Canada: Experts take exception to minister's use of their research

[Francis Hult]

Miramichi Leader

 

Experts take exception to minister's use of their research

 

Scrapping most successful form of second language education seems extreme

by Dr. Fred Genesee

 

The Honorable Minister of Education of New Brunswick, Mr. Kelly Lamrock, recently released another written response to concerns raised by his decision to eliminate early French immersion from the NB elementary school program - the document was entitled, When Should Study Give Way to Decision? This is a response to some of his statements concerning my own and others' research on second language learning in school settings.

 

Mr. Lamrock rightly raises the issue of early versus late second language teaching and learning. He points out that in my review I conclude that "...the notion that there is "an optimal starting grade for bilingual education is misguided."

 

I would stick by this conclusion. However, Mr. Lamrock fails to point out that earlier in the same paragraph I had stated: "The 'best' starting grade for bilingual education can depend on the goals, needs, and resources of the community. In communities such as Quebec, Belgium, or Northern Italy, where two or more languages are commonly used in everyday life, it may be best to begin bilingual education early so that children become accustomed to both (all) languages early on and, also, so that they can take advantage of language learning opportunities that are afforded outside school. In contrast, in communities such as Germany, Japan, or many communities in the U.S. where monolingualism is the norm and other languages have no official status and/or are only used in restricted settings, introduction of bilingual education in higher grades may be sufficient."

[...]

 

Response to radio interview with Minister of Education Kelly Lamrock

by Dr. Joseph Dicks

 

I feel compelled to respond to the interview with Minister Lamrock that was aired on Friday, May 16.

 

There are a number of statements that the minister made that need to be corrected. I find it incredible that the Minister of Education, the person responsible for public education in this province, could make such unqualified statements that ultimately mislead the public on matters related to public education.

 

Here are some examples of Minister Lamrock's misleading statements:

 

* The minister dismissed Dr. Fred Genesee's public statements regarding the superiority of Early French immersion by referring to Dr. Genesee's peer reviewed research that finds that late immersion also works. This is extremely misleading. Dr. Genesee has made it clear that while Late French immersion works for students who are strong academically, Early French immersion is the best option for communities where there are two languages in close contact. In fact, on Wednesday evening here in Fredericton, Dr. Genesee directly addressed this issue and made it absolutely clear that he does not understand this decision to eliminate Early Immersion in an officially bilingual province. Perhaps, had Minister Lamrock attended the public lecture, or taken the time to meet with Dr. Genesee while he was here, he would be less inclined to misrepresent this respected researcher's work in the field of second language education.

[...]

 

Full story:

http://miramichileader.canadaeast.com/article/303967

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