Making a Difference in the Lives of Bilingual/Bi-cultural Children and Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA)
Bilingualism is the ability to use two languages. Fluency in a second language requires skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing, although in practice some of those skills are often considerably less developed than others. Few bilinguals are equally proficient in both languages. However, even when one language is dominant, performance in the other language may be superior in certain situations example, someone generally stronger in Russian than in English may find it easier to talk about baseball in English. Native speakers of two languages are sometimes called equilingual, or ambilingual, if their mastery of both languages is equal. Some bilinguals are persons who were reared by parents who each spoke a different language or who spoke a language different from the one used in school. In some countries, especially those with two or more official languages, schools encourage bilingualism by requiring intensive study of a second language. Bilinguals sometimes exhibit code-switching, or switching from one language to the other in the middle of a conversation or even the same sentence; it may be triggered by the use of a word that is similar in both languages. As the traditional political disposition of contemporary country, like the U.S., reduces and even eliminates – to some extent – programs for the growing populations of bilingual children, language educators are nevertheless projected to instruct linguistically and culturally diverse learners with inadequate background knowledge and resources. These are the main contents and discussions embodied in the book Making a Difference in the Lives of Bilingual/Bi-cultural Children edited by (2002) involving an anthology of relevant and up-to-date articles on the state of bilingualism and biculturalism in education written by various authors.
Meanwhile, bilingual speakers are common in human societies and have acquired at least one language during childhood. This is learned through a series of learning experiences in the classroom setting through formal as well as non-formal education using various approaches. A rather broadly held, yet nearly as broadly criticized view is taken by the American linguist , whose professional life has so far mainly been dedicated to the description of the human language module, the mechanism that enables us to correctly recreate the rules that speakers around us apply to the language they speak. This language module, according to , wears out over time, and is not normally available by puberty, which explains the relatively poor results adolescents and adults have in language learning, as compared to children. In here, the approaches used in the second language acquisition (SLA) illuminates on the most important overall factors needed in the process of language acquisition and learning (, 2005). Looking on the variety of approaches used by language educators, the most renowned and honored collection of approaches gives particular interest toward the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA). This given approach is based on cognitive learning theory that views students as mentally active participants of the teacher-student interaction or learning experience. It is said that the mental activity of learners is describe by the application of prior knowledge to new problems, the exploration for meaning in inward bound information or body of knowledge to higher level thinking, and the emergent ability to fiddle with one’s own learning. These activities are encompassed in the CALLA model wherein recommended ways are presented to the teachers responsible for the language acquisition and learning with the purpose of making the most of the mental activity by asking students to come across their individual learning and develop an effective strategy approach to learning and problem solving (, 1995). The CALLA book includes a significant number of fundamental information that constitute the description of the whole model, its uses and applications as well as useful language learning techniques for both teachers and students.
The ideas in the book cover the concept of bilingualism and biculturalism as seen in sixteen (16) comprehensively written articles as follows:
- Teacher Allies: The Problem of the Color Line by and
- Bilingual Abolitionists: Shadows of Facism – Propaganda of the Third Reich and the English-Only Movement by
- From to : Grand Theories and Teaching Practices by
- Doom or Mortal Kombat? Bilingual Literacy in the [Mainstream] Classroom by and
- The Case of Repressed Native or Indigenous Languages by
- What's Policy Gotta Do Wit Dis? by
- Golden Eagle Goes to Kindergarten by
- Are Schools Prepared to Support Excellence for Nonmainstream Children? Latino/a Voices as a Response by
- A Life Span /Toda Una Vida: The Pain and the Struggle That Will Strike /El Dolor y la Lucha que Embiste by
- My Story and the Melanesian Knowledge by
- Parents as Guardians of the Mother Tongue by
- On the Threshold of Biliteracy: A First-Grader's Personal Journey by and
- Here They Come: Creating Rich Language-Learning Environments for Chinese-Speaking Kindergarten Students by and
- Early Childhood Bilingual Classrooms by
- Caring Literacy and Identity Struggles: The Transformation of a Chicano Student by
- Rights and Responsibilities of Educators of Bilingual/Bicultural Children by
All this articles tackle the opportunities and challenges in the bilingual education with further discussion on biculturalism including culture and cultural factors in chosen cases in specific countries and nationalities. According to and (1999), bilingualism offers individuals and society a wealth of important cultural, linguistic, and cognitive resources. This could refer to the overall discussions presented in the book. The participants in the language acquisition and learning as well as the perceived strategies to maximize transfer of learning are covered yet there is a call for practical development of recommendations that will address the issues affecting the condition of bilingualism or bilingual education in the global setting. The ideas relate to the urgent call of support from both administrative and institutional authorities as advocates of bilingual education, particularly teachers and linguists, are not getting the anticipated support they need to continue their promotion. Instead, the traditional political characteristics and conditions of contemporary societies including modernized countries like the U.S. and other Westerners, reduces and even eliminates programs for the growing populations of bilingual children. The arguments presented in all the articles are given much credit to the striving condition of bilingual education across the globe. As the process globalization and technological innovations continuously affects many if not all aspects of human life, the need for SLA is indispensable as modern societies are given settings that are characterized as multicultural and multilingual. A special illumination was given on the area of early childhood bilingual education and teaching-learning process particularly on culture. Children display the capacity to develop a new language in a more natural way than do adults (, 2002, 2002). In fact, those children who learn more than one language prior to his adolescence will acquire quickly those languages. Many bilingual children are not balanced bilinguals. It means to say that they do not have equal competence on these two languages. On the other hand, they do acquire their dominant language to a capability equal to that of their monolingual peers. Moreover, the ability of a bilingual child to develop his or her second language can vary from a child who only learns few phrases and little very basic vocabulary in the second language, to a child who listens and comprehends, but cannot or possibly will not speak, to a balanced bilingual who speaks in both languages with the same command as monolingual peers in both languages. Children who have exposure to more than one language, even if they do not have full learning of that language as children, demonstrates higher capacity of learning for foreign language than do teens or adults. Learning two languages has substantial effect to children. It allows them to expand their understanding of people beyond their dominant culture. It is true that they have little exposure to the culture of their second language however; the language itself conveys much of the culture of the people who use that language. Bilingual children develop awareness and understanding of differences between people preparing them to reserve their judgment when they see someone reacting inappropriately to a situation. They only not better appreciate what is human against what is cultural, but also they develop greater appreciation of language.
Accordingly, ’s work call upon the attention of educational researchers to form a community where people listen to and hear the voices or recognize the needs of bilingual children, their parents and the whole community (., 1999). It is also recognized that Soto pays particular attention on the role of culture and cultural awareness in the language acquisition and learning process (, 1997). Thus, this identified book and the articles collected reflects on language, culture, and learning as whole. Teachers are also given the needed body of knowledge to further understand bilingualism and biculturalism in the classroom setting. (2003) believes that it is fundamental to prepare early childhood educators to work in diverse settings particularly in urban areas like the U.S. and other modern countries. The arguments presented in the Soto collection are relevant to this as the teachers needed to offer developmentally programs for language learners especially those who belong in diverse cultural environments.
These ideas from the Soto book are related to the CALLA book in a way that the approach is among the effective solutions to the problems and challenges seen in bilingual education. The ideas of the CALLA book emphasize on the explanation of the whole approach, its uses and applications as well as functional language learning techniques for both teachers and students as principal participants. It is seen evidently in the recommendations provided by most authors in their respective articles that the role of appropriate and effective language learning approach or strategy is highly required in the maximization of learning and language acquisition. According to (2007), CALLA to second language instruction makes use of students’ cognitive language learning and comprehension strategies. As the students become more familiar with effective learning techniques and strategies, they are encouraged to explore topics in a less structured and more self-directed manner. As a consequence, CALLA offers the context for students to progress naturally through the cognitive, associative and autonomous stages of learning (, 2007, ). The given advantage and beneficial consequence of CALLA to the entire course of SLA enhances the learning and language acquisition process.
The ideas presented in Soto book and related to CALLA are significant in my experience and work in the classroom. For example, by looking on the cases presented and associating the CALLA, I am able to identify the types of learning strategies applicable to my students. According to many authors, English Language Learners (ELL) are trained using four (4) types of learning strategies namely the cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, social/ affective strategies and cross linguistic strategies (, 2007). The issues in bilingual education in terms of ways in which the teacher is going to device materials or anything that relates to classroom instruction are addressed. In particular, lesson planning as an essential activity for teachers is enhanced through understanding of the types of learning the students have. Most teachers who are using CALLA methodology integrate five sequential instructional phases in planning and preparing their lesson plans, that is, the preparation phase, the presentation phase, the practice phase, the evaluation phase and the expansion phase ( & , 1994).
Further, culture and cultural orientation on the part of my students will be further understood and used in more beneficial facilitation of learning and language acquisition. The primary requirement to know the cultural background of the second language students as well as the teacher is very important in the construction of learning or teaching strategies and materials. With the utilization of CALLA methodology in reference to cultural consideration, it will facilitate noticeable development on the academic language proficiency on students while the learning strategy used best matches their given cognitive learning style plus the assigned task. For the field of SLA or on this case per se, it is time to seize opportunity to contribute directly to a broader understanding of language.
In the implementation of the ideas in book in relation to the CALLA book, I will be an advocate of the principles of Soto and the rest of the authors of bilingualism and biculturalism. I will put them into practice through gradual integrating the given findings in my profession. It is likened to new equipment that will constantly contribute to the development of the language acquisition and learning process. For example, in lesson planning, the consideration of cultural diversity of the students will cater to the needs of all the language participants. The implementation is significantly dependent on my ability as the teacher to understand the needs of my students. If these ideas are deemed to be necessary or basic in the language acquisition and learning process of my students, then, I will device more activities as well as teaching strategies that will incorporate these ideas and eventually reap more successful interaction in my part as the teacher and the students as well.
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