Theoretical Basis of Field of Bilingualism

The text entitled Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism by Colin Baker is a comprehensive look at the theoretical basis of the field of bilingualism, but it falls short of teaching educators practical ways of reaching bilingual students. In that sense, it is not a well rounded introduction to bilingualism for those who find themselves teaching bilingual students.

Ofelia Garcia's foreword notes Baker's psychological and sociological perspectives, and acknowledges that Baker "engages them [educators] in making decisions about appropriate educational approaches and pedagogical approaches" (vii). Baker may engage his readers in a discussion, but he does not offer a sufficient number of practical guidelines with which a teacher could successfully teach bilingual students. Again and again, he offers a wide spectrum of psychological and sociological theory, without sufficiently leaving the jargon behind long enough to firmly implant some practical ideas into the minds of his readers. Presumably, his readers will be teachers who will need more practicality than theory.

Baker himself claims to have attempted to avoid "mystifying complexity," when in fact that is exactly what he delivers. In his own conclusion to chapter one he admits that "defining who is or is not bilingual is essentially elusive and ultimately impossible" (15), yet that doesn't stop him from speaking of functional bilingualism, cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP), basic interpersonal

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ilingual education is more or less effective than mainstream education" (189). Educational administrators and local school boards will, however, be looking for simple answers, especially in an increasingly hostile environment for bilingual education. Many people have said "enough is enough" when it comes to bilingualism. They have seen ten years of it, and they now want to see the payoff. Chapter 13 covers the principal that "literacy in the minority language will be an efficient route to biliteracy" (205). This is perhaps one of the most commonly accepted facts relevant to bilingual education, and can also be stated: children must develop a firm foundation in their mother tongue before they can learn academic subjects in a new language. However, will educational administrators and school board members be willing to wait for the four to seven years for a non-native to reach national norms on standardized tests of most subject material? Chapter 14 goes into the strategies and styles of bilingual education, and in this sense, it is more practical in nature. The author explains the Canadian core French program to show the amount of time allotted to the various dimensions of second language instruction. Baker explains the Ca

Category: Psychology - T