SLA: Formulating an Effective Dual Language Policy

In decisions about language separation and allocation in a bilingual classroom, there are other ingredients and contexts that must be taken into account before formulating an effective dual language policy.

The aims of the school must be examined carefully, in terms of language preservation and second language competence.  School teachers are language planners, even if subconsciously.  If the children's minority language is to  be preserved, then separation may be a central policy element.  When teachers are more enthusiastic about majority (second language) competence, then different practices and outcomes, in terms of language allocation, will be desired.  Fewer language boundaries may be maintained, since loosening them helps ensure development of the majority language.  

The nature of the students must be considered in any policy regarding language boundaries and concurrent use, with policies and practices adjusted to age and grade level.  If language development is still at an early evolutionary stage, boundary setting is more important.  With older children, whose languages are relative well developed, the concurrent use of two languages may be more viable and desirable.  Older children may have more stability and separation in their language abilities.

Furthermore, this suggests that a static policy with regard to boundaries, and concurrent use within the school is less justifiable than a progressive policy that examines different applications across years and grade levels.  Early separation may be very important.  Later, in high school, a more concurrent use may encourage conceptual clarity, depth of understanding and cognitive development.

For a progressive policy it is necessary to consider different types of classroom communication.  When the teacher speaks more informally and simply to the class, the weaker language may be appropriate.  In practical activities, also, where there is context embedded help, the weaker language may serve well.  Where the cognitive level is higher in transmitting the curriculum, as with more complex, abstract ideas, either the stronger language or a bilingual approach may be needed.  Different types of classroom episodes, such as managerial, instructional and practical activity, constrain or allow comprehensible second language communication and concurrent usage.

Different dimensions of the school need individual discussions related to separation and integration of languages, for example in curriculum, whole school policies, classrooms and lessons.  At what level of organization should separation occur?  Our earlier discussion of language separation by curriculum material and medium of delivery showed that language separation is not a distinct issue from rational concurrent use, but merges into a consideration of integrated use.

Another important factor in deciding language separation issues is class language balance.  If all the children are native speakers of one language, it may be easy to determine a language allocation.  With mixed classes there are differing balances of majority and minority languages.  Who dominates numerically, linguistically and psychologically?  When the balance is tilted against language minority children, a clear separation, with the curriculum balance toward the minority language may be desirable.  Whether the student body is language minority in a subtractive or additive situation should also affect language allocation policies.

Where language minority children are the numerical majority, a slow change, rather that a sharp shift from language separation to concurrent use is advisable.  The minority language often risks perception as less powerful or useful, and lower in status, as children grow older.  Therefore, the minority language must be protected and keep a constant high profile in the school.

School language policy must take into account 'out of school exposure' to the first and second languages.  Sometimes, equal time is advocated to each language within the school, half the curriculum in one, half in the other.  However, if the child is surrounded by the majority language outside the school, on the street, in shops and through the media, then perhaps the separation balance ought to be adjusted toward the minority language in school.  'Out of school' exposure may also make some teachers hesitant about concurrent usage.

Replication and duplication of content threaten bilingual classroom methodology, since some pupils will not concentrate when the same subject matter is repeated in a different language.  However, repetition is sometimes pragmatically necessary.  Where there is a considerable variety of different home and preferred language, a teacher and bilingual assistant may need to repeat instruction in different languages.  There are some multilingual classrooms, in New York, Toronto and London, with a diversity of home languages among the children.  Replication of teaching in two or three languages may be essential for children in the early grades, so that as many as possible can comprehend.  This complicates debates about concurrent use and language boundaries.  One solution is small group learning, as seen in progressive British and North American primary schools.  This may allow establishment of some language boundaries, with different children addressed by bilingual teachers and aides, in their preferred language.

The use of non-repetitive and non-parallel bilingual materials, built in an incremental and well sequenced and structured manner, is valuable, particularly in high schools.  However, the production and availability of materials in many minority languages is difficult to achieve, and funding for such materials may be difficult to secure.

In a concurrent and purposeful use of two classroom languages, as advocated by Jacobson (1990), there is the danger of requiring teachers to manage an unnatural, artificial and highly complex language situation.  Where teachers are expected to manage concurrent use of two languages in a classroom, they are assumed to have a very high level of management skill, monitoring and reflection.  In reality, classrooms are busy, very fluid, often unpredictable places.  Teachers must react to the moment, to individuals who don't understand, with many unpredictable and spontaneous situations.  Students themselves have an important influence on classroom language uses, needing to share understanding (or lack of it) in the most appropriate way.  Classroom management of learning and behavior must be fluent, accepted by students, not abrupt and unpredictable.  Classroom language allocation must fit naturally, predictably, fluently and flexibly into curriculum management.