Student-Centered Bilingual Education in Rural Mexico
The Language of Community Nestled in the lush mountains of Durango, Mexico, the villages of Los Charcos and Huazamota are unlikely to catch the eye of the average visitor. Both boast a population of less than 800 people, there is little to no phone reception or internet access in either town, and the closest city […]
Bilingual Babies Listen to Languages — and Don’t Get Confused
Are two languages at a time too much for the mind? Caregivers and teachers should know that infants growing up bilingual have the learning capacities to make sense of the complexities of two languages just by listening. In a new study, an international team of researchers, including those from Princeton University, report that bilingual infants […]
5 Reasons Bilingual Education Should Be Required
This generation of K-12 students is growing up in a society that is increasingly bilingual. While foreign language requirements have long been a core requirement for high school graduation—second language classes at an earlier age would improve overall fluency for most students. It’s time to introduce second-language concepts to the youngest of K-12 students, and […]
A Call for Greater Foreign Language Education in the U.S.
I needed to buy a heating pad, but did not know where in the oversized pharmacy it would be sold. Despite not wanting to, I decided to ask the pharmacist. What came out of my mouth made very little sense, though. The only question I could think to ask was, “Where can I buy something […]
Bilingual Education: 5 Reasons Why Starting Early is Important
This generation of K-12 students is growing up in a society that is increasingly bilingual. Foreign language requirements have long been a core requirement for high school graduation and are also part of most arts-based college degree programs. Along with Spanish, languages like French and German are common options for students. But is high school […]
Bilingual Education: Reviving an American Tradition
In the United States, bilingual education continues to provoke fierce debate. It seems that nearly everyone—from educators to policymakers to parents with school-age children to those without children—has a strong opinion on whether children with little fluency in English should be taught academic content in their home language as they learn English. Many people, however, […]