Dual Language Development and
PITC Philosophy and Practice
Marlene Zepeda
California State University, Los Angeles
October 23, 2009
[email protected]
Presentation Overview
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Definitions
Demographic profile
Brief theoretical overview
Brain research
Contextual factors
Language development within PITC
Implications for programs
Definition of Dual Language
Learners*
• Children learning 2 or more
languages at the same time as well
as those learning a second language
while continuing to learn their first
Office of Head Start
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Language*
• Number of English Learners by
Language in Kindergarten for 2007-08
(41.1%)
Total Population
Spanish
Vietnamese
Filipino
Cantonese
Mandarin
Korean
*CDE, Dataquest
454,743
155,968 (34.3%)
5,523 (1%)
2,491
2,990
2,147
2,088
California Context
• One out of every two children live in an immigrant family
1,322,962 Latino
320,394 Asian Pacific Islander
• 1.2 million children are “linguistically isolated”
45% of children ages 0-11 in immigrant
families have parents who speak no English
or do not speak it well
These children are over four times more
likely to live in poverty than those who speak
English very well
One language system or
two?
• In the past it was believed
that simultaneous
acquisition would slow
down normal language
development.
• The public misperception
was that the human brain is
like a balloon; it cannot
take too much air in or else
it would explode!
Unitary Language System
Hypothesis
Juice
Bye
Truck
Perro
Gato
Hola
Perro
Truck
Juice
Gato
Differentiated Language
System Hypothesis
Perro
Gato
Hola
Juice
Bye
Truck
Perro
Gato
Truck
Juice
What does brain research telling us about dual
language exposure?
Babies are born citizens of the world
Patricia Kuhl, Early Learning, the Brain and
Society found on youtube
Important points to consider
It takes 4 to 9 years to develop fluidity in a
language
Dual language learners use one language to
understand and learn another
We know relatively little about dual language
development in infants and toddlers in the US
Contextual Factors
• PROXIMAL
• DISTAL
• Quality of language
inputs
• SES of families
• Perspectives of the
caregivers on the use of
language (acculturation
status)
• Socio-political
environment of the
broader community
Language input for dual
language children
• May experience uneven amounts of L1 and L2
• Presence of different language speakers in the home
• Age of older siblings
Perspectives of Caregivers
• Beliefs about language development
• Collectivistic or Individualistic orientations
SES
Cumulative Language Experiences
Cumulative Words Per Hour
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Welfare
Working
Professional
Socio-political environment
• Societal attitudes towards DLL vary
• Attitudes influence policy and practice
• Current emphasis on achievement gap
Ellen Bialystok
Language is the key interface between our
social and cognitive worlds. As a social
tool, it is the means by which human
interactions occur, social position is
determined, and educational opportunities
defined; as a cognitive instrument, it
provides access to concepts and meanings,
the logical system for problem solving, and
creates the organizational basis for
knowledge.
PITC Overarching Principles
• Learning is holistic and integrated
• Personalized care
• Sense of self learned through interactions with
others
• Cultural continuity
Language within PITC
Language is part of a larger communication
system
It is within the socio-emotional relationship
between caregiver and child that language
development takes place
Caregiver-infant relationships and
communication
The development of the caregiver’s ability to recognize
and respond appropriately to the infant’s cues is a large
part of the developing relationship.
The power of “feeling felt”
Having the sense that someone else
feels one’s feelings and is able to
respond contingently to one’s
communication.
What do infants gain from and
emotionally secure relationship?
1. I am listened to
2. What I choose to do is valued
3. How I express my emotions is
accepted
4. I am allowed to explore
5. My needs are met most of the
time
How does PITC promote
development for dual language
learners?
• Promotion of socio-emotional growth
• Focus on the child’s interests
• Emphasis on the quality of language inputs in
home language if possible
• Focus on cultural continuity
Programmatic Challenges
Home Caregiver Continuity
Pedagogical
Workforce
Broader Community Issues
Concluding Thoughts
• Demographic
Tsunami
• View of dual
language is
changing
• PITC provides a
strong foundation