Putting together a language immersion program for the 3B's is complicated. For Mandarin and English? Wow, even more complicated because of the various mental models we have to stomp through in order to achieve any level of mutual clarity on what we're trying to do. My sympathies for the professional educators who are trying to do this. Truly.
And yet, I want to continue to be clear about the travesties I've witnessed wherein children are not getting the best deal because the adults around them are not facing up to the truth of what is happening. For the early years, elementary school, the kids did not choose this path. Their parents chose this path. Some, if not many, are unhappy. And that's a big problem.
So, yes, this is hard. But your children are precious and worth every bit of blood, sweat, and tears that you would expend to get this right. So, you're overwhelmed? Yeah, me, too. But your precious bundle of joy is worth your focus and effort.
So let's talk about integration. It's not enough just to have a formula marked out by division and ratios. You've got your instructional ratio set? 50/50 or the graded ramp down 90/80/80/70/50/50? You've got your proportioned percentage of the curriculum translated from English to Mandarin Chinese in Simplified or Traditional? Great. Now you have to figure out how to integrate both content learning and skills development across the two different languages. What I see and hear that educators are doing in order to accomplish this is to figure out which pieces of the content and which skills will be taught in both languages.
While I understood the intention, I did not understand how the results would play out until recently, near the end of 3rd grade. On the surface, "reinforcement" is often cited as the main reason. There are certain skills and vocabulary that teachers have warranted repetition. At our school, the areas targeted for this are Math and Social Studies. All basic calculation and measurement skills are being developed in both languages. Conceptual development for math is done in English. (Our school follows the UChicago Everyday Math curriculum.) Short word problems are done in both languages, but they are different problems, graded separately, treated as different homework. So the skills that are developed include literacy, as well as their calculation and problem-solving skills.
Social studies concepts might be shared between the two languages, but details are filled in differently. Concepts can include ideas like family and community, or this year, learning about civil rights, equality and discrimination. Readings in English are based on the American Civil Rights Movement. Readings in Chinese are fictional stories about a community coming together in a moment of crisis to help one another. These concepts are deliberately chosen as ways to reinforce the concept of taking responsibility for problems that take place in a single community and seeing how different members of the community leverage their individual resources to contribute to a solution that benefits everyone.
Furthermore, Language Arts skills across both languages are now becoming integrated. I admit, I was worried about this. I wasn't sure if the teachers could pull it off. But they have. I resoundingly applaud them. Our school has been making use of a writing program that comes out of Columbia Teacher College. You can read more about it at their website - The Reading & Writing Workshop.
I have to say, since being on this path, we've been so delighted as parents. The entire methodology is brilliant. And while we saw its effects upon our child's reading and writing development very quickly during 2nd grade, we can now say that those skills are being fully integrated into her Chinese writing, as well.
No doubt, I concur with everyone else out there who is struggling with MI, my child's Chinese vocabulary is quite meager compared to her English vocabulary. I was worried that the skill of developing a piece of writing in Chinese would not be able to keep pace, that her English would so far out-pace it that her brain would drop Chinese altogether. But to my delight, I can finally see her applying some of the strategies around Creative Writing (they call it "small moment stories") that began during 2nd grade and were continuously enhanced during 3rd (in English), and now being applied in Chinese writing.
I see now that it was easier for the teachers to on-board the kids in these strategies in English, then allow them to evolve those skills with another round of application; and now, finally, applying those strategies in Chinese writing. These are hard things to learn and then apply. But if the thinking is developed and the teaching is integrated, then the results are, in fact along the 3B's and not piece-meal.
So how will you make sure that your school's curriculum is not just divided up according to your instructional time ratio, but taken further to the next step and integrated? I know, overwhelming. But worth it.
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