Michael Atherton wrote:
>>ESL Programs
>>ESL (now more commonly called ELL for English Language Learners) is a fact
>>of life for Minneapolis schools. In some schools, upwards of 40% or more of
>>the children speak another language at home. We need to deliver high quality
>>ELL training for our teachers and other support staff to assist these new
>>English speakers in becoming proficient in English (contrary to some
>>right-wing critics, new immigrants desire English proficiency for themselves
>>and their children). The key will be training our teachers to deliver this
>>instruction.
>>
>
>Basic Liberal Axiom: It is unnatural and cruel to force non-English speaking
>students to learn English. In some ways it is an attack on their cultural
>identity. It is best to allow these students to continue to learn in their
>own language.
>
I don't agree that this is a 'basic liberal axiom.' However, research
does show that children learn to read better and more quickly if they
learn in their first language. Ergo, Richard Green School will be
teaching K-1 children to read in Spanish (only those for whom Spanish is
the first language of course) this fall. They expect to switch the
children to English in the second or third grade. Apparently, once they
already know how to read, moving to another language is much easier.
WizardMarks, Central
>
>
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