A parents' and teachers' guide to bilingualism / Colin Baker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baker, Colin, 1949-

Series:

Parents' and teachers' guides ; no. 1.

Parents' and teachers' guides ; no. 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bilingualism in children--Miscellanea.

Bilingualism in children.

Genre:

Trivia and miscellanea.

Physical Description:

xxii, 218 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Clevedon, England ; Buffalo, NY : Multilingual Matters, [2000]

Summary:

This second edition of this best selling book provides a readable introduction of practical value to questions of bilingualism for parents and teachers. The style of the book is to pose questions that people most often ask about raising bilingual children. Straightforward answers follow, written in direct, plain language.

Contents:

Section A Family Questions

A1 What are the advantages of my child becoming bilingual? 1

A2 Are some families better placed than others to produce bilingual children? 5

A3 Is the mother more important than the father in the child's language development? 8

A4 What happens if parents don't agree that their children should become bilingual? 9

A5 If we raise our child to be bilingual, will it affect our marriage? 10

A6 What happens if grandparents and the extended family disapprove of bilingualism? 11

A7 I'm a one-parent family. How can I raise my child bilingually? 13

A8 Neither of us speaks a second language. How can we help our child become bilingual? 14

A9 My children get little practice in speaking one of their languages outside the family. What should I do? 15

A10 When watching television, should my child be encouraged to listen to one language or both languages? 16

A11 My children can speak two languages. How can I help them belong to two cultures? 17

A12 How important is it that the child's two languages are practiced and supported outside the home? 18

A13 What kind of community support is valuable for bilingualism? 19

A14 My neighbors think we should integrate more which means using a different language from the home. Should we keep separate or integrate? 19

A15 Can I learn a second language alongside my child? 20

A16 We have just moved to a different country. Should we speak the host country's language in the home to help our children? 21

A17 What should our language strategy be with an adopted child? 22

Section B Language Development Questions

B1 What are the most important factors in raising a bilingual child? 26

B2 Do some children find it easier than others to become bilingual? 27

B3 Is it easier to become bilingual as a young child? 29

B4 How early do bilingual children recognize that they have two languages? 30

B5 Is it better for my child to learn a language early to secure better storage in the brain? 31

B6 Will my child become equally fluent in two languages? 32

B7 Is it better to develop two languages together or one language later than the other? 34

B8 How do I know my child's language development in each language is normal and acceptable? 35

B9 Will learning a second language interfere with development in the first language? 37

B10 Are there any benefits if my child has a less well developed second language? 39

B11 What effect will bilingualism have on my child's intelligence? 39

B12 I want my children to be successful. Should I concentrate on developing their first/majority language skills? 43

B13 Should my child keep the two languages separate in different situations and with different people (e.g. visitors)? 44

B14 Should my child use two languages with the same person? 47

B15 Will my child's attitudes affect the learning of a second language? 48

B16 Is it sensible to raise my child in three languages? 49

B17 Do girls and boys differ in their progress towards bilingualism and biliteracy? 50

B18 Are first-borns different to later-borns in developing bilingualism? 51

B19 Does switching between languages have any value or purpose? 52

B20 When will my bilingual child be able to interpret and translate from one language to another? 53

B21 How much will experience of majority language mass media affect the development of bilingualism in my child? 55

B22 Can music and drama help my child's bilingual development? 57

B23 Will computers and Information Technology affect my child's bilingualism? 58

B24 How important are employment prospects to preserve my child's languages into adulthood? 58

B25 I need to change the language(s) I've used with my children. How will it affect them? 59

C1 What are the disadvantages of my child becoming bilingual? 61

C2 My child mixes the two languages. What should I do? 63

C3 My child refuses to use one of his/her languages. What should I do? 64

C4 My teenage child is speaking the majority language more and more. What can I do? 65

C5 Will my child learn two languages only half as well as a monolingual child? 66

C6 Will my child's thinking be affected by being bilingual? 66

C7 Does bilingualism have an effect on the functioning of the brain? 68

C8 Will my bilingual children have a problem of identity with two different cultures? 69

C9 Will bilingualism have any adverse effect on my child's personality? 73

C10 Will bilingualism have any adverse effect on my child's friendships and social development? 74

C11 The balance of my child's two languages seems to be shifting. How can I ensure one language doesn't disappear? 75

C12 My child seems to have learning difficulties. Is this due to bilingualism? 76

C13 My child seems to have an emotional/behavioral problem. Is this caused by bilingualism? 78

C14 My child has a specific diagnosed problem (e.g. learning difficulty, language disorder, emotional problem). Should we change to speaking one language to the child rather than two languages? What language should I speak to my child? 78

C15 My child stutters. Is this caused by bilingualism? 81

C16 People make fun of our speaking a minority language. How should I react? 83

C17 People around me are prejudiced and racist. Should we as a family switch to speaking only the majority language? 84

C18 I'm a recent in-migrant to a country. Should I stop speaking my native language and switch to the first language of that country? 85

C19 My second language is not perfect. Should I speak it to my child? 86

C20 A local professional (e.g. a doctor, psychologist, speech therapist, teacher) advised me against bilingualism. Is this correct? 87

C21 Do teenagers suffer or gain if their parents come from different language and cultural backgrounds (mixed language marriages)? 87

Section D Reading and Writing Questions

D1 Should my child learn to read in one language first? 89

D2 Will learning to read in a second language interfere with reading in the first language? 91

D3 If the two languages have different scripts, will learning to read and write be a problem? 92

D4 When should a child begin to read in a second language? 93

D5 How should I help my child to read and write in both languages? 93

D6 Which approach to teaching reading works best? The 'look and say', 'phonics', 'whole language' or what approach? 97

D7 Should I buy books for my child to read that contain two languages or just one language? 100

D8 How can I locate books for my child to read in each language? 100

D9 Will my child find it hard to write in two different languages? 100

D10 My child seems slow in learning to read. Is this due to bilingualism? 101

D11 My child has problems with spelling. Is this due to bilingualism? 101

Section E Education Questions

E1 How can a nursery school support children's bilingualism? 103

E2 Should my child go to a bilingual school? 104

E3 What should I look out for in choosing a school for my bilingual child? 107

E4 Should my child be taught bilingually in the primary school but not in the secondary school? 108

E5 Should older children not be placed in bilingual education? 110

E6 Is there a 'critical age' when children shouldn't be moved to a school with a different language pattern in the curriculum? 112

E7 My children can hold a conversation in a second language. Is that sufficient for them to be taught in that language at school? 113

E8 My child is learning through a second language at school.

Should we change our language pattern at home? 114

E9 How easy or difficult will it be for my children to find a job if they are bilingual? 115

Types of Bilingual Education

E11 What are Dual Language schools? 117

E12 What are International schools? 122

E13 What is the European Schools Movement? 124

E14 What is Heritage Language Bilingual Education? 127

E15 What is Transitional Bilingual Education? 129

E16 What is 'immersion bilingual education'? 130

E17 What are the main classroom features of successful immersion programs? 135

E18 What language strategies are used in immersion classrooms? 137

E19 What is a Withdrawal class for extra language support? 140

E20 What kind of education should I give my child if we regularly move to different countries? 142

E21 What are Saturday Schools and Voluntary Schools outside regular school hours, and how valuable are they in the development of a minority or second language? 143

Achievement and Underachievement Questions

E22 Will my child's performance in school be affected by being bilingual? 144

E23 Are there positive effects of learning through the medium of two languages? 146

E24 My child is learning through a new language. Will this affect attainment at school? 146

E25 My child's school teaches through the minority language. Will this affect my child's development in the majority language? 147

E26 Speakers of our home language are often poor and unemployed. Should we ensure our child is educated in the majority language to aid employment prospects? 148

E27 My child seems to be underachieving at school. Is this because of bilingualism? 149

E28 Should my child be placed in a Bilingual Special Education Program? 152

E29 My child is suffering in school because other children tease him/her about speaking another language. What can I do? 156

Language in the Classroom

E30 Will my child be able to learn a new language thoroughly in the school system? 157

E31 How should two languages be distributed in a bilingual classroom? 158

E32 Should Science and Mathematics be taught in an international language such as English? 160

E33 My child's school doesn't support bilingualism and there is no bilingual school nearby. What should I do? 161

E34 Which language should be used to test/assess/counsel a bilingual child? What should be the nature of such assessment? 163

E35 Are teachers trained to help bilingual children? 166

Section F Concluding Questions

F1 The economy and politics of the world is changing. Is there a future for bilingualism? 167

F2 Why is it important for minority languages to survive in the future? 169

F3 Are monolinguals more common than bilinguals in the world? 172

F4 Why are many politicians against bilingualism and bilingual education? 172

F5 Is bilingualism a natural right of any individual? 174

F6 Does my child have a right to bilingual education? (e.g. in law, a natural right)? 175

F7 Language is an important part of our religion. Should my child learn a second language for this purpose? 178

F8 I use a particular dialect/a Creole/a pidgin language in the home. Is your advice about raising a bilingual child different or similar? 179

F9 I have a deaf child. Is your advice about raising a bilingual child different or similar? 180

F10 People talk about diglossia. What does it mean? 183

F11 Books on child care and child development warn me against bilingualism. How should I react? 186

F12 How do I contact other parents in a similar situation? 186

F13 Is the Internet going to affect my child's bilingualism? 187

F14 How do I find out more information about bilingualism? 189.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1853594563

1853594555

OCLC:

41431630