I watched the first three episodes of "Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One." Prior to taking this course, I hadn't thought about how educators would teach bilingual students if they did not speak the students' native languages. I think I had mentioned it in another blog post, but I had never even thought about how I would communicate with a student visiting the health office if he or she didn't speak English. Someone in our class had asked me and the question caught me completely off guard. Having had time to think about it, I could use a communication board or a translator (such as google). I am in the process of moving my office back to our school's original building which has been under construction. I plan to incorporate a multilingual communication board into my new office in the fall and I am excited to make it over the summer.
As for the videos, I loved the graphic novel that the students created. What an excellent and creative way to help them learn another language while allowing them to embrace their native language and heritage and express themselves.
I felt bad reading Richard Rodriguez's "Aria." By gaining confidence in his English and allowing the author to find his public identity, he lost his connection with his family. There has to be a way to learn another language without sacrificing relationships with those closest to you. I find it amazing that Richards parents were able to practice their English with him, but his teachers were not willing to accommodate him by allowing him to use his native language. If he was able to use his Spanish in school, as teachers in the "Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One" demonstrated, perhaps his relationships with his parents would not have been so strained. They gave up their closeness to ensure he succeeded in a very American world. This brings me back to Leslie Grinner's "SCWAMP". He had to conform to gain any power.
I found "Teaching Multilingual Children," by Virginia Collier to be very insightful. Educators can use students' home languages and cultures to promote a better understanding of the English language, rather than use English to replace their primary language. Allow students to use words they are familiar with, especially when learning new concepts. This would help to avoid issues like Richard encountered, where his parents became alienated because he was no longer able to use their primary language to talk to them. Embrace and encourage differences. People are not made from cookie cutters!
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