English-only policy does more harm than good

[Harold F. Schiffman]

 English-only policy does more harm than good

Opinion News - Saturday, February 24, 2007

Richel Dursin, Jakarta

"Speak English only! If you speak in your home language, you will be
suspended!" This policy is common in schools all over the world, including
Indonesia. Believing that immersion in English is the most effective way
to learn the language, teachers compel their students to speak only in
English and ban them from speaking in their mother tongue. Students who
break their school's English-only rule are often suspended, asked to pay a
penalty, made to stand outside the classroom or are taken to the
principal's office to be reprimanded.

By pushing students to only speak English, teachers believe their students
will learn to read and write more quickly in the language and thus advance
in their studies faster. They also think that the younger these students
are immersed in English, the more proficient they will be in the language.
For them, early age is a strong foundation and the earlier children master
English, the better their chances of succeeding. An old argument is that
children's brains are more flexible than adults, thus making it easier for
them to learn additional languages. The differences in the rate of second
language acquisition, however, may reflect psychological and social
factors rather than biological ones. The measure of success in language
learning also cannot be determined only by the amount of exposure
received.

By forbidding students to speak in their mother tongue, teachers are doing
them more harm than good. Prominent linguist Jim Cummins argues that
forcing students to speak only English in school is disadvantageous to
children. Such a policy, he says, denies students the opportunity to
maintain their home languages as inheritances and as important parts of
their cultural identities. Students lose a vital aspect of themselves when
they are coerced to leave their native language and culture at the
schoolhouse door. As a result, they can suffer from the loss of identity
or alienation from their parents, grandparents and other family members.

By forcing students to discard a part of who they are, educators are
immersing them under water without teaching them how to swim. Imagine a
teacher who keeps explaining a lesson in English to students who only
understand Bahasa Indonesia. Can the students grasp the lesson?  Children
cannot learn through a language they do not understand. They listen
passively, stare blankly at the teacher and are unable to actively
participate in discussions and activities. Worldwide, schools still have a
long way to go before children's mother tongues are considered resources
to be nurtured rather than problems to be solved. Educators should keep in
mind that a strong home language supports the learning of a second one.

Instead of enforcing English-only policies, educators should build on the
student's language and knowledge foundations in order to provide them with
a fruitful learning experience. If the home language is strong, the second
language will also be strong.  Students learn English or acquire a second
language more rapidly and effectively if they maintain and develop their
proficiency in their mother tongue. When children are able to develop
their mother tongue vocabulary and concepts, they come to school
well-prepared to learn English or another language and succeed
educationally.

Studies have revealed that there is a direct connection between
proficiency in the mother tongue and proficiency in the second language.
The child can broaden his or her experience and learn more even through
other languages in his wider environment once a solid educational
foundation is laid in his first language. Research has also shown that
many skills acquired in the first language can be transferred to the
second language. Noted educator Stephen Krashen says it is easier to learn
to read in a language we understand and that once we can read in one
language, we can read in general. Likewise, the skill of being able to
plan out a piece of writing can be applied in the second language once it
has been learned in the first. Thus, when students continue to gain
abilities in two languages throughout the primary school years, they
develop a more thorough understanding of language and how to use it
effectively.

Teaching in English only is not a panacea for English learners and the
recognition of the mother tongue is an essential aspect of any successful
additional language learning approach. Teachers have a responsibility to
nurture, not destroy their students' mother tongues. Providing mother
tongue classes is one way of nurturing students' home languages. Teachers
do not need to be the only ones teaching in the classroom. They can ask
for help from parents and other members of the school community. Parents
should picture themselves as partners with the school in teaching children
their native language. At home, parents can read to their children in
their mother tongue and provide reference materials in their own language.
Learning does not just occur within the four walls of the classroom.

Another way of fostering students' mother tongue is by creating a
multi-literate print environment in the classroom. Although monolingual
teachers cannot teach students' native languages, they can build a
multi-literate community. They can also create opportunities for students
to share children's literature in their first language and have some signs
written in different languages. These steps may seem small, but they can
have a big and positive impact on students' appreciation of their native
languages, as well as their second-language learning. The writer is a
postgraduate student of Applied English Linguistics and also the Primary
Years Program coordinator of Sekolah Bina Nusantara. She can be reached at
mdursin at binus-school-jkt.sch.id

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20070224.E02&irec=1

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