Bi-Ligual Education Returning to California (Jeff, Topic Twenty-Six)

Teresa Watanabe
Dual-Language Immersion Programs Growing in Popularity (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bilingual-20110508,0,3841220.story)
LA Times
May 8th, 2011

Summary: Nearly twenty years after California pushed dual-language learning out of the public school system, the method is quickly growing in popularity. The sudden change of face is based on a growing mass of research that indicates English-only learning may not work as well--despite Proposition 227s assertion. California's dual-language programs have grown in number from about 200 a few years ago to over 1,000 today.

Key Points: Dual-language students are out performing their English-only counterparts.

Relevance: I wish this article would have been around a few months ago when we read the chapter about dual-language education. The research overwhelmingly shows that dual-language is better. Will be interesting to see how Californians respond. They did, after all, mandate by law that classes should be taught in English. We should not confuse majority opinion with the truth.

Sink or Swim

Wendy Owen
Intel surprises Beaverton and Hillsboro schools with influx of Israeli families
http://www.oregonlive.com/beaverton/index.ssf/2011/04/intel_surprises_beaverton_and_hillsboro_schools_with_influx_of_israeli_families_sending_principals_and_teachers_scramb.html
4/16/2011
Topic: student influx

Intel has brought around 300 Israeli families as part of a training program to their campus, adding around 400 children to the area. Children are flooding the Beaverton and Hillsboro schools, and with little warning, teachers and administrators are scrambling to accommodate these kids into classes and with supplies. Intended audience: Beaverton and Hillsboro area parents and students

Key points: Intel is offering no amount of funding for the lack of supplies; schools are trying to figure out ESL classes for the kids,

Relevance: We were discussing the pros and cons of a track program and full immersion program for students who do not speak English. I feel like many of these students feel like they are being fully immersed in English speaking culture, it is time for sink or swim right? I am curious how this all turns out…

Communicative Language Teaching in Japanese Elementary Schools

「児童英語『楽しく』第一」(Youth ELL "Enjoyably," Part 1), no author listed

Asahi.com (the Asahi Shimbun is one of Japan's largest newspapers; this is their website)

http://mytown.asahi.com/nara/news.php?k_id=30000171010250001

Summary: Although Japan's public school system has taught English as a compulsory subject beginning in middle school (7th grade and up) for many years now, the upcoming school year, beginning in April, will be the first year that it enters the elementary school curriculum. The "Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology," (MEXT) which overseas the nationally-standardized curriculum, has introduced 35 hours / term (or approximately one class period per week) foreign language study requirements for 5th and 6th grade elementary school students.

The traditional model of English study has been drill-and-kill, even more focused on test results ( specifically the entrance tests for non-compulsory high school education, and higher ed) than in America. This has generally resulted in a group that can answer obscure grammar questions for a test, but cannot speak more than a sentence or two. The idea that MEXT is encouraging communication as a goal is a big step out of the dark ages of language instruction, and into the modern era in which the "communicative" approach is one of the most widely followed philosophies.

Key Points:

• elementary school teachers are excited, but apprehensive-- many of them have never taught a language before
• the system of assistant language teachers (ALTs) is already stretched thin trying to cover all the high schools and middle schools to which they are dispatched
• the school featured in this article is trying out several approaches, including relying on the textbook from MEXT that accompanies the new curriculum; they are also trying to keep students engaged with the TPR-style activities highlighted in this article

Audience: general public curious about what the changes in mandatory curriculum will mean, educators wondering how their school might smoothly adopt the new requirements

Relevance: I am rolling around ideas for a grant that will take me back to Japan for a month or so in summer 2012, and my current top choice is a project looking at how elementary schools are integrating the newly mandated curriculum-- and whether they are doing it "successfully" or not. I realize that this article doesn't have much relevance to most of you (and that probably no one can read it), but it really caught my eye and I wanted to use it in a review. I would love to talk about it if anyone is interested!