Observing and Interacting With Proessionals, Children, and Families in an Early Childhood Setting Advocating for Bilingual Education

Name: Katrina Bell

Date: February 22, 2013

Name of Program/Setting: Mary Bert Gutman Early Learning Center

Who I spoke with: Ms. R. and the G. Family

What I learned about … Advocating for Bilingual Education

Two insights, experiences, or quotes that I will share in my blog this week…

On Friday February 22, 2013 I had the opportunity of interacting with Ms. R. who is a teacher at Mary Bert Gutman Early Learning Center. Ms. R. has been teaching for 21 years and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. R. is bilingual and teaches English and Spanish. During my visit I spend a great deal of time communicating with Ms. R. and the G. Family. The G. family has 3 children that attend Mary Bert Gutman. The family moved from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia and was in search of childcare for their children. One of their major concerns was that they could not speak English and they did not want them to lose their native language. In fact, the parents are not fluent in speaking English as well. Since they only spoke Spanish the parents were very concerned about how they would be able to communicate and interact with the teacher and children in the classroom. In the classroom the children spoke their native language while at the same time they are learning to speak English. On top of that the other children in the classroom who speak English are learning to speak Spanish. This is a wonderful experience because they learn to communicate with one another in both English and Spanish. The parents also come into the center and work with the teacher as she conducts her lesson in English and Spanish. The center provides classes for the parents who are not fluent in speaking English. This is a good way for them to learn the language and at the same time they learn to communicate with others in the setting and their children at home.

I watched as Ms. R. read to the children in English and Spanish. The lesson that was prepared by the teacher was also done in English and Spanish. The flash cards used were in English and Spanish. If you took a good look around the classroom you will see pictures in both English and Spanish. The days, of the week, months of the year, shapes, colors are also in English and Spanish. The songs the children sing are done in both languages and the children do extremely well.

The teachers and families are in support of bilingual education programs. At Mary Bert Gutman these students are getting a very good education in their native language, and learning English at the same time. This is great and the children do not fall behind academically. At Mary Bert Gutman children are taught English as a second language. The families believe that Bilingual Education programs provide their children with both the knowledge and literacy to help their students’ transition into our society and transition into an English class setting. They also believe that this program has provided their children with the content materials in their native language in order to help them keep up academically and work on their English proficiency. This really helps them to stay on task. Ms. G. stated that she was very pleased with the program because it helped her children with their self-esteem and their feelings about their culture are not hindered in anyway. The bilingual education program at Mary Bert Gutman promotes biculturalism. The children are able to understand the value of their culture and language. The children and families are very proud of who they are. They also have the ability to learn another culture, other than their own.

In my conversation with Ms. G. she stated that she appreciates the fact that the program accepts, encourages, and supports their native language. She appreciates the fact that their culture and language is respected as it should be. Marry Bert Gutman also provides the families with the resources they need to succeed academically. Their native language is preserved while teaching them English which is something Ms. G. is very pleased with. The G. family is learning how to speak, read, and write two languages instead of just one.

The two insights I have gained is that speaking more than one language is common throughout the world. Through language, your child learns to understand others and communicate his thoughts and observations. A bilingual child can speak and understand two languages, a skill which requires persistent exposure for complete acquisition and development. A child learning two languages can experience the same proficiency in both languages as a child learning only one. It can help them to relate more to their culture if one of the languages is primarily used by relatives. Children will be able to use both languages to express themselves, which is especially beneficial if they do not yet know enough of one language and needs to borrow from the other to get their point across.

A child's continued development of both languages depends on their motivation, opportunities to use the language and the value of its use. Although language is primarily learned at home, a child’s language development depends on grandparents, peers, teachers and all caregivers in their life. It is important that children be given every opportunity to use both languages in their daily life.

My experience is this setting has also showed me why advocating for bilingual education is so important. Bilingual programs foster a more positive social experience which was very apparent at Mary Bert Gutman. Being limited to an English only environment can be very intimidating, which can cause a child to withdraw socially. When people of similar backgrounds are joined together in a program they are more inclined to open up and engage socially. Bilingual education programs aim at preparing students for experiences beyond the program, giving them the foundation for learning how to work together in teams, communicate and respond to conflict.

This is a program that I learned a great deal from and one that I would highly recommend to others.

Observing and Interacting With Professionals, Children, and Families in an Early Childhood Setting

Advocating for Bilingual Education

 

 

Name: Katrina Bell

Date: February 7, 2013

Name of Program/Setting: Mary Bert Gutman Childcare Center

Who I spoke with: Shelly Bowman

What I learned about … Advocating for Bilingual Education

Two insights, experiences, or quotes that I will share in my blog this week…

 

I had the wonderful opportunity of interacting with the Program Director Shelly Bowman. Ms. Bowman and I had the opportunity to really talk and see what we as educators can do in support of bilingual education. My experience here was wonderful and I am very happy that I chose to do my research on “Advocating for Bilingual Education”. I learned from Ms. Bowman that students in bilingual and ESL classrooms manipulate more than one language and are influenced by more than one culture.

 

Their experiences with these languages and cultures influence their learning. The more we understand the personal, socio-cultural, and linguistic backgrounds of bilingual students, the better equipped we are to provide these students with an effective learning environment. This environment should be one that supports learning in a second language and culture, while fostering a positive attitude and respect for the other language and culture. As you walk around the center you have no doubt that this is taking place.

 

Ms. Bowman helped me to appreciate that the responsibility for English language learning, academic progress, and integration of bilingual and ESL learners into the school community should be assumed by all personnel at the school, not just by the bilingual and ESL staff. At Mary Bert Gutman School administrators make certain that bilingual students have opportunities to integrate both socially and academically with monolingual English speakers.

 

One thing I found very interesting was the set-up of the classrooms. In my mind I thought okay what do you do? When you create a bilingual preschool room this is a great way to teach preschoolers a new language. Whether you include languages all year round or just for topics and themes that include other countries, the children are likely to build up a foreign vocabulary, which is a great basis for becoming bilingual. It is also a good way to make children who speak English as a second language feel much more at home.

 

I also found it interesting that the most common bilingual classrooms are those in which Spanish and English are spoken. At Mary Bert Gutman I can see how the children benefit from a bilingual education. I also learned that for pupils who are unfamiliar with one of the languages spoken in the classroom, they are exposed to a new language at an early age. By using this language daily along with their native language, they learn vocabulary and the use of these words in everyday situations. Pupils whose first language is not English benefit from placement in a bilingual classroom because learning in their native language improves their understanding of academic skills such as reading and writing.

 

Ms. Bowman stressed that some student may not fully understand one of the languages used so they make it a point to provide instruction in both languages, not just one. In addition, we must be aware of the importance of teaching about cultural diversity in the classroom. Though the focus may be on the languages, the cultural differences among the students should be discussed. In advocating for bilingual education it means I need to involve the parents. Involving parents in the bilingual process will help extend the childd's learning beyond school.

 

It is important that we keep parents informed of what we are teaching, including diversity lessons and basic academic concepts. One thing we can do is to provide parents with a list of vocabulary words and basic phrases in each language taught in the classroom. Doing so gives the parents the basic knowledge to converse with their child in the two languages you teach. This will also allow the child to practice each language at home. In addition, we can also provide parents with access to bilingual books so they can read them along with their child.

 

 

One challenge that I had was what I could do to effectively teach the ELLs in my preschool classroom? Ms. Bowman gave me some wonderful suggestions to assist me in what I could do with my students. Three and four year olds seem to be constantly in motion and have nothing but energy. Activities that are action-based will grab their attention and keep their interest. Children of this age group enjoy movement play. Emphasize acting out stories, repeating predictable text, puppetry, chants, rhymes, finger plays, songs, and role-playing. Have students make believe by playing house or pretending to be firefighters. Teach them to play games. Let them run jump, skip, dance and hop. These activities can be utilized to encourage verbal expression and language development. Use what these children love to do in order to help them learn.

 

She also recommended developing oral language skills and teaching young ELLs to speak and understand English first. They need to learn vocabulary dealing with greetings, families, body parts, school and classroom items, days of the week, zoo and farm animals, numbers, shapes, seasons, colors, clothing, and fruit. Teach them commands such as "line up, raise your hand, and go to the circle." Use songs and chants to make learning fun.

 

The insights I gained was that all students, especially English language learners (ELLs), benefit from active participation in their learning. Through conversations and discussions in class with both teachers and other students, ELLs develop their English language skills as they broaden their knowledge and understanding of subject matter. Becoming a role model for the celebration of bilingual education, and establishing a classroom climate of acceptance, respect, and self-appreciation, should be key functions of teachers. I later also had the opportunity of watching a teacher in the classroom as she conducted her lesson with her students. What a wonderful learning experience and one I will not forget. I really learned a lot and this experience really gave me something to reflect on.

 

As a result of my interaction with Ms. Bowman I learned that bilingual education programs help to preserve the linguistic and cultural links between the students and their parents, thus facilitating effective communication and parental involvement in the students' education. If I am going to advocate for bilingual education then I need to have a goal. It is my goal to build successful productive bilingual and bicultural citizens of tomorrow.