Week 7 Post 1

In chapter 12, there was a chapter on language as a second language.  Immersion, bilingual schooling, and English as second language (ESL) were discussed as different types of second-language instruction.  Immersion is a type of instruction in which all school subjects occur in the second language that a child is learning.  Bilingual schooling is a type of instruction in which school subject's are taught in two languages.  ESL is a type of instruction in which English is taught to children who don't speak English in a classroom with all non-English speaking students with native English speaking teachers.  When I was in school, I was only aware of the ESL program.  When I was in high school, we had a number of students who moved to our school district and were placed in the ESL program.  One thing I do not like about this program, as a student, is that students in ESL are not able to interact with the population of the school who is not in ESL.  As a new student to a school, in order to find friends, you interact with other students and build relationships.  When ESL students are new to the school, they only interact with other ESL students.  I think the ESL system is a great way for students to learn English and slowly become a part of the rest of the school's population but it does hurt the ESL students socially.