I recently visited a school in the Atitlan region of
Guatemala. The majority of students were indigenous and spoke one of the many
Mayan dialects in their home as their native language. They all spoke Spanish
as well since that is the predominant language in their community. However, all
curriculum in the school was taught in English. Many of the younger students
frequently spoke in Spanish to each other out of habit, and they were gently
reminded to use English language since they are being taught in an immersion
style. The older students spoke English with ease and with little to no accent.
It was amazing to meet young children who are already fluent in three or four
languages.
Generally, being multilingual is considered a great asset –
one that can help you land future jobs and buff up your resume. However,
through discussions with local educators I wonder if this could actually be a
disadvantage to the students in this area. Most of the students attend school
through private sponsorships. It is unlikely that these students will have the
means to pursue university studies in the US or another English speaking
country. Most will attend universities in Guatemala where they will be taught
in Spanish for the very first time. These students will likely lack the
academic language needed in Spanish to understand scientific concepts or other
difficult terms. They are also not prepared to write long papers or read
academic material in Spanish since this is something they have never had to do before.
I have been on the reverse side of this. I grew up in the US
and attended a Spanish immersion school where I received math, science, and
language art instruction in Spanish through the eighth grade. I did struggle
through high school and college to understand math and science in English. I
felt like I was always one step behind in these classes. I also picked up some
Spanish writing styles – different word orders and lengthy sentences – that I
had to learn to remove from my English papers. However, I did have a strong
academic background and was used to being challenged since it is difficult to
learn in an immersion environment. I think that early academic foundation and
exposure shaped my way of thinking and my appreciation for education, which
later helped me work through language learning issues and not give up.
From the support and dedication that students received from
teachers in the school that I visited, I think that they have a strong academic
background and the motivation to work through the difficult transition that
they might face in university. In the end, I definitely benefited from having
attended a language immersion school. It has opened up so many doors for me in
finding jobs, shaping my career path, and being able to form amazing
relationships with local people when I lived abroad.
However, I do think it is important that these issues be taken into
consideration when teaching a foreign language. How do we balance the critical
academic language with the practical application of a foreign language? Can
this be solved through providing a strong academic base or can more be done to
prepare the student?About:
Beth Davis is the Manager of Educational Programs at e-collaborate, a non-profit in the DC area that focuses on global education and technology. Previously, Beth worked for a grassroots organization in Panajachel, Guatemala that provided empowerment trainings and non-formal education to indigenous women throughout the country. For more information about e-collaborate go to: www.e-collaborate.org or tour their global education program at www.ekwipchallenge.org/moodle.
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