Our group research has addressed different perspectives to answer the question: The topic of bilingual education covers extensive areas of research, thus we have decided to focus on bilingualism in Canada. Should schools offer bilingual programs? I believe that schools in Canada should offer bilingual education programs because they are in high demand. We also cannot ignore the research findings on benefits of being bilingual and the fact that Canada has two official languages – English and French.
I consider that these two official languages have created a separation between Francophones and Anglophones in Canada. The Official Languages Act was established in 1969 to promote bilingual services in government and to increase employment opportunities for Francophones who were under-represented at the time in the English dominated government. The purpose of this act was to give equal opportunities to Francophones and Anglophones; however, unfortunately, the act did not help two language communities to unite. As our research has identified, there are more bilingual Francophones than bilingual Anglophones in Canada; therefore Anglophones are pressured to become English-French bilinguals to secure employment. Many families wish their children to be bilinguals from an early age. As is evident, motivation for language learning mainly stems from employment opportunities, not so much from the support for multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Separation also exists in education. In Ontario, even if parents wish to enroll their child in a school within a publicly funded French school board, unless either one of the parents speaks French as his/her first language or has completed his/her education in French, it is difficult. Therefore, parents who do not meet these criteria have to resort to immersion programs in English school boards. In order to improve the quality of French immersion programs, I suggest that bilingual education programs in Canada should be developed in a way to produce linguistically and culturally more balanced bilinguals. Immersion programs should incorporate contents that would promote linguistic and cultural interaction with Francophone students. For example, immersion students can visit French schools in the same city and have integrated sports activities, or Francophone students can read to Anglophone students. In this way, the immersion students gain more authentic opportunities to use the language. One of the criticisms toward immersion programs is that language used in classrooms is not a true representation of French language. More importantly, through such integrated activities, immersion students make friends in both language communities and learning French becomes more meaningful, thus students may make further efforts to excel. Once students lose motivation, for example, if they think they do not need to learn French to secure employment, it is hard for them to keep their interests in learning the language.
Last but not least, Canadians should accept functional bilinguals. Immersion students should be confident in their language skills even if they speak with accents and have some grammatical errors. Lack of confidence would only diminish the opportunities to use the language. Similarly, Francophones should be tolerant of Anglophone’s errors in French. My hope is that Canadians embrace and be proud of individual differences in education and in society as a whole.
I consider that these two official languages have created a separation between Francophones and Anglophones in Canada. The Official Languages Act was established in 1969 to promote bilingual services in government and to increase employment opportunities for Francophones who were under-represented at the time in the English dominated government. The purpose of this act was to give equal opportunities to Francophones and Anglophones; however, unfortunately, the act did not help two language communities to unite. As our research has identified, there are more bilingual Francophones than bilingual Anglophones in Canada; therefore Anglophones are pressured to become English-French bilinguals to secure employment. Many families wish their children to be bilinguals from an early age. As is evident, motivation for language learning mainly stems from employment opportunities, not so much from the support for multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Separation also exists in education. In Ontario, even if parents wish to enroll their child in a school within a publicly funded French school board, unless either one of the parents speaks French as his/her first language or has completed his/her education in French, it is difficult. Therefore, parents who do not meet these criteria have to resort to immersion programs in English school boards. In order to improve the quality of French immersion programs, I suggest that bilingual education programs in Canada should be developed in a way to produce linguistically and culturally more balanced bilinguals. Immersion programs should incorporate contents that would promote linguistic and cultural interaction with Francophone students. For example, immersion students can visit French schools in the same city and have integrated sports activities, or Francophone students can read to Anglophone students. In this way, the immersion students gain more authentic opportunities to use the language. One of the criticisms toward immersion programs is that language used in classrooms is not a true representation of French language. More importantly, through such integrated activities, immersion students make friends in both language communities and learning French becomes more meaningful, thus students may make further efforts to excel. Once students lose motivation, for example, if they think they do not need to learn French to secure employment, it is hard for them to keep their interests in learning the language.
Last but not least, Canadians should accept functional bilinguals. Immersion students should be confident in their language skills even if they speak with accents and have some grammatical errors. Lack of confidence would only diminish the opportunities to use the language. Similarly, Francophones should be tolerant of Anglophone’s errors in French. My hope is that Canadians embrace and be proud of individual differences in education and in society as a whole.