Bilingual Education Argumentive Essay Essay Example for Free

Bilingual Education Argumentive Essay Essay The United States is a diverse country of many different races and languages. Even though many languages are spoken in the United States, English is the preferred language in the United States. Speaking English in America is the key to success. Without English, acquiring employment is almost impossible. More and more immigrants are attracted to the U.S every year, and the populations of immigrants, which do not know the American culture, continue to rise. This population must be assimilated into the United States in order for the population to find employment and function in the United States. Assimilation is the process by which an outsider becomes part of a new community by adopting its language and customs. Public schools are a vital place where the country’s customs, language, and culture, in general, can be taught. According to Ginsburg, ever since the 1960’s young immigrants and U.S born children, of immigrant parents, were sent to public schools with little to no understanding of the English language. These students were forced to â€Å"sink or swim.† The public school offered no help to LEP students. LEP (limited English proficiency) is term used to describe students whose level English language is low. As a result, many of these students began to drop out, but finally in 1968, the federal government passed the Bilingual Act which paid special attention to students whose native language was not English. This provided special funding to create and maintain bilingual education programs. The goal bilingual education is to teach English more efficiently to students, with low English proficiency, protect students’ self-esteem, increase their academic performance, and lowering dropout rates. In bilingual education, LEP students are taught subjects such as math, history, and science in their native tongue, while the LEP students take classes to learn English, and once a student shows increasing proficiency in English they are put into main-stream â€Å"English-only† (â€Å"Bilingual Education†). There have been many controversies whether or not the bilingual education programs are achieving their goal. Bilingual education programs should not be allowed as a way to teach English to students with low English proficiency because the programs segregate students based on their native language, are too costly, and are poorly  maintained. Bilingual Education programs segregate students based on their native language. These students are isolated away from other cultures and different perspectives for many years. This assimilates students slowly into mainstream English classes. While bilingual classes segregate students by their primary language, English immersion brings them all together to learn a common language, with the common goal of quickly entering mainstream classes. Speaking English is vital for communication and success in the U.S. The sooner a student understands and communicates in English the sooner they will transition into mainstream English, and the more successful the student will become, which will increase their self-esteem According to Ginsburg many students stay up to six years in these programs and still are low in English proficiency once they complete the program (Ginsburg). Bilingual education programs are too costly to maintain. Students are taking too long to learn English in bilingual education programs. According to â€Å"Bilingual Education,† A scientist named Christine Roswell found that there is little evidence that bilingual education is working, and he determined, from 78% of his studies, that student in bilingual education programs only do as well, or even worse, than LEP students in English immersion type programs or no programs at all. Also Roswell determined that English Immersion programs are a more affordabl e way to teach English. Some teachers are delaying the student’s education in order to receive more money. Most bilingual education programs persist because teachers and school districts receive more federal and state money if they maintain those programs and keep high numbers of students enrolled. Spanish speaking teaches can receive up to $5,000 in bonuses a year (â€Å"Bilingual Education†). In bilingual education, students are taking longer to transition to mainstream â€Å"English-only† classes. Bilingual education programs are poorly maintained. English immersion is a better solution to teaching English than bilingual education. Many LEP students often feel stressed out and frustrated in mainstream classes, which causes them to dropout. According to Clouthier, dropout rates among Hispanics, who speak Spanish, have not improved in the past 25 years that bilingual education programs started. Clearly bilingual education has not help students with frustration and stress or decreased dropout rates. Students learn English with less proficiency and more slowly in bilingual ed ucation  programs. Proponents claim that proficiently teaching a students’ native language first and then teaching English as a second language helps students in the long run, but according to Clouthier, The National Academy of Sciences reviewed 30 years of bilingual research and found no negative effects from teaching reading and writing in English, without first teaching proficiency in a students’ primary language. In bilingual education students take five to seven years to assimilate students; because the program believes that teaching the students, whose native language is not English, their culture values, languages, and customs, when the students’ parents should teach them their heritage (Clouthier). On the other hand, supporters of bilingual education believe that effective bilingual education helps students, for whom English is not their native language, to assimilate into main stream America. Supports say that the controversy is actually rooted in the misunderstanding and misapplication of how language is learned and taught. According to Stokely, students must first learn proficiently their first native language and then learn English as their second language. Supporters say that bilingual education programs enable non-English speaking students to learn English without losing learning time in other academic subjects. Supporters say that the reason some bilingual education programs are ineffective is because they are poorly maintained by the federal government and finding a bilingual teacher is very rare (Stokely). To conclude, bilingual education should not be allowed as a way to teach English students, which have a low proficiency in English, because bilingual education programs segregate students, are too costly, and are poorly maintained. Bilingual education segregates students from other peers based on their native language which cause slower assimilation. Since students are learning English at a slower pace which more funding is needed for these programs to run, and some teachers intentionally keep students longer these programs for the money, which makes these programs too costly. Most bilingual education programs are poorly maintained because these programs have not decreased the student dropout rate. English immersion is a better solution to bilingual education because it’s more affordable and joins students to learn one language. Works Cited Bilingual Education. Issues Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 15 Feb. 2005. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. . Clouthier, Kris. Point: English Immersion: Creating Equal Opportunity For Immigrant Students. Points Of View: Bilingual Education (2013): 5. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. Ginsburg, Jill. Bilingual Education: An Overview. Points Of View: Bilingual Education (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. Stokely, Anne. Counterpoint: The Benefits Of Bilingual Education. Points Of View: Bilingual Education (2013): 6. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Fly Away Peter by David Malouf :: Fly Away Peter David Malouf

`Fly Away Peter' by David Malouf is a powerful war story in which the author has used contrasting settings and strong symbolism to clearly portray his own ideas and opinions of war, and further the readers understanding of the text. Jim is an innocent young man, living on the coast of Queensland. In this peaceful town, everybody is happy and at peace with themselves and with nature. The people enjoy the simple pleasures of life - nature, birds, and friendly neighbourly conversations. Their days are filled with peaceful walks in the bush, bird watching and fishing. Jim and his friends especially enjoy the serenity of the sanctuary and the wonders of nature that it holds. When the war breaks out, this tranquil little town seems like the last place on earth that could produce a team of vicious, violent soldiers. Soon we see Jim thrown into a completely contrasting `world', full of violence and fighting, and the strong dissimilarity between his hometown and this new war-stricken country is emphasised. The fact that the original setting is so diversely opposite to that if the war setting, the harsh reality of the horror of war is demonstrated. The birds show symbolism in more than one way throughout the text. As the soldiers are travelling from all over the world to fight for their countries in the war, the birds are similarly migrating for the change of seasons. The birds however, will all be returning, and many of the soldiers will never return home again. This is a very powerful message, which helps the reader to understand the loss and sorrow that is experienced through war. Even when Jim is in this awful war-stricken place, one thing that he can still find comfort in, and which reminds him of his peaceful home is the birds, which are everywhere, still living their lives unaffected by mans war. This shows how nature is unaltered by mans cruel antics against other man, and how life and nature must, and will go on through all circumstances. The symbol of earth also shows significant symbolism in different parts of the text. When Jim is dying, and begins to hallucinate, the action he sees of men digging in the earth represents the fact that Jim feels like he is finally escaping the war - which in one way, he is - and going home. This helps the reader to understand how passionately Jim wants to be out of the war and back at home, how many of the soldiers would have felt during the war.

Person Centred Approach Essay

The definition of person centred values is treating and seeing people in a care setting as equals, who are involved in decision making to promote an independent way of life and to ensure that the care that is provided is appropriate to their needs. It takes into account service users views and needs and places them, along with their family at the centre of all decision making. Working in a way that embeds person centred values is important to meet the needs of my service user. With my clients it helps to build relationships with them and their family members to ensure a good quality of life and provide the best possible quality of care. This ranges from me attending to my service users personal care needs in a respectful way and to support them to achieve tasks on their own, to choices of what activities they would like to do that can help them to express their individuality or help them to create new relationships and overcome any feelings of social exclusion or devaluation. I also believe it’s important to respect any religious or cultural beliefs that they may have and support the individual to follow their chosen faith. Read more:  Person Centred Care Firstly I would look at the way in which I communicate with my service user. If they are verbal the simplest way I find out about the individual is to talk directly to them as it allows them to fully express themselves and make their own decisions. If non verbal then I would communication methods such as makaton, picture cards and visual aids to learn of their likes and dislikes. Another way is to speak with siblings as they could provide information the client may be unaware of or may have forgotten but also so they are included in the building of the care plan and it helps me build an understanding and a relationship with them. Talking with social workers, previous support workers, doctors or any other professional involved in the clients care an also provide information about their preferences and anything that may be important to the individual. With these methods it helps me find as much information as possible about my service user. In order to take into account the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual when planning care and support I would refer to the principles of person centred care. Rather than just supplying a service, each person should be treated as an individual by offering a personalised service specific to their needs and preferences. For example if an individual enjoyed an activity such as walking but needed support to do so I would plan a time for a walk so that the individual would get enjoyment from doing activities they choose and feel valued. Also, they should be treated them with the same dignity and respect you would want for a member family of your own. Refer to support plans to ensure the highest level of person centred care is maintained. Each individual’s care plan outlines and details the service user’s preferences and day to day requirements so that they receive the specific care and daily support they require from the level of support required with an individual’s personal hygiene and how to do it in a respectful way to what food and activities they like. The information is centred on the individuals wants and needs to ensure independence and choice rather than control, choice should always be offered regardless of importance of the activity or task, therefore each individual’s care plan contributes to working in a person centred way. The term consent means giving permission to do something or agreement to an action and in a care setting consent is needed for a number of things. With my clients I need to ask for consent for administering medication, for help with bills, finances and banking, help with certain type of care such as bathing and personal hygiene. It’s important to gain consent for all activities as lack of it could be deemed as abuse as I would forcing someone to perform or to take part in a task or an activity they don’t want to be involved in. Consent however should not just be gained, but the client must fully understand what they are consenting to and any possible implications that the action or task can imply. It is also essential for protecting myself from any legal challenge. There are a few ways to establish an individual’s consent but it depends upon the individuals preferred communication. The methods I use with my clients are verbal, written notes, visual aids such as picture cards, makaton, some individuals communicate physically with body movements such as a nod or through a representative or advocate. Any of these are forms establishing consent that i would look to use with my clients. Establishing consent will vary as each individual’s capacity to consent is assessed. If consent cannot be established first steps would be to not carry out the task and document the information. If a person is mentally incapable of providing consent then you should refer to the individuals care/support plan that may have been established at a time when they were capable of making informed decisions. If this fails, consent can be given by next of kin or an advocate however I would ensure my client must be involved as much as possible to adhere to person centred values. Active participation is a way of working that allows an individual to be completely involved in every aspect of their lives. This could be what my service users have to eat, what they wear when they go out or go to work in, or it could be planning tasks and activities for the week ahead, deciding on where to go such as day trips out or holidays, arranging appointments to the doctors or the dentists and active participation in services that relate to their own care. Helping to be in control of their lives rather that a passive recipient. Active participation helps individuals by benefitting them in a number of ways. I believe it gives them independence and makes the service user feel in control of their own lives rather than having decisions made for them or having few choices. There are many benefits I’ve noticed such as growth in confidence in social situations, a sense of well being, a sense of achievement of taking control of their lives and I’ve noticed the mental and physical stimulation it also brings. Also encouraging individuals to participate in the planning and arranging of their own care increases their self confidence, independence and it is empowering. There are many ways to reducing barriers of active participation. In order to reduce any barriers to active participation you have to look at what the barriers could be. They could be lack of confidence or self esteem, a lack of opportunity to activities, difficulty in communication and lack of patience of others. To overcome these barriers I support my service users by offering them choices and in every aspect of their day to day lives and offering them opportunity to plan and do activities they enjoy which improves their confidence. I think it’s very important to have the patience to listen to service users and take time to understand how they feel and I find by discussing why they feel like this and talking through it can increase their feeling of self esteem. Communication barriers can be overcome by staff development and training, language and makaton are tools that can be learnt, but there other ways like picture cards and hand gestures I use with some service users to offer choices and to make decisions when they are non verbal. The method I find best to encourage active participation is by communicating and offering choices and then giving praise and encouragement to service users to increase their confidence to then go on to make more decisions in different aspect of their lives for themselves. I find it’s good to look for local events or if they show an interest in a hobby you could find out about local groups that would be prepared to support the individual to participate. You should always highlight the benefits of the activity and getting family members to join in with activities can make a big difference to encouraging participation from individuals. I would support an individual to make informed choices by giving the individual the full information regarding that decision. I would explain the positive and the negative effects of that decision regardless of my beliefs or views as my personal view should not influence an individual’s choice. The choices and decisions can be as simple offering the full information on items when supporting individuals with shopping, giving information on price and helping to find offers or decisions that may require risk assessments to make the individual fully aware of the any risks that may be involved. I believe all staff in a care setting should help to  empower their client by offering the information, knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions. I think risk taking can be part of an individual’s choices because there is risk in many day to day things that we do. Due to the nature of an individual’s disability, a simple task could be deemed a risk and would need risk assessing to make them fully aware of any potential dangers or threats to the individual’s safety. It’s important to make individuals aware of any risks or hazards Risk assessment processes are used to make an individual aware of the positive and negative consequences involved when for example taking part in an activity, we look at and record the risks and hazards involved and then decide if the risk is worth taking. However there are benefits that have to be taken in to consideration as new activities promote confidence and empowers individuals to live more independent lives. Having choice is an individual’s right, risk assessments provide support for them to make decisions in the safest way possible. I believe a worker’s personal views should not influence an individual’s choices because that is taking away their right to make informed choices. My views for example are not fact and should not be used to influence any decisions or life choices. I could inform an individual if a certain food was bad for them and suggest a healthier option however whatever they decide is their choice. Another example is religious or cultural choices and beliefs, my views are my own and I would support them to attend religious or cultural services and acknowledge religious holidays.

The Definition of Transcendentalist

A Transcendentalist was a follower of an American philosophical movement known as Transcendentalism which emphasized the importance of the individual and was a break from more formalized religions. Transcendentalism flourished from roughly the mid-1830s to the 1860s and was often viewed as a move toward the spiritual, and thus a break from the increasing materialism of American society at the time. The leading figure of Transcendentalism was the writer and public speaker Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had been a Unitarian minister. The publication of Emerson’s classic essay â€Å"Nature† in September 1836 is often cited as a pivotal event, as the essay expressed some of the central ideas of Transcendentalism. Other figures associated with Transcendentalism include Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden, and Margaret Fuller, an early feminist writer and editor. Transcendentalism was and is difficult to categorize, as it could be viewed as a: Spiritual movementPhilosophical movementLiterary movement Emerson himself provided a fairly open definition in his 1842 essay â€Å"The Transcendentalist†: The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy. He wishes that the spiritual principle should be suffered to demonstrate itself to the end, in all possible applications to the state of man, without the admission of anything unspiritual; that is, anything positive, dogmatic, personal. Thus, the spiritual measure of inspiration is the depth of the thought, and never, who said it? And so he resists all attempts to palm other rules and measures on the spirit than its own. Also Known As: New England Transcendentalists