The United States, contrary to popular belief, does not have an official language. Although English is the de facto language of the United States, the Constitution makes "no reference to choice of a national language" (Heath, 1995, p.179). This tolerance of foreign languages, along with mass immigration, has enriched the linguistic diversity in the United States. Not surprisingly, this diversity has also made multilingual education an important component of American schooling—most American high schools and universities require students to learn a foreign language. Scholars and educators have promoted several methods for language instruction, two of which are immersion and bridging. John McWhorter and Donald Macedo both make compelling arguments,
…show more content…
Often times, the bridging approach makes use of dialect readers, translation exercises, and situational appropriateness drills to teach students. In support of the bridging approach, Macedo writes that: Bilingual education, in a sense, must be seen as a medium that constitutes and affirms the historical and existential moments of lived culture. Thus… it is only through a cultural production model that we can achieve a truly democratic and liberatory educational experience (Macedo, 1997, 380). The cultural production model is the use of students ' linguistic backgrounds in the classroom, while the educational experience is one of equity and openness. In terms of pedagogical implications, Macedo asserts that the bridging approach is superior because "students learn to read faster and with better comprehension when taught in their native tongue" (Macedo, 1997, 380). In other words, the students ' native tongue(s) should be used a bridge to learn a new language or dialect. Macedo argues that using students ' native languages to teach new languages helps them develop a more fluent, reflective, and valuable understanding of their second language or …show more content…
Some educators, such as McWhorter, argue that immersion is the superior pedagogy for teaching foreign languages because of its success in teaching children different languages and dialects. Others such as Macedo vaguely state that immersion removes students ' linguistic backgrounds from the classroom. From my personal experience, learning foreign languages via immersion has helped me retain vocabularies and grammars more effectively. Although immersion does not incorporate students ' linguistic backgrounds, a second language class is an environment to learn that target language. There is, after all, room for students to use their unique linguistic backgrounds at home. McWhorter and Macedo both make compelling arguments. However, I am more convinced by McWhorter 's arguments. His promotion of immersion, along with my personal experiences, leads me to view immersion is the better pedagogical approach for teaching
Often times, the bridging approach makes use of dialect readers, translation exercises, and situational appropriateness drills to teach students. In support of the bridging approach, Macedo writes that: Bilingual education, in a sense, must be seen as a medium that constitutes and affirms the historical and existential moments of lived culture. Thus… it is only through a cultural production model that we can achieve a truly democratic and liberatory educational experience (Macedo, 1997, 380). The cultural production model is the use of students ' linguistic backgrounds in the classroom, while the educational experience is one of equity and openness. In terms of pedagogical implications, Macedo asserts that the bridging approach is superior because "students learn to read faster and with better comprehension when taught in their native tongue" (Macedo, 1997, 380). In other words, the students ' native tongue(s) should be used a bridge to learn a new language or dialect. Macedo argues that using students ' native languages to teach new languages helps them develop a more fluent, reflective, and valuable understanding of their second language or …show more content…
Some educators, such as McWhorter, argue that immersion is the superior pedagogy for teaching foreign languages because of its success in teaching children different languages and dialects. Others such as Macedo vaguely state that immersion removes students ' linguistic backgrounds from the classroom. From my personal experience, learning foreign languages via immersion has helped me retain vocabularies and grammars more effectively. Although immersion does not incorporate students ' linguistic backgrounds, a second language class is an environment to learn that target language. There is, after all, room for students to use their unique linguistic backgrounds at home. McWhorter and Macedo both make compelling arguments. However, I am more convinced by McWhorter 's arguments. His promotion of immersion, along with my personal experiences, leads me to view immersion is the better pedagogical approach for teaching