than one property training course at a time designed for different individuals as per their requirements, suitability and market exposure.Why?Why should you take this course?Well, we’ve already discussed it in the 1st answer. One definite answer to this question is that the property market is still booming when the other industries appear to be falling down in the current financial recession. As the industry is expanding, there’s more and more room for real estate professionals in it. Taking a real estate training course can help you make a career in this booming sector and excel professionally.

Starting Up a Business

Starting up your own company and becoming your own boss is a dream for most people; it gives you authority, a sense of freedom and pride in knowing that you have a successful company that people look up to and want to do business with. There are many valid reasons for starting a business; it could be because you want to be your own boss, or you may have a great idea and seen a hole in the market for it or simply because you have seen an opportunity to make a lot of money.However, it can be a time intensive and costly experience, especially if you make a few mistakes on the way, which is very likely, but this shouldn’t stop you from living out your dream. There are many helpful websites that give you guidance on starting a business, generating useful advice that can be invaluable to the new business person.Most help guides as seen on the internet share the same, common information; that the owner of the business must possess good, business working traits. The main traits you must have when starting a business is commitment, motivation and enthusiasm, but good organisational skills and the drive to continually keep in-depth plans is crucial as well.When thinking of starting a business many thought process take place, with most of the questioning yourself, your ability and what the business could do. The most common topics to think about when just starting a business are:
What will the business do? What will it provide customers? E.g. a product/service
Where can it operate? Is a premise necessary or is it an online company? E.g. E-commerce
Will I require employees to begin with, or do I have the knowledge/skills to do it alone?
Will I need financial support? If so, where will I get it from?
How long will it take to turn over a profit?
Have I got what it takes to make it a success?There are also concerns with new business owners about the obstacles and setbacks they will endure over the course of setting up their business. These obstacles mainly circulate around finance and funding. With recent news circulation that confidence in small businesses are declining and banks not so willingly lending the outlook isn’t too bright at the moment.These are all very common thoughts when starting a business, but what could give you more of a competitive edge is maintaining the knowledge of what is going on around you, what other start up businesses are perusing and what you may require to keep your business significant.Up to date news pieces on the current economic environment, information on what new business are succeeding in and what should be avoided can all be found on one simple blog spot (see below for more information). It is specifically designed to help new start up business owners get all the knowledge they need, whilst in the early stages of setting up their company. It is also an ideal reference blog for entrepreneurs to gain extensive inside knowledge of the current business climate.Information found on this blog spot includes the latest news on topics such as; starting up, finance and grants, taxes, returns and payroll, sales and marketing, health and safety, environment and efficiency, international trade, awards and much more.