blog




  • Essay / The place of English language in the context of bilingual education

    Table of contentsEnglish as a world language and booster for bilingual educationTeaching English as a second or foreign languageConclusionReferencesIn this essay I will reveal the topic of bilingual education in the context of Attitude Changes in Teaching English for Foreign Speakers (TESOL), in addition to other topics such as CLIL and EME, supporting my essay with evidence from study materials. But first of all, I would like to discuss the role of English as a global language. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get Original Essay English as a World Language and a Booster for Bilingual Education It would be difficult to discuss the importance of the English language in the modern era as an international language. It is clear that it has become more dominant in the world. In some countries it is used as a native language and in others it is taught as a second or third language in schools, making English the lingua franca. It is the language of global commerce, the primary language of international diplomacy, it is the language of air traffic control, it is the undisputed language of science and technology, as well as the language of the majority of academic journals, and especially for us, it is the most widespread language on the Internet and in the media. It is also the language that international travelers with different native languages ​​use to communicate with each other, the very definition of a lingua franca. This suggests that the whole world has become an open village, shareable and recognizable by all individuals since English is used as a common language, despite the fact that there is little variation in cultures, traditions and regions. English has been accepted as a world language among speakers of thousands of other languages. thus, it serves as a common and global language in almost all areas of the globalized world, it helps people to maintain relationships and communicate with others. Never before has the world seen such universal use of a language as English. English has become a default Lingua Franca for a universal community on an international platform. It is a currency in today's world "English is like a dollar". As English became global, more and more varieties of English or World English (e.g. American English, British English, Indian English, etc.) emerged over the years , from strong Ugandan English to strong Ugandan English. Canadian French English accent. It is now used to communicate a mix of global and local cultures and identities, which has had a profound impact on the language as well as the skills needed to use it effectively. The spread of the English language across the world is demonstrated in Kachru's concentric circle model, the inner circle countries (United States, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia), the outer circle countries ( (e.g., India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia) and Expanding Circle Countries (e.g., Finland, Chile) reveal the importance of the English language for various reasons: social, economic, academic and political . And since each variety of English has its own historical, political, and sociolinguistic contexts, the Englishes of the world are an amalgam of civilizations. Where the English language is the door to an inaccessible world that will maximize their chances of success in a multilingual society. Therefore, knowledge of English is essential for personal and national advancement. Teach Englishas a second or foreign language In the United Kingdom, English is taught in schools both as a separate subject in the curriculum and as the language of instruction for all other subjects. Outside the United Kingdom, the English language is taught as a second language through the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages ​​(TESOL) system. The fact that the English language has become global has made TESOL more interesting, finding the right methods to make the student learn effectively has been a constant problem. To better understand changing attitudes toward TESOL, we need to take a close look at the challenges and obstacles faced by teachers and students. Difficulties can arise from learners for many reasons, it could be lack of motivation, maybe English is not the language they speak at home or in their community, which means no support outside of school, and this has often been a struggle for teachers. . Difficulties arising from teachers, where the teacher is a native English speaker, creating a linguistic and cultural barrier between teacher and student, or the teacher is a non-native speaker with insufficient understanding or little experience in teaching English. , leading to safe practices such as code-switching or translation to communicate meanings and facilitate understanding. There has been a huge dilemma over whether native English teachers are better than non-native English teachers at teaching English to speakers of other languages. Davies says the following about native speakers: “The concept of native speakers occupies a curious position in applied linguistics. On the one hand, it is widely used as a reference for knowledge of a language (and as such arouses opposition because it excludes those who are not native speakers) and as a criterion for employment; on the other hand, a definition of native speaker is elusive. In my opinion, the focus should be solely on communication. The problem is that the English language teaching (ELT) industry mandates certain accents, regions, and looks. In fact, I have never come across a textbook that brings Indian English or Nigerian English, it is always the same BBCRP and General American English accents. Well, that's not good! We are not going to speak English only with native speakers. Being a native speaker does not qualify anyone to teach the language. For example, I studied and speak Arabic as a native language, but I would never recommend myself as an Arabic language teacher. Having a competent native teacher is a privilege, but not easy to be present everywhere with such demand. Additionally, qualified non-native teachers can be as good as native teachers. It's not having the language that's relevant, what's much more important is how you got there and the experiences you gained along the way. One of the things that has intrigued me is the idea that learners use and “make” languages ​​have language, but they never have language. With the increasing use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), it is no longer appropriate to associate English only with native-speaking countries, but with a global community of users. This has the benefit of raising awareness of Global English (GE), but also highlights the reinforcement of stereotypes and the tendency to think about attitudes towards different varieties of English rather than how the ELF communication is successful. In terms of education, it was interesting to acquire and understand more terminologies such as additive and subtractive bilingualism,where additive bilingualism refers to the fact that a student's first language continues to be maintained and developed alongside their second language. Subtractive bilingualism is when a second language replaces the student's native language and, as a result, the student studies a new language to the detriment of their native language. From my perspective, additive bilingualism is the norm and increasing linguistic diversity is the trend. It is true that the English language is developing rapidly but other languages ​​are appearing such as Chinese, Spanish or even Arabic. The goal should be to promote additive bilingualism rather than subtractive bilingualism in the classroom. This will give students more confidence and strength in learning English, help them develop strong communication skills in English and their native language, and deepen their understanding. As the German poet Goethe once wrote: "To know no foreign language is to know nothing of your own." I suppose that the mother tongue is the best method of teaching to educate, that it allows children, especially from a very young age, to learn other languages ​​more easily, that it develops personal and cultural identity of the child, as well as their critical thinking and literacy skills. On the other hand, subtractive bilingualism will lead to the loss of children's fragile native language and their ability to communicate with friends and family, and will reinforce the idea that their native language, culture, and linguistic identity are not are not accepted at school. Teachers are obviously not obligated to speak every child's native language, but rather must take into account students' existing language knowledge and skills in addition to helping them maintain a positive mindset towards their native language. This can happen by providing books in other languages ​​in the school library and accepting student help from those who have no knowledge of English and connecting those who speak the same language. The cognitive benefits of bilingualism tended to occur in an additive context where students added a second language to their repertoire of skills without losing their native language. As Garcia argues, bilingual education should be the only option to equitably teach all children in the 21st century. I suppose that by raising a bilingual or multilingual generation it will help them integrate easily into a multilingual society, we are preparing them for a multilingual future rather than a monolingual one. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is an umbrella term that includes several teaching methods in which content is learned using a foreign language. It was developed in Europe in the 1990s in response to the need to find ways to advance proficiency levels in a foreign language. It is a content-driven system and language is integrated into learning. With CLIL, language is learned and used to develop subject knowledge. The objectives of CLIL are to improve academic performance, students' first and second language and develop their thinking skills. In a simple way, CLIL students use the English language to learn, while learning the English language. It helps introduce learners to new concepts by studying the syllabus in a non-native language and helps the learner produce the language in the syllabus subject. Additionally, it helps to improve the learner's performance in the academic subject and in the target language. But some challenges may arise. 43-62.