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Is it important for young English language learners to read dual language text?
It can be helpful for learners to read texts in both languages. It can provide a quick reference to aid comprehension and fosters an appreciation of the languages. It can be used creatively as a shared reading teaching tool in a bilingual setting. However, it is not a necessary part of learning the language. Often young learners will read one language and ignore the other. Additionally, if the majority language is English, this tends to reduce the desire to read in a minority language. Controversially, English quite frequently becomes the favoured language of choice due to its dominance/status in environments where English is widely used.
As a child progresses through education, the development of strong connections between their parents and teachers is vitally important (Drake, 2000). Effective home-school partnerships and parental involvement in children’s education have traditionally been a strong predictor of student academic achievement and - ultimately - success (Epstein, 2001). Therefore, understanding the powerful role of parents and the ways in which they can be an effective influence on their children is crucial in our effort to provide a truly supportive learning environment for students.
It is difficult enough to teach a classroom of new students as a substitute teacher (or relief teacher as we call them in New Zealand), but when the class contains or is composed of English Language Learners and there has been no work set, it can make a relief lesson more of a challenge.
I have taught ESOL (English for speakers of other languages who live in an English-speaking environment) for over 15 years. Many of my students have recently moved to England. Their reasons for learning English have varied greatly; from learning it out of necessity to learning it just for fun. Likewise, their learning backgrounds have been vastly different. Some students have had very little or recent education, while others have had higher education.