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Language Education: language education differences in the playgroup or classroom lead naturally to an awareness of diversity within society. It is therefore the duty of all adults working with young children to acknowledge the values and experiences of a multilingual, multicultural community.
language education issues should be seen in the context of education for racial equality and local education authority language education centre resources can often be used to raise the awareness of staff and monolingual children.
It is crucial that children are given the strategies and accurate information to reflect the variations within, as well as between, cultures to question and evaluate a variety of media, and thereby develop a positive, authentic view of the world.
Jewish Education.—The task of Jewish education involves the transmission of a distinctive culture, including the Hebrew language education. Consequently, Jewish leaders in America require more hours for distinctly religious education than either of the other groups. At the same time they have not established many all-day schools. Their major efforts are turned toward well-organized and professionally-led afterschool and Sunday education. While all-day schools have grown over the years, the emphasis remains on supplementary education. In 1954, Hebrew and Yiddish schools had a total enrollment of 399,818 pupils: 191,761 in Hebrew afternoon, all-day, and Yiddish schools, and 208,057 in one-day-a-week, or Sunday schools.
With the co-operation of child, family and community, it should be possible for early years educators to compile a profile of the young bilingual. Information might include the language education used by the mother and/or father, the name of a relative or friend willing to interpret for school or parents, the child's preferred language education for communication with siblings, the effects of school life, conducted in English, on social behaviour and interpersonal relationships, as well as academic achievements.
Teachers need to know which language educations the child is able to read, write and understand, and whether the child speaks a standard form of first language education or a related dialect. Gravelle (1996) addresses the issue of terminology such as first, home, community, heritage, preferred language education and mother tongue - all of which are used in the context of education, but which can be inaccurately applied. |
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