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Description of Bilingual Education Instructional Models
Dual Language Description (Word)
Collier and Thomas Study (pdf) (ppt)
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Dual-Language Enrichment Programs (Two-Way Bilingual Enrichment Instruction)
What are Dual-Language Enrichment Programs?
Perhaps you have heard a lot about two-way bilingual enrichment programs lately. With several school districts in our state either implementing or exploring this model of dual language education, interest is certainly on the rise. Briefly summarized, a two-way bilingual enrichment program uses two languages to teach students (commonly at the elementary level) their core curriculum. Participating students are equally divided between native English speakers and native speakers of the program's other language. In Washington that other language is most often Spanish.
How Do Two-Way Bilingual Enrichment Programs Work?
With a 50/50 linguistic mix of students in place, the school divides the regular curriculum for the grade level into language groups. For example, science might be taught in Spanish for all students while math might be in English. By dividing the curriculum there will be some subjects that the English speakers will learn in their weaker language (Spanish) and other subjects they will learn in their stronger language (English.) The same will be true for the Spanish speakers. Since all classes have students who are working in their strong language and students who are working in their weaker language, the students learn to interact with one another and gain both the knowledge and the language they need from one another as well as from their teachers.
Washington's director of bilingual and migrant programs, Dr. Richard Gómez, brings substantial experience in the area of two-way bilingual education programs with him from his work in the Texas. Gómez recommends the "two teacher” model as the most efficient method to implement this type of program. Since many districts find it hard to implement two-way programs for lack of enough bilingual teachers, the two-teacher model ensures that the Spanish-speaking teachers available serve the greatest number of students. This model also allows teachers to concentrate on producing high quality language without the interruption of translation, since each teacher always teaches in just one language. Further, it allows teachers to specialize, since they teach only ½ of the day’s curriculum and can prepare the same lesson twice, selecting subjects they prefer to teach. The opposite language teacher selects the other subjects and specializes in those.
Scientific research such the Collier study has found the Dual-Language Enrichment (DLE) Model to be the most effective academic AND linguistic model for both Limited English Proficient (LEP) and native English speakers. For more information about DLE programs, contact Dr. Gómez at rgomez@ospi.wednet.edu.
The chart below describes how this might work.
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Teacher
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Morning
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Afternoon
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Mrs. Johnson - English instruction
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Student Group A - (12 English speakers + 12 Spanish speakers)
Subjects - Math, Reading, Art
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Student Group B - (12 English speakers + 12 Spanish speakers)
Subjects - Math, Reading, Art
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| Mr. Garcia - Spanish instruction
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Student Group B - (12
English speakers + 12 Spanish speakers)
Subjects - Science, Reading, Social Studies
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Student Group A - (12 English speakers + 12 Spanish speakers)
Subjects - Science, Reading, Social Studies
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By working together, teachers serve the same number of students that they would have served in a traditional model, however, with this model, the students emerge with true bilingual abilities, greater cognitive flexibility and stronger academic achievement. This is the most effective Bilingual instructional model for any school serving substantial numbers of Spanish speaking ELL students or any single “other than English” language group of students.
Late-Exit Bilingual Education
(Transitional Bilingual Education)
Late-Exit Bilingual models are designed for English Language Learners (ELL) exclusively. This is a transitional model designed to move ELL children from their native “other than English language” to English over the five or six year period of their school’s primary grades. This model relies on the teacher teaching in the students’ native language throughout the model. The degree, to which the teacher utilizes the students’ native language, is directly proportional to the degree to which the student has acquired English language proficiency. For Washington, this model would serve primarily Spanish speakers. The following tables show typical “transitional” linguistic targets per year:
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Grade:
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K
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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English/Spanish % Ratio
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90% S
10% E
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90% S
10% E
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70% S
30% E
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50% S
50% E
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30% S
70% E
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20% S
80% E
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10% S
95% E
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OR
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Grade:
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K
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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English/Spanish % Ratio
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90% S
10% E
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90% S
10% E
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70% S
30% E
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50% S
50% E
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30% S
70% E
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10% S
90% E
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Early-Exit Bilingual Education
(Transitional Bilingual Education) |
Early-Exit Bilingual models are identical to Late-Exit models with the only difference being that this model is designed to move ELL children from their native other than English language to English in the first three-year period of their school’s primary grades. This model relies on the teacher teaching in the students’ native language throughout the model. The degree to which the teacher utilizes the students’ native language is directly proportional to the degree to which the student has acquired English language proficiency. For Washington, this model would serve primarily Spanish speakers. The following table shows typical “transitional” linguistic targets per year:
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Grade:
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K
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1
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2
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3
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4
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English/Spanish % Ratio
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80% S
20% E
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70% S
30% E
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50% S
50% E
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30% S
70% E
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0% S
100% E
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Content English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)
(Sheltered Immersion)
Content ESL models rely on the classroom teacher of record,
who has been ESL trained, to teach the ELL child the entire curriculum while
keeping the ELL child together with the rest of his/her students at all
times. The ESL trained teacher employs
ESL techniques to ensure his/her ELL students learn the academic curriculum
while they are in the process of becoming English proficient. Teachers need to know ONLY English for
implementing this model and all instruction is delivered in the target
language, English. Content ESL is the most effective instructional model for buildings which have considerable
numbers of more than one “other than English language” ELL students. Content ESL models are effective from K-12th
grades and for all subject areas.
English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)
(Primarily Used in
Secondary Programs)
ESL programs are designed to provide ELL students focused
English language development while concurrently taking the regular curriculum
in English. This is accomplished by
scheduling ELL children into an ESL classroom where an ESL trained teacher
develops a student’s English language proficiency as quickly as possible
utilizing a communicative-based approach.
This communicative-based approach makes use of the Eclectic Method, that
is various second language acquisition methods that each are appropriate at
certain phases of a child’s English language development. Whereas an ESL trained teacher would employ
the “Total Physical Response” approach early on, eventually he/she would move
to the “Natural Approach”, etc.
Secondary programs do not have the very precious commodity,
time. A typical ELL student requires anywhere from 4 to 6 years to acquire academic English proficiency in order to
be able to compete academically with native English peers. This time constraint for secondary programs,
especially high schools, makes the more typical elementary bilingual education
models impractical. Compounding the
challenges secondary programs must address in meeting the needs of their ELL
students is that though some ELL students arrive with academic proficiency from
attending schools in their native countries, others do not. Many secondary ELL students have no academic
foundation having not benefited from formal education in their native
countries. Thus, secondary programs
typically address the needs of their ELL students by:
- 2 or 3 hour ESL block for beginning English proficiency level students
- Delivering core courses in the students native language where possible
- Delaying language intensive core courses (history) to second year and moving less language intensive electives to the first year
- Pairing ELL students with strong Bilingual Students in core subjects
- Securing textbooks in core subjects in students’ native language
English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Pull-Out
(Primarily Used in Elementary Programs)
ESL “pull-out” programs are the most commonly utilized
programs in Washington and unfortunately, the least effective as well (see
Collier link graph at top of page).
ELL students are “pulled” out of their mainstream classrooms each day
for approximately 45 minutes each day.
In this model, a teacher or para-professional provides students with
focused assistance either in English language development or academic
assistance. Stronger ESL “pull-out”
models take the following intro account:>
- ELL
students aren’t “pulled” during introduction of core subject concepts
- Utilizing
ESL trained teachers versus para-professionals
- On-going
communication between ESL Pull-Out and classroom teachers is critical
- Grouping
ELL students by either beginning/intermediate or advanced English
proficiency rather than by grade level
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