At the University of Ottawa, we work with the Bilingual Education program to help bilingual students take a full load of classes from their first-language to their second-language. We have been working with them for four years now and the experience has been rewarding both in the classroom and in the students’ lives.
The bilingual students often need help with their English, so what was happening in the classroom was just a great way to help them out. Their English ability is what makes them special, so any assistance they need in the classroom helps them achieve their bilingual goals. That is the best kind of support and that is what we at RTE have been providing for them.
When we have classes with students who are learning a second language we are able to help them with their English as a second language. There is no better time to be teaching English than when all you have to do is say “English” and you have a person who has a second language.
It can be hard to teach someone to speak another language. There are those who don’t understand the words, or their context, and those who only understand the first language. The best way to teach them to communicate is with the help of the teacher who knows the language and understands both the student and the student’s needs. It’s not easy at all, but it’s doable and we are thrilled to be able to do it to these wonderful students.
At Canadean, we are always trying to find ways to make bilingual education more accessible and inclusive. A great way to get started is to look into programs that support bilingual programs in the school districts where you live. In some cases, it might be necessary to look for a separate class to teach the second language. The best way to make this happen is through partnerships and advocacy.
I know that we’ve seen more and more bilingual education programs spring up across Canada, but it’s always been a bit of a struggle to get them here in our own province, Ontario. However, we are happy to announce that Canadean is working with our own bilingual education department in Toronto to create bilingual education in our own city, Ontario.
Our city is bilingual, but our school’s bilingual education program is still a work in progress. The new program will take place in the same building as the city’s other bilingual education programs, but with all bilingual education classes in a large room with a wall to keep anyone from interrupting the instructional time. There will also be a library of bilingual teaching materials to help students learn both languages.
And of course, the bilingual education program will also be open to all students in the city. For those of you who don’t know, Toronto is a bilingual city. It’s a place where it’s easier to learn two languages than a single one, which is why Toronto is a great place to study English.
As a kid in Toronto, I was always a little bit afraid of being in a class with two languages. You need a vocabulary of at least 10 words to learn a second language. But as I got older, I started to realize that this is a pretty good rule of thumb for almost every language. You can learn any language that you can learn in a classroom, and the same is true for nearly every language you can learn from a library.
For example, I’ve never been a teacher, but I’ve learned this for years. The only other person who actually taught me English was my friend, John. I’ve got that now.