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Sara Weaner's picture

Code-Switching in a Dual Language School

I think the subject of code-switching is fascinating. I got to witness the difficulties that children can have with this issue just like you, Cathy. When I was going to school at Connecticut College, I volunteered at a middle school called the Dual Language Arts Academy (grades 6-8). The students were primarily Puerto Rican, so clearly they spoke Spanish fluently and some spoke English fluently (other's weren't quite as eloquent with English). The teachers would teach the classes in English one week, and then switch to Spanish the following week, and continue going back and fourth all year. This allowed the students to more easily transition to learning in English. I would notice that when some of the students spoke to one another peer-to-peer in casual/non-academic contexts, they spoke in Spanish to more easily communicate. However, when it was an English week, they were encouraged only to use Spanish when absolutely necessary in class (if the student could not express him/herself in English) and were then immediately taught how to translate their thought to English. I think this is a very interesting and pretty effective way of teaching language and literacy, as it accommodates for students' cultural backgrounds.

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