Purchase Solution

Supporting Additive Bilingualism in the Classroom

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

The ESL curriculum of the 1950s and 1960s placed little emphasis on the importance of using a student's home language and culture as a knowledge base on which to build academic success.

Today, most teachers understand the benefits of additive bilingualism.

What are some approaches that teachers can support additive bilingualism in the classroom?

Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

This is an explanation of additive bilingualism and how it can be supported in the classroom. I've given four examples specific to my classroom, but those ideas can help you figure out how to support additive bilingualism in your own classroom.

Solution Preview

Great question! I am an ESL/ELL teacher and a firm believer in additive bilingualism. Basically, this means the idea that being bilingual is an asset rather than a liability. (It's adding something to you rather than taking something away.) With the idea of additive bilingualism, we encourage students to practice their home language and speak it with their families at home. Learning is learning, no matter the language. A student's home language and culture are valuable resources that should be tapped in the classroom. We do not want students to lose their culture. Here are some ways that I do this on a daily basis.

1. For every subject that I teach, I send home books with lots of pictures and ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
IFSPs, Early Intervention Services

Brief introduction to Individualized Family Service Plans. Do you know the mission of the Early Intervention Program?

Early Childhood Development

Children develop at a range of paces. However, there are some generally accepted early childhood development milestones. This quiz focuses on skills associated with birth to 9 months. Understanding typical childhood development is integral knowledge for educators, healthcare professionals, and many other careers.

Infant Development

How much do you know about infant milestones? Find out with this quiz!

Trauma Introduction

Providing trauma-informed practice is an integral component to providing services to children and families. Understanding the effects of crisis will be beneficial for all fields, including education.

Importance of Play for Children

Play is integral for children's education and development. This quiz briefly highlights the neuroscience supporting the importance of play-based learning.