Bilingual education is an improved educational model where two languages blend together.
The following are several different types of bilingual education program models:
- Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Bilingual Education. These programs are designed to help native and non-native English speakers become bilingual. The two-way bilingual immersion program is based on the principle of clear curriculum separation of the two languages of instruction. Teachers do not repeat or translate the subject matter in second language but strengthen concepts taught in one language across the two languages in a spiral curriculum in order to provide cognitive challenge. The languages of instructions are alternated by theme or content area. This type of immersion is required to develop the dual language proficiency, as lower language levels can be mastered in couple of years, but a higher level of competence is required to read social studies texts or solve mathematics word problems, roughly around 5 to 7 years (Collier, 1987).
- Another form of Bilingual Education is a type of Dual Language program that has students study in two different ways: 1) A variety of academic subjects are taught in the students’ second language, with specially trained bilingual teachers who can understand students when they ask questions in their native language, but always answer in the second language; and 2) Native language literacy classes improve students’ writing and higher-order language skills in their first language. In this type of program, the native language classes do not teach academic subjects. The second-language classes are content-based, rather than grammar-based, so students learn all of their academic subjects in the second language.
