TASK 3 – ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY. by Jorge Vinueza

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

What are the differences and similarities between foreign language education and bilingual education?

·         THESIS STATEMENT

     Two-way bilingual immersion programs are not only beneficial to the immigrants but also for the society as a whole.

     Bilingual education is a system that teaches academic subjects in two distinct languages ​​–a native and a secondary language. Bilingual education in Colombia is associated principally with private bilingual schools set up to cater for the middle- and upper-middle-classes (de Mejıa, 2002).

     Bilingual policies in Colombia strengthen its bilingual program with a focus on EFL, where the term "bilingualism" is reduced to teaching and learning English for the most part in a Spanish language context. An example of this is the National Bilingual Program of Colombia (NBP), as analyzed in Valencia

Giraldo (2005, p.1) cited in Mejía (2006; 2011) and supported by Guerrero (2008), González

(2009) and Usma (2009 and 2015). A reductionist notion of bilingualism legitimized by the MEN (2006), within the document "Basic rules of competence in foreign languages:

English. Training in foreign languages ​​”as cited by Valencia (2013, p.34).

    

     It is important to note that Colombia, through different policies official campaigns and documents ("NBP"), firmly believe that English will bring the essential opportunities to succeed, as it will attract foreign investment Colombian bilingual programs share the idea of ​​improving the mastery of its population in English open the door to job opportunities, eliminate inequality, close the economic gap and bring prosperity for all (Muñoz, 2010), Sánchez (2013), MEN (2014d), MINEDUC (2014). 

     In addition to that, the implementation of the "NBP" bilingual programs in Colombia has had a significant impact on all aspects of society, particularly in education, in which the main stakeholders are teachers, coordinators and principals.

     Therefore, they have become the main agents responsible for the implementation of these policies and the first to be retained responsible (in particular by the media) if these policies work or not.

     Today, we live in an era of networked information where technology allows the media disseminate information worldwide, allowing its users to update their knowledge with just one click as Van Dijk states, the media are in charge of promoting some conceptions that depending on the interests of elite groups or institutions, affect social behavior, culture, opinions, beliefs and knowledge, due to their symbolic power to persuade and control their minds indirectly (1995, p.11).

·         INTRODUCTION

     Colombia is a country that has suffered innumerable political and educational problems.

reforms in recent decades, in search of economic growth and development, these changes have been characterized by the increase of public-private partnerships and alliances, and the

emphasis on converting their populations into bilingual Spanish - English. Through the NBP English program and the different phases. And denominations that it has had during the last decades. and the modifications he has had since his establishment fourteen years ago.  Language policy in Colombia has gone through a considerable number of processes and reforms, the main objective of these processes is to ensure that all people in the country Become bilingual in English.

     It was in 1982 when MEN decided to improve the teaching of foreign languages ​​in the country, so with the association with the BC and the American Colombo Center, he made a reform on the current educational objectives, raise students' low proficiency levels, renew language teaching and learning techniques and updating materials. Along with this, they created an "English Study program” with a communicative approach for grades 6-9 and 10-11; at the same time, this reform encouraged school principals to consider including other languages ​​in their curriculum Later, in 1889, the BC applied a survey on the ELT field and its development, concluding that initiatives such as the "English curriculum" did not work as expected because the teachers did not have sufficient command of English and was not familiar with the new approaches and methods to (Usma, 2015, p. 64).

     The National Bilingual Program has raised considerable controversy within the academic field in the last decade. Especially, because of the adoption of those foreign and decontextualized standards, and the effort for its implementation. As Cely claims (2009: slide 7; cited by de Mejia, 2011) that focusing education on English will improve the quality of teaching and that the competitiveness is not enough to sort out the current crisis.

     Finally, MEN under the supervision of the BC launched the ‘National Program of

Bilingualism Colombia 2004 - 2019. English as a foreign language: a strategy for

competitiveness ", this program has the fundamental objective of improving communication EFL competencies at all educational levels (primary, secondary and higher) in Colombia (MEN, 2004). This program included the adoption of international standards.

     "Common European Framework of References" (CEFR) as a guide to evaluate and evaluate the four main skills in English (listening, reading, writing and speaking) as quoted by Valencia (2013). In the presentation of this program, Colombian citizens will be able to communicate through English internationally. This will contribute to the country's insertion in the processes. Of universal communication, global economy and cultural openness” (Mejía, 2006, p.153).

After this, the implementation of the "Standards" began a socialization process in March

2007, which includes changes in the components that make up the assessment of English at the national level state tests "Saber-pre" and "Saber-Pro" or "ECAES" according to the CEFR. This socialization It culminated in June 2009. The National Bilingual Program has generated considerable controversy within the academic field. In the last decade. Especially, for the adoption of those foreigners and decontextualized standards and effort for its implementation. As Cely states (2009: slide 7; quoted by de Mejia, 2011) that focusing on education in English will improve the quality of teaching.

·         BODY

     With globalization, having a second language has become important since being able to express yourself in another language enables people to communicate with each other and triggers a connection among different cultures. For this reason, despite opposing ideas, bilingual education is an outstanding need in today’s world.

In almost  all countries, foreign language education starts  early since it provides some advantages in future life such as better job opportunities. In primary schools and even kindergardens, children learn other languages as second or third languages, and this continues in secondary school. When they graduate from universities or high schools and search for a job, employers ask them which languages they know. If they can speak a second or third language, they can have a job more easily, and their position at work may be far better than others in some ways such as salary and working hours. Thus, knowing another language has a vital importance in working life.

       Additionally, bilingual education promotes the development of cognitive and literary skills. According to some recent research, learning a new language helps the development of intelligence. Since bilingual education enables students to see other perceptions and notions in different cultures, it helps them to understand the universe as a whole.  Being able to speak to people from other nations or societies also teaches students to listen and understand each other. In this way, they may be able to have problem solving skills.

     On the other hand, some people are opponents of a bilingual education. They claim that its efficacy has not been proven. In other words, according to them, it may not be so important in education and working life as research hasn’t finished yet. What’s more, bilingual education creates unequal educational and occupational opportunities, in their opinions. Because all people cannot have the same quality of education, they may not have a bilingual education either. Thus, the fact that this case affects students in their education or working life is undeniable. However, their claims are nonsense. Firstly, seeing the whole picture is much more sensible than waiting for  the results of the research, . Secondly, if opponents think bilingual education sets in motion unequal means, they ought to search for a remedy, instead of arguing.  To sum up, bilingual education is significant, and it plays an important role in education and working life. It fuels better job opportunities, development of cognitive skills and a novel perception in solving problems.

·         CONCLUSIONS

     According to Ministry of Education, in Colombia "education" is defined as a process of personal, cultural and social permanent learning, based on a comprehensive understanding of the human person, its dignity, and its rights and duties.

     In order to improve the education system in the country, the Ministry of Education launched the National Bilingual Program in 2004. The Ministry of education wanted to improve English language learning so as to improve the skills of its workforce and increase opportunities for working and studying abroad.

     This program has been criticized and supported, it has a lot of good topics and may be some mistakes to discuss but the interesting part is that this is a tool to unify the ways to teach a foreign language in all the territory.

     As teachers is very important to take account in the different strategies and tools to innovate in our teaching process, for this reason it was enriching to read and analyze the involved aspects in the bilingual program as the European Framework, the standards of competence and important concepts as, bilingualism, globalization and everything about the Educational reform in Colombia.

     This reform is only the theoretical part of the system and this was made base on several researching in the country but it is very relevant the teachers job and the love for our profession to take advantage of the tools and strategies from the government and, like that, to look for techniques and activities to make feel more comfortable our students and to stimulate their love to a foreign language.

     As teachers we have the resources, sometimes they are enough and sometime they are not. But the teacher who loves his / her professions is always looking for strategies to be better every day.

REFERENCES

·         Carvajal, C. & Tejada, I. (2016). Unanswered Questions in Colombia's Foreign Language Education Policy. Profile Issues in Teachers` Professional Development, 18(1), 185-201. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v18n1.51996

·         Guerrero, H. (2008). Bilingual Colombia: What Does It Mean to Be Bilingual within the Framework of the National Plan of Bilingualism? Profile: Issues in Teachers´ Professional Development, 10(1), 27-45. Retrieved from https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/10563

·         Mejia, A. (2006). Bilingual Education in Colombia: Towards a Recognition of Languages, Cultures, and Identities. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, (8), 152-168. Retrieved from https://revistas.udistrital.edu.co/index.php/calj/article/view/176

·         OECD (2016), Education in Colombia, Reviews of National Policies for Education, OECD Publishing, Paris. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/education/school/Education-in-Colombia-Highlights.pdf

·         Usma W., J. (2009). Education and Language Policy in Colombia: Exploring Processes of Inclusion, Exclusion, and Stratification in Times of Global Reform. Profile Issues in Teachers` Professional Development, (11), 123-142. Retrieved from https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/viewFile/10551/11014

·         https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/the-pros-and-cons-of-bilingual-education-education-essay.php