LIN8017 Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

With the forces of globalisation and the internationalisation of education, there is a rapidly growing interest in bilingualism and bilingual education. More and more educational programs are introduced, where the school content is taught through a second or foreign language. Also, there is a trend to replace traditional methods of language teaching with language teachings methods used in bilingual programs and introduce a second language early in childhood years. Bilingualism is of increasing interest in the context of minorities as well. A large proportion of minority children in most countries of the world are required to study through a second language. These learners include migrants as well as indigenous people who do not have the opportunity to opt for education through their mother tongue. These trends create a need for investigating language development in a more holistic way, incorporating first and second language development as well as children's cognitive and academic development. Language teachers who work in similar contexts need to develop an awareness of the relevant cognitive, educational, cultural and social processes involved in teaching learners through a second language. This course will benefit all language teachers who are dealing with majority students being educated in a foreign language or minority students being educated in the language of the dominant society. By focusing on the underlying psycholinguistic theories, the course will serve as a basis for undertaking further studies or embarking on research in the field of bilingualism.

SYNOPSIS

Teachers who are involved in language teaching, whether they are teaching first or second languages are generally not aware of the psycholinguistic, socio-psychological and educational issues involved in bilingualism. This course looks at bilingualism from these three main angles (1, psycholinguistic, 2, socio-psychological and 3, educational) and covers the following topics: definitions and typologies of bilingualism, the measurement of bilingualism, the psycholinguistic aspects of bilingual language acquisition and language processing, code-switching, bilingualism and cognition, types of bilingual education. Relevant theories and implications are discussed both in the majority as well as in the ethnolinguistic minority contexts. This course has a strong psycholinguistic focus.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

use typologies of bilingualism to describe various bilingual contexts; (Essay)

2.

evaluate various techniques used for measuring bilinguality and bilingualism; (Essay)

3.

demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between first and second language development; (Discussion Board 1 & 2)

4.

critically discuss the interrelationship between bilingualism, culture and identity; (Discussion Board 1 & 2)

5.

demonstrate an understanding of the psychological and cognitive processes involved in bilingual language processing; (Discussion Board 1 & 2)

6.

classify and evaluate different types of bilingual educational programs; (Discussion Board 1 & 2)

7.

demonstrate an understanding of the linguistic, metalinguistic, cognitive, affective and social benefits of bilingualism for the individual as well as the social and socio-economic benefits for the society as a whole. (Essay,Discussion Board 1 & 2)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

This textbook is also available in an e-book format free of charge through USQ library.

Hamers, JF & Blanc, MHA 2000, Bilinguality and bilingualism, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library. The gateway to education resources is here... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Baker, C 2006, Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism, 4th edn, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Discussion Board entries should be submitted by the due date and need to reflect a continuous engagement with the course. 800 Words.

2.

1200 WORDS

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   As there are no examinations in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the printed version of the current USQ Handbook.

This version produced 19 Nov 2009.