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BILINGUAL & MONOLINGUAL EDUCATION.
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Discusses Thomas Sowell's theory ("A Conflict of Visions") of contrained & unconstrained views. Brief history of bllingual education in U.S. Results of each education theory. Argues it is desirable to learn dominant language.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses Thomas Sowell's theory ("A Conflict of Visions") of contrained & unconstrained views. Brief history of bllingual education in U.S. Results of each education theory. Argues it is desirable to learn dominant language.
Paper Introduction:
This paper examines the arguments for bilingual versus monolingual education in American schools in light of Thomas Sowell's argument in A Conflict of Visions that all perspectives of the world are derived from either a constrained or an unconstrained view of human beings. Sowell contends that those who think about the way things are or ought to be approach their thinking from a point of either believing that people operate from limited potential and selfish interests or base their actions on an innate desire to improve the world, even at personal expense. Applied to the question of whether students whose first language is not English should be taught in an environment that mixes their native language with instruction in English or should instead be taught only in English, Sowell's dichotomy suggests very different answers based on very
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Theorists who consider social problems, such as the need to teach non-English speakers fluency in English, approach the issue believing one oftwo basic things about human beings. The unconstrained vision rests on theMarquis de Condorcet's idea of the "perfectability of man," (Sowell, 1987,p. 24). Those who look at the bilingual-versus-monolingual education questionfrom the constrained perspective see a situation in which students need tounderstand how learning English can benefit them. By contrast, the unconstrained vision sees individuals as beingcapable of "directly feeling other people's needs as more important thanhis own" (Sowell, 1987, p. Nevertheless, he is a strong advocate for the unconstrained visionand its far more optimistic perspective of human beings. Those who approach the problem from aconstrained view begin their thinking by believing that people operate froman essential selfish perspective. 35). Their attention appears tobe focused on mastering the new language, and they then fall behind in theeducational curriculum being taught. In Thomas Sowell's view,they are likely to be unending, since arguments for both sides are based oncontrasting perspectives about the way the world, and particularly thehuman beings in the world, works. Education in general, and the acquisition of thedominant language in particular, is much better served when it is seen as athing desirable in itself, sought after for the good it brings not just tothe individual but to the general improvement of the world as a whole. Sowellcontends that those who think about the way things are or ought to beapproach their thinking from a point of either believing that peopleoperate from limited potential and selfish interests or base their actionson an innate desire to improve the world, even at personal expense.Applied to the question of whether students whose first language is notEnglish should be taught in an environment that mixes their native languagewith instruction in English or should instead be taught only in English,Sowell's dichotomy suggests very different answers based on very differentassumptions. In the constrained view, human beings operate from a combination oftheir own needs and impulses and their acceptance of the artificial devicesthat arise from these individual interests. This is not in itself a cynicalvision, simply "an inherent fact of life, the basic constraint of [the]vision" (Sowell, 1987, p. Because students have an inborn impulse towardself-improvement and the betterment of their world, education needs merelyto offer the opportunity to learn and eliminate the impediments that oftenexist to learning. A Conflict of Visions. In the unconstrained vision, whether a student is betterserved by separate classes in his or her native language or by an immersionexperience has more to do with individual cognitive structures than withwhich program is most enticing to the particular student. The 1968 Bilingual Education Act soonfollowed, paving the way for dual instruction. In order to help these children to becomefully-functioning members of society, the public schools have an obligationto teach them to speak and write in the predominant language, English. Department of Education. 6). No single model has emerged as being the most effective means ofteaching English. They hold the fundamental belief thathuman beings, even when their actions seem to be selfless, ultimatelyoperates from the point of self-interest. Impact Statement/Final Report on the Accomplishments of theNational Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second LanguageLearning, submitted to the U. He contends that the fundamentaldifference rests in the contrast between the constrained and theunconstrained vision. People "buy in" to theseartificial devices (which include things like customs and laws) because thedevices serve the individual. Sowell, T. S. (1996, June). A 1996 (June) reportestimates that almost three and a half million students in the UnitedStates do not speak English as their first language; this includes NativeAmericans born here, as well as a constant flow of immigrants from all overthe world (McLaughlin, p. New York: WilliamMorrow.----------------------- 7 As applied to thequestion of learning English, it is an unquestionably more positive way ofconsidering the issue. For those looking at language education from an unconstrained view,incentives are unnecessary. In some studies, children in monolingual classrooms dolearn English more quickly than their counterparts in bilingual programsbut at the expense of their academic studies. Bilingual programs have the same mixed results. In some cases,continuing instruction in the student's native tongue seems to discouragethe student from mastering English as quickly as might otherwise be thecase. 21). (1987). Unconstrained visions can be found in advocates of bothbilingual and monolingual education as well; the differences betweenperspectives in this camp have more to do with differing theories oflearning itself. However, this is not true in everymonolingual situation; some students, especially the very young and college-age or older students have demonstrated an ability to keep up with theirclassmates while also becoming proficient in a new language. This paper examines the arguments for bilingual versus monolingualeducation in American schools in light of Thomas Sowell's argument in AConflict of Visions that all perspectives of the world are derived fromeither a constrained or an unconstrained view of human beings. 26), the concept that human beings have an infinite and innate abilityto become better and that they act on this ability in every circumstancepossible. Educating All Our Children: ImprovingEducation for Children from Culturally and Linguistically DiverseBackgrounds. Yet bilingual studies have also been proven to be effective inallowing some students to keep up with their academic studies while alsodeveloping English-language fluency. Childrenenrolled in public schools were given no special instruction in theirnative language; they were expected to learn English by immersion in thelanguage in everyday use in the classroom. They assume thatstudents will tend to resist the work of learning a new language and willneed to be motivated to learn. Both bilingual and monolingual advocates include those springing fromthe constrained vision. In the constrained vision, this is the practical result of thelimitations that come with being mortal and human. Sowell (1987) does point out an inherent flaw in the unconstrainedvision, when it assumes a special role for "the best and the brightest" (p.47). This paper considers how constrained and unconstrainedvisions affect the approach used. The arguments for both approaches continue. Sowell quotes AdamSmith's argument: "Nature, it seems, when she loaded us with our ownsorrows, thought that they were enough, and therefore did not command us totake any further share in those of others, than what was necessary toprompt us to relieve them" (Sowell, 1987, p. Traditional concepts, such asthe idea that education leads to better jobs and higher earning power,derive from the constrained vision. The United States has always been a melting pot of cultures,ethnicities, and languages. The principal difference is found in the ways thateach tries to find appropriate incentives to win over students; bilingualapproaches may try to speed up the process by offering the chance to jointhe social mainstream sooner rather than later, for instance, whilemonolingual approaches may push the concept that social immersion allowsthe new immigrant student to get ahead faster. The constrained vision in education ingeneral begins with the assumption that children do not come to theclassroom willingly but must instead be enticed to come by the promise ofthe individual good that it will bring them. Until the early 196 s, however, publiceducation dealt with the problem by essentially ignoring it. References McLaughlin, B. 21). A person who obeys the law of the land, forinstance, may not get to do everything he or she wishes, but the tradeoffis security and s sense of order. The first significant programto attempt bilingual instruction was initiated in 1963 in Dade County,Florida, to teach Cuban refugees. He (1987) writes, "Visions rest ultimately on somesense of the nature of man -- not simply his existing practices but hisultimate potential and ultimate limitations" (p.
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