While reading the Harper and Jong article on Misconceptions about English Language Learners, the overall idea of treating a second language learner as a first really resonated with me. Of course it does not make sense to treat both the same, but what is the solution here? As Calvin noted in an earlier post, the article does not offer much in this respect. However, on a basic level, why is it that when a non-English speaker is trying to learn English in school, we treat it so differently from an English speaker trying to learn, say, French or Spanish? I guess the easy answer is that there is more pressure in the former situation. There is an urgency around getting ELLs up to grade level in all courses, and up to testing level. But if we disregard pressure as a culprit, is there perhaps another idea present–the idea that English is the norm, and that the onus is on ELL’s to meet that norm. This is not intended as a negative generalization; there are many wonderful educators who do not take this view. But it is certainly something I have seen in classrooms where “ENGLISH!”  is the frequent command to students chatting in any other language.

On that note, I wonder if there is a way we could treat English more like any other second language. When middle schoolers learn French or Spanish, they are not taught at their grade level in that language, even if they have had some slight prior exposure. Nor are all their other classes taught in that language. They begin with the basics and progress towards fluency. I realize this model does not work for foreign language speakers in an English speaking world. However, I’m thinking about an experience one of my friends had at a later age, when she studied in Germany last year. While there, she took all her classes in German at a German university. But before she reached that point, she had several weeks of a daily intensive language course, meant to boost her fluency level in German so that she would not fall behind once her real courses, in different disciplines, started. Could we come up with a system that had ELLs spend their first year as English learners taking courses at their grade level in their native language, while doing an intensive English course?* The students could integrate English into other disciplines at a more gradual rate this way. There are potential problems here, of course–students might work at different rates and come out at the end of the year with different fluency levels. But surely treating English as the second language it is will have more a success rate than expecting exposure to do the job. Or perhaps this idea is still too limiting, and something that incorporates English and native languages into the “mainstream” curriculum is of greater value. This idea certainly doesn’t fit into the testing system–the system itself would have to change for something like this to work. Sorry, I’m sort of brainstorming into the blog post at this point. But I just think that a school system that allowed students to take the time to really focus on English as a second language, rather than as an expectation, could be worth the year “behind” for the amount it would put students ahead. Students could maintain grade level knowledge while really working toward English fluency. And, of course, they could continue to expand literacy skills in their native language, working ultimately towards a bilingual education–as stated towards the end of Rubenstein-Avila’s article, “educators at all levels ought to realize that alllanguages are assets to be built upon, often simultaneously, in an additive—not subtractive—manner. Once students are becoming more proficient in English, their native language should not just be dropped–it should still be a part of the curriculum, so that they can learn to express themselves in two equally valid ways. We do not assume that teaching native English speakers another language will damage or hold back their performance in English, so why should we assume that working with speakers of other languages in their native tongue will prevent them from learning English?

I’m not saying any of what I’ve outlined above is perfect. I think it’s actually innately flawed, because I’m sort of trying to fit it into a system that is flawed–to truly make a change, I think more of an overhaul would be necessary. But I hope it’s a step in the right direction.