Who does bilingualism affect?
Students
Many of the advantages and disadvantages of bilingual education on students have been listed in the pros and cons section. Some of the benefits include cognitive development, enhanced metalinguistic skills, verbal and spatial skills and improved memory. Bilingualism also improves students’ career opportunities and increases pay scales.
Academic benefits
Alongside the mental health benefits, bilingual education produces positive results academically.
Teachers
Pros:
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Cons:
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In looking at both job postings it is easy to see that the FSL position requires a written assessment and a bilingual interview to assess teaching style as well as french language skills. In order to become a regular classroom teacher, an educator simply needs a B. ed. qualification and OCT certification. While there is a higher demand for French educators, there are higher expectations put on them in regards to qualifications.
Parents
There is a significant lack of information surrounding the impact that a child’s bilingual education will have on their parents. Placing a child in an immersion program is a big decision for many parents and it is a topic that is widely debated. Parents whose native language is not french or those who cannot speak it are often hesitant to place their children in an immersion setting as they feel that they will be unable to help with homework, volunteer within the school or communicate with teachers. According to Alberta Education, there are three important aspects parents must have when placing their child in an immersion program; Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes.
Knowledge
Parents of French immersion students need to know:
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Skills
Parents of French immersion students need:
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Attitudes
Parents of French immersion students need:
Parents of French immersion students need:
- To be open minded
- To value French
- To be patient with things such as lag-time in English language arts
- To have confidence in the child’s learning (They need a lot of information about French immersion and to know that learning multiple languages is normal in much of the world);
- To be open about learning some French themselves
- To believe in the philosophy of a bilingual country: Canadian culture and history
- To appreciate the benefits of the program
- To feel free and welcome to communicate with the school as issues arise. They need reassurance that their lack of understanding of the language will not be a barrier to home-school communication
When making the decision to place a child in an immersion program it is important for parent’s to consider the impact that their involvement or lack thereof will have on their education and learning. Parents can be involved in a child’s education either through volunteer work and school functions or working with their children outside of the school setting. The Canadian Education Association provides many resources for parents of immersion students as well as information surrounding the importance and impact of parent involvement.
http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/cea-ace.ca/files/cea_2014_foe_parent_involvement.pdf
http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/cea-ace.ca/files/cea_2014_foe_parent_involvement.pdf
Additional resources for parents:
cpf.ca or on.cpf.ca
Canadian Parents for French
“Founded in 1977 by parents who wanted to ensure that children would have the opportunity to become bilingual in the Canadian school system.”
Yes, you can help!
https://education.alberta.ca/media/6573982/yesyoucanhelp.pdf
Government of Alberta document for parents
cpf.ca or on.cpf.ca
Canadian Parents for French
“Founded in 1977 by parents who wanted to ensure that children would have the opportunity to become bilingual in the Canadian school system.”
Yes, you can help!
https://education.alberta.ca/media/6573982/yesyoucanhelp.pdf
Government of Alberta document for parents