The Magazine for Teachers of English...
Teacher News
Bilingual Education
A survey on bilingualism in Spain
The dual language programme is in full swing throughout Spain. But what do people think of it? Here are a few opinions on the topic.
Opinions on bilingualism
“Having a bilingual programme in schools is a great way for students to get more exposure to the language, which will really help them acquire it.”
“Learning English through Science and other subjects is the best way for language assimilation. Students are learning English without even realising it.”
“Students will graduate with a knowledge of two languages. This is fantastic.”
“Students will be able to communicate with more people from around the world. This is a skill that they’ll have for the rest of their lives.”
“Children in the bilingual project are getting plenty of exposure to English, which is a fundamental step in mastering a language.”
The benefits of bilingualism.
Here are a few results from recent studies on bilingualism:
- Students are capable of achieving a high level of proficiency in this second language without this having a detrimental effect on their primary language development.
- Bilingual students perform better on tasks that call for divergent thinking, pattern recognition and problem solving.
- Bilingual students have advanced levels of linguistic awareness.
- Proficiency in two languages encourages individuals to expand their knowledge of the world.
- Bilingual students have greater employment prospects.
- Bilingualism helps develop a wider cultural awareness.
- Experiments show that bilingual children are better at putting themselves in other people’s shoes and showing empathy. It also helps them understand how others think.
- Bilingual children learn about the complexities of language, including how certain things can only be expressed in specific languages.
- The acquisition of a second language in early childhood has a positive influence on the development of neuronal circuits. Research has also shown that fluency in more than one language can improve mental acuity.
Teacher Time
Some fun ideas to try out in class
Word association gamePut your students into pairs. Then write a word/expression on the board. Student A from Pair 1 begins the game by saying the word that is written on the board. Student B must then say the first word that comes to mind, as long as this word is related thematically to the previous word. Student A then says a word related to Student B’s word and so on...
For example
- Student A:iPad
- Student B:book
- Student C:author
Alternatively, you can play this game as a classroom activity. Say a word, then choose students at random to continue the word chain. See how many words the class can come up with in two minutes. Then try with another word.
How does it work?Tell your students to make a list of three small electronic gadgets that they own. As quickly as they can, students must think of a description of how one of the gadgets works. When they’re ready, tell your students to move around the class and talk to one another, taking turns to explain how their gadget works without revealing its name.
The students listening have one minute to guess the name of the gadget correctly. The student with the most correct answers is the winner.
Silent wordsTell your class to watch and listen as carefully as they can. When you have your students’ full attention, “mouth” a word or expression from the book without uttering a sound. Ask your students to try to identify the word or expression by watching the movement of your mouth/lips. Elicit the answer and write it on the board. Then, dictate six to 10 more words. Tell your students to write down each word or expression. After a few turns, check to see who has correctly identified the most words or expressions. The student with the most correct answers is the winner. Afterwards, students can do this activity in pairs.
What’s the word?Give a definition of a word or expression from the text. Your students have to tell you which word/expression you are referring to. You could say, “Find a word that means X”. Alternatively, give the translation of the word and tell your students to find the corresponding word in the text. For example, “Find a word that means X in English”.
Teacher Quiz
Pre-Primary
Primary
Primary 1-2
Primary 3-4
Primary 5-6
Secondary
Secondary 1
Secondary 2
Secondary 3
Upper-Secondary
423359
F. de Madariaga; M.ª A. Ferrándiz; Prats i Camps; S. Enríquez/INS Pradolongo, Madrid; COMSTOCK ; EFE/EPA PHOTO/Heinz Wieseler;
EFE/SIPA-PRESS/Daniel Dancer; FOTONONSTOP; GETTY IMAGES SALES SPAIN/Photos.com Plus, Thinkstock; HIGHRES PRESS STOCK/AbleStock.com;
I. PREYSLER; ISTOCKPHOTO; ASUS; CREATIVE LABS; SERIDEC PHOTOIMAGENES CD/PHOTOALTO/Laurence Mouton; ARCHIVO SANTILLANA
Nº 7 - April 2013
