Diary of a Bilingual School by Sharon Adelman Reyes and James Crawford

Diary of a Bilingual School

Reviewed by Barbara (McCauley) Lovejoy ---January 12, 2013

Title:  Diary of a Bilingual School

Author(s):  Reyes, Sharon Adelman and Crawford, James

Publisher:  DiversityLearningk12 LLC

ISBN:  978-0-9847317-0-1; Pages: 120; Year: 2012

 

Rather than being a book about how to align dual immersion with the latest standards and/or mandated testing, this book is a book about possibility.  This contributes to the uniqueness of the book and makes it a worthwhile contribution to the field of bilingual education and dual immersion. 

The purpose of this book was to answer two questions, how dual immersion programs actually work and what makes them effective.  The authors effectively answered these these two questions through narratives and analysis of a second grade classroom in Chicago’s Inter-American Magnet School that had implemented an 80-20 dual immersion model. 

The eight chapters of the book are divided into three main parts—Fundamentals, Narratives, and Outcomes.  Each chapter begins with a relevant quote to catch the reader’s interest.  Within each chapter there are bold headings that contribute to easy readability and  help the flow of the content. 

Chapter One focuses on how two languages enhance creativity and academic success.  To support this premise, the authors used the work of a number of researchers and experts in the field.  The work of  Krashen regarding affective filter and comprehensible input in order to acquire both language and content is mentioned.  The zone of proximal development, a Vygotsky concept, is also mentioned.  The review in this chapter is extremely helpful for those new to bilingual education and/or dual immersion as well as being a beneficial review for those who are knowledgeable about the topic. 

Chapter Two focuses on the dual immersion features and the constructivist guiding principles that contribute to an effective dual immersion program.  Some of the dual immersion features mentioned were: additive biliteracy, mix of language groups, sheltering, language separation (including the use of code-switching), linguistic balance, classroom resources, long-term approach, instructional consistency, assessment, personnel quality, professional collaboration, and home-school relations.  Although this information would be helpful for those new to dual immersion, there was also some recent research mentioned that would be beneficial to those who are already familiar with these features.  One thing that makes this book unique is that it also stresses the importance of constructivist strategies for an effective program.  Constructivism is a theory about learning, not a description of teaching.  The authors mention some of the guiding principles of constructivism such as goals, cognitive development, disequilibrium, inquiry, scaffolding, social interactions, and motivation. 

Chapters Three-Seven that comprise Part Two use narratives to describe learning experiences in the classroom.  In each chapter there are shaded boxes that connect the learning experiences to principles and effective practices such as biliteracy, background knowledge, collaborative learning, assessment, scaffolding, vocabulary building, arts, and habits of mind.  The use of these shaded boxes to emphasize these important principles and practices is very effective. 

Chapter Eight—the last chapter—focuses on outcomes, some of which are more important than stellar performance on reading and math exams.  Not only were bilingualism and biliteracy achieved, which were the primary goals, but learners also developed independent thinking abilities, appreciation of diverse groups, and a sense of social justice.  Although it was beneficial to mention these outcomes, more detail about each of them would strengthen the main purpose of the book. 

The audience that could most appreciate this book would be those who want to know why dual immersion is beneficial, what constitutes an effective program, and the benefits of dual immersion for their children or students.  University professors in the education departments (as well as other departments) and their students might also find the book helpful as a resource to other research related to bilingualism and dual immersion.  I highly recommend this book.    

 

Review Author Biography

Barbara (McCauley) Lovejoy has taught for almost 30 years in public, private, and charter schools.  She helped develop a dual immersion program at a district school before becoming an Assistant Director at a dual immersion charter school.  She is now the Executive Director/Principal of a charter school, Esperanza Elementary, that has a 90-10 dual immersion component, that will open August 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah.