Summarize the advantages of bilingualism, and describe a current approach to bilingual education in the United States
What will be an ideal response?
A large body of research shows that children who become fluent in two languages are advanced in cognitive development. Bilingual children outperform others on tests of selective attention, inhibition of irrelevant information, analytical reasoning, concept formation, and cognitive flexibility. They are also advanced in certain aspects of metalinguistic awareness, such as detection of errors in grammar, meaning, and conventions of conversation.
The advantages of bilingualism provide strong justification for bilingual education programs in schools. Currently, some schools are trying a new approach—two-way bilingual programs, in which children with limited proficiency in English who speak a common native language and children who are fluent in English are assigned in equal numbers to the same classroom. Teaching is aimed at helping all children become fluent in both languages and at increasing cross-cultural understanding. The goal is to foster the linguistic, cognitive, and cultural enrichment of the entire nation.
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