Recently, I posted about how my school is using Facebook and Pinterest as part of our professional development. (See the whole post HERE.) I’ve decided to pass on some of the best videos and articles I come across to you each Sunday evening. Here is this week’s professional development post:
This is a great speech from an educator who has lived and worked in the Middle East for over 30 years. She has seen (as have I in only 2 years) the push from parents and society to adopt “English only” in order to give students what they see as the best opportunities. However, she has also seen the great importance of having ESL students preserve their home language and have more than one way to think about any situation. As a parent of trilingual children, I am obviously in favor of this line of thinking. As a teacher, I am a big proponent for parents (and school programs) helping students to maintain their home language, and not learn English in lieu of the language they speak at home. Do your ESL students read and write in their home language? Should they? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please enjoy Patricia Ryan’s speech, she’s quite entertaining.
If you’re interested in more professional development videos – follow my Professional Development Pinterest board.
I agree! While I feel it's beneficial for students to learn English (or whatever the primary language there is in the country they currently live in), I feel it's equally important for them to keep their native language. They don't need to lose that part of their identity, and being bilingual can open so many doors for them in the future. My grandmother immigrated to the US from France back in the 60s, and she didn't speak a lick of French to her children. My mom and her siblings are very disappointed that they did not learn the language of their heritage.
ReplyDelete~HoJo~