strategies for parents
Some strategies researchers suggest for families with children learning a second language are:
- Having books at home in both the native language and in the second language
- Support the native language in the home when it is not supported in school
- Be informed, share information, and ask questions
- Create support groups with other families with children in bilingual education
- Be advocates for your children and their education
Strategies for teachers
Some strategies researchers suggest for bilingual teachers are:
("Teaching Resources," 2010).
- Teach content so that it interests and challenges bilingual students
- Communicate high expectations, respect, and interest in each of their students
- Understand the role of language, race, culture, and gender in schooling
- Engage parents and community in the education of their children
- Become knowledgeable about and develop strategies to educate bilingual students
- Seek and obtain the professional development needed to engender these attitudes
("Teaching Resources," 2010).
Resources for teachers and parents
This website provides bilingual teachers information on how to make their classrooms inviting to all students, including those who are Limited English Proficient (LEP).
This website offers teachers several lesson plans for teaching bilingual classrooms and how to approach different content areas for students whose first language is not English.
This is a blog from a bilingual teacher. It provides a lot of information for bilingual teachers and parents. Sometimes bilingual teachers don't have a lot of resources from their own school, as they may be the only bilingual teacher, so it's important they still feel apart of a community. This website offers some great advice, strategies, and information on how to be the best bilingual teacher. It also provides parents with great strategies to use at home with their children, as well.
School-wide Strategies
There are several ways a school can make bilingual students feel more apart of the school community with some simple gestures:
- Signs in different languages around the school
- Create a multicultural environment by having the school learn about different cultures, possibly through a cultural night at school or a cultural component integrated into all classrooms' curriculum
- Be accepting of every student no matter what their cultural background might be
- Make families of every cultural background feel comfortable in the school environment by having the proper resources for every cultural background and language (i.e., translators, newsletters in the home language, signs in various languages around the school, etc.)