Myths about Culture & Language

Bilingual Education

100

T/F Learning two languages confuses children and impairs their cognitive ability (i.e., their ability to think and learn).

False. Well-developed bilingualism actually enhances one's "cognitive flexibility" -- that is, bilingual people (including children) are better able to see things from two or more perspectives and to understand how other people think. (Hakuta, 1986).

200

T/F Bilingual education has been proven ineffective. It only serves to delay the learning of English and slow students down academically.

False. There are at least five different models of bilingual education in the U.S. Thomas & Collier's 1995 study of 42,000 language minority student records, with 8-12 years of data per student, found that "two-way bilingual education at the elementary school level is the most promising program model for the long-term academic success of ELLs.

300

T/F It costs taxpayers too much money to provide government services in languages other than English.

False. The use of a language other than English can make it easier and more expedient to serve taxpayers. For example, in Arizona recently, a bilingual state employee found it easier, quicker, and less expensive to collect medical malpractice information from claimants who were more comfortable conversing in Spanish.

400

T/F The law does not require fair treatment of non-native speakers of English, non-English and limited-English speakers.

False. Failure to provide bilingual education for non-English speaking students is a denial of equal access to educational opportunities, constituting a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.Denial of access to federally-funded government services and benefits on the basis of language is also considered discrimination, and a violation of Title VI.

500

Bilingualism is rare. English is all children need to be successful in life.

False. The Majority of the world is bilingual. Roughly 130 countries out of 195 speak 2 or more languages

Perspectives

100

T/F. The basic premise of cultural difference theories is that the failure of schools to effectively address discrepancies between sociocultural and linguistic patterns in the home and in the school produces underachievement

True (Ovando & Combs, p.185)

200

T/F. Diglossia is a term that refers to a situation in which two languages or varieties of a language are both used within the same community but in separate circumstances or contexts

True. (Ovando & Combs, p. 395)

300

T/F Teachers' attitudes, either positive or negative, toward teaching emerging bilinguals influence student success

True Freeman & Freeman, 2011.

400

Name and explain 1 deficit theory

Genetic Deficit: A group's overall capacity to learn is enhanced or constrained by their inherited genes. 

Cultural deficit: Academic underachievement among many groups of minority students was anchored in their socioculturally, economically, linguistically and intellectually impoverished environments. 

500

T/F A marked language is one which would most likely be used instructionally in a bilingual education setting 

False. A marked language is one which would most likely NOT be used instructionally were it not for bilingual education (Ovando & Combs, p. 176).

Academics

100

T/F English ONLY programs are the best way to learn English at school?

False. (Thomas & Collier, 1995).

200

T/F Once students can speak English, they are ready to undertake the academic tasks of the mainstream classroom.

False. (Cummins, 1979)

300

T/F Cognitive and academic development in native language has an important and positive effect on second language acquisition.

True (Cummins, 1981)

400

T/F The more time students spend soaking up English in the mainstream classroom, the faster they will learn the language.

False (Comprehensible Input Theory)

500

Bonus Question! Ask your own Question

The team will answer using their knowledge of Second Language Acquisition theories

Culture

100

T/F Emergent bilinguals should forget their culture and assimilate as soon as possible to the American culture to learn English faster?

False (Portes & Rumbaut, 2006)

200

What is acculturation?

A process by which one cultural group takes on and incorporates one or more cultural traits  or another group resulting in new or blended cultural patterns. 

300

T/F Culture is innate, not learned

False. Culture is NOT innate, but learned

400

Name and explain two popular views on culture

1. The High Civilization view: Accumulation of the so-called best knowledge, ideas, works of art, and technological accomplishments of a particular group.

2. The Set-of-Traits view: Culture as a series of significant historical events and heroes, typical traditions 

500

What are funds of knowledge?

The essential cultural practices and bodies of knowledge and information that households use to survive, to get ahead, or to thrive (Ovando & Combs, p. 398). 

Policies

100

T/F Name 1 legal mandate or initiative that has influenced how teachers teach emergent bilinguals

NCLB Proposition 202 in Arizona Question 2 in Massachusetts

200

Mention 2 court cases that are reflections of community Activism

1. Lau v. Nichols (1974): Chinese American community in San Francisco organized on behalf of their children.

2. Keyes v. School District N. 1 (1983): A group of parents and educators in Denver, Co, argued that the rights of ELLs were being violated because of the district's weak bilingual and ESL programs. 

300

Bonus Question! Ask your own question!

The team will answer using the readings assigned for this week!

400

T/F. Castaneda v. Pickard (1981) was a class-action lawsuit by the Puerto Rican Community in New York against the Raymondville Independent School District because the district did not have an adequate bilingual program to overcome language barriers. 

False. Castaneda v. Pickard (1981) was a class-action lawsuit by the MEXICAN AMERICAN Community in Raymondville, Texas against the Raymondville Independent School District because the district did not have an adequate bilingual program to overcome language barriers. 

500

T/F. In Plyler v. Doe (1982), community advocates for the rights of the children of illegal immigrants won a Supreme Court ruling that declared unconstitutional a Texas statute that had denied access to public schools to undocumented immigrants. 

True.