Myths & Realities for English Language Learners
Myth:
Children who speak another language at home develop English language skills more slowly than children who speak just English. Parents should try to avoid using other languages around their children.
Reality:
Monolingual and bilingual children develop language abilities at the same rate. What matters most for language development is that children engage with spoken and written language, no matter what language it is. Parents can effectively help their children develop Engilsh language skills by communicating in their home tongue.
Myth:
Students who are learning English should be immersed in English-only classrooms –otherwise they’ll never learn it.
Reality:
Research shows that teaching English-language learners in their home language does not impede their learning English. English-language learners who participate in bilingual instruction programs tend to perform as well or better in both English and math than their peers in ESL and English-only programs.
Myth:
Since the national school dropout rate for Hispanic students is the highest of any ethnic group, the last thing we need to do is to teach them Spanish in school. The fastest way to encourage assimilation is to place them in English-only classrooms.
Reality:
Bilingual education builds confidence and motivation among heritage speakers and English-language learners by valuing their cultures and skills. Research has shown that English-language learners in bilingual education programs are less likely to drop out than their peers in English-only programs.
Myth:
There’s no point in teaching heritage speakers and English-language learners to read and write in anything besides English. Speaking a second language at home is good enough.
Reality:
In an economy that’s growing more “global” every day, the ability to read and write fluently in two languages – as well as speak them – is a tremendous professional asset. Bilingual education means enhanced opportunities for all students.
