Bilingual Education, Its Types, and Degree Programs

Bilingual education was started in the 1960 as a method to teach non-English speaking students. The term, bilingual education may also be utilized in reference to teaching foreign language to students.

Types of Bilingual Education

The following four are the most common types of bilingual education programs:

1.    Transitional: Children who are not fluent in English language are taught some subjects in their native language in a transitional bilingual education program. Bilingual language was initially intended to be only a transitional program, but now there are more forms of bilingual education.

2.    Two-Way: This is a dual language bilingual education program, and it employs two teachers in an individual classroom. One teacher teaches the subject in English language while another teacher teaches students in a native language. It is believed that dual language bilingual education program is very useful for teaching English to non-English speaking students.

3.      Immersion: Immersion is the type of bilingual education program that allow non-English speaking students to spend the entire day learning subjects in English. Teachers may simplify the language for students if they find it difficult for students to catch lectures. Immersion may also refer to teaching another language to English-speaking students.

4.      ESL (English as a Second Language): It is a bilingual education program that places students in classes to help them speak and write English. ESL students may take classes in other subjects, but majority of their days are spent in ESL classes.

      Degree Programs in Bilingual Education:

Degree programs in bilingual education, ESL, and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language) are usually offered at the master’s level. These programs are targeted for individuals who are already working as teachers of ESL of EFL (English as a Foreign Language), who want to improve their skills, and who hold any type of teaching degree and want to concentrate on educational aspects. Some bilingual education program will require an undergraduate degree, and courses in such bilingual education program covers cross-cultural linguistic studies, language acquisition, and curriculum development. There are post-bachelor and post-master programs in bilingual education and TESOL. PhD programs of bilingual education mainly focus on bilingual academic research.

To sum up, bilingual education uses two language to teach students. One of the language that bilingual education use is English while other language is the native language of students. Bilingual education offers better modes of communication to both teachers and students, hence students and teachers constantly interact through bilingual education programs.

Author Bio:

Ibrahim Saleem is an expert author, and he has experience of 6 years in the marketing field as a content writer. Mainly, his articles are about education, because he loves to guide students. Nowadays, he works in an essay writing company where students can find Custom Coursework Help.