Bilingual Education Approaches

Parents are the first language teachers—so how can we support them in raising bilingual kids? As both a teacher and a parent, I’ve learned that bilingual education doesn’t start in the classroom—it starts at home. Parents play a crucial role in shaping how children engage with multiple languages, and the strategies used at home can make all the difference in maintaining balance between them. In our home, we follow the One Parent, One Language (OPOL) method, ensuring that our child receives equal exposure to both English and French. It’s a structured approach that has helped her develop fluency in both languages without favoring one over the other. In fact, she was an early talker and has maintained an advanced vocabulary in both languages! However, I know from experience that raising a bilingual child comes with challenges: ✅ Finding engaging resources – Not all books, apps, and learning tools are available in both languages, making it harder to reinforce learning equally. ✅ Ensuring both languages are valued – If the school environment prioritizes one language, parents need to be intentional about maintaining the second language at home. ✅ Keeping language learning fun – When kids associate a language with “work,” they’re less likely to embrace it naturally. So how can parents support bilingual development? Here’s what’s worked for us: 📖 Daily exposure in both languages – Reading books, storytelling, and discussing daily activities in both languages keeps vocabulary growing. 🎭 Play-based learning – Role-play, board games, and creative activities help reinforce language use in an enjoyable way. 📝 Bilingual writing activities – Encouraging shopping lists, postcard writing, or even captioning drawings in both languages strengthens written fluency. 📱 Educational apps – We use tools like Reading Eggs and Math Seeds to make English learning fun while my child’s formal education takes place in French. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that bilingualism has to feel natural. When children see both languages as an integrated part of their world, rather than something they “have to” learn, they develop a deeper and more lasting connection to both. How do you encourage bilingualism at home? Whether as a parent or an educator, I’d love to hear the strategies that have worked for you!

Inclusion, Reading, and Language: 3 Strategies You Can Use This Week We talk about inclusion, but how often do we talk about reading and language as the foundation of inclusion? 📊 The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and Ofsted are clear: if students can't access classroom language and texts, they can't access the curriculum. So — what can you do beyond sentence stems and paired talk? Here are 3 high-impact strategies you can use this week: 1️⃣ Text-marking as a thinking tool — Give students symbols to mark ideas as they read: ✔️ (I understand), ❓ (I’m unsure), ⭐ (Important idea). This makes reading active — and gives you insight into who’s struggling in the moment. Remember: good readers know which words they don't know. 2️⃣ Collaborative Annotation Walls — Display an enlarged copy of a text on the wall. Across a lesson/week, students add their key words, drawings, definitions. The text grows into a shared, visual map of meaning — building academic literacy together. Multilingual Tip: Could students annotate home language translations for key words, sparking engagement and enjoyment in connecting with the range of languages present in the classroom? 3️⃣ Translanguaging for comprehension — Invite students to write key points or summarise their understanding in any language first, then rephrase in English - translanguaging is a powerful tool for deeper thinking in multilingual classrooms. 💭 Which one could you try this week? 👉 Follow for practical, research-informed strategies — next: What to do when students don’t understand a text but won’t ask for help. #Inclusion #multilingualism #EAL #Reading #Metacognition #Translanguaging #InclusiveTeaching

🛑 Stop Translating Everything. ✅ Start Building Linguistic Access. Here’s the truth: Translation ≠ Access. Compliance ≠ Equity. 📊 72% of multilingual learners process content faster when allowed to use all their languages—yet most classrooms are still designed for monolingual minds. We don’t need more PDFs in 9 languages. We need design that honors multilingual brilliance. 💡 Try this instead: 1️⃣ Visual-first teaching – icons + diagrams > text walls 2️⃣ Translanguaging – let students think across languages 3️⃣ Celebrate home languages – make them visible, valued, vocal Multilingual learners aren’t liabilities to support—they’re leaders in the making. When we stop translating for them and start building with them, we move from survival to celebration. Let’s stop settling for compliance. Let’s start leading with intention. Language isn’t the problem. It’s the power. — 🧠 Angel Martinez | MLL Educator Reimagining equity through linguistic access. #MLLs #Translanguaging #LinguisticJustice #MultilingualMatters #EdEquity #ViralEdu #MLLEducator #AssetBasedEducation #LanguageIsPower #InstructionalDesign

20 ways to boost 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 for kids 1. Make it playful → Use games, songs, and stories to build vocabulary joyfully. 2. Speak both languages daily → Consistency matters more than perfection when growing language skills. 3. Celebrate code-switching → It’s a strength, not a flaw—support natural expression. 4. Use visual supports → Images, gestures, and icons help link words to meaning. 5. Encourage peer interaction → Conversations with friends deepen fluency and confidence fast. 6. Read aloud often → Reading builds comprehension, rhythm, and sound awareness simultaneously. 7. Focus on oral production → Fluency grows when kids speak, not just listen silently. 8. Make mistakes normal → Normalize errors as part of the learning journey. 9. Connect to culture → Language makes more sense when tied to lived culture. 10. Personalize content → Relatable topics keep kids engaged and intrinsically motivated. 11. Leverage tech tools → Smart apps like 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 adapt to each learner. 12. Keep it bite-sized → Short, frequent sessions beat long, overwhelming lessons. 13. Involve families → Parent support at home reinforces school learning deeply. 14. Mix receptive and expressive → Balance listening/reading with speaking/writing for full development. 15. Use storytelling techniques → Stories stick. Narratives build vocabulary and emotional connection. 16. Track progress meaningfully → Celebrate growth with milestones, not just test scores. 17. Include movement → Dance, gestures, and body language strengthen memory and retention. 18. Be patient and positive → Language takes time. Celebrate small wins enthusiastically. 19. Create routine rituals → Familiar structure makes bilingual practice less stressful, more fun. 20. Model bilingualism yourself → Kids mirror what they see - let them hear you. Which one’s your favorite? Or share one of your own! #BilingualEducation #LanguageLearning #EdTech #LingoCircle #EAL #MultilingualKids #Parenting #TeachersOfLinkedIn

In order to provide the best education possible for emergent bilinguals, it is crucial to implement effective research-based literacy practices in both their native language and English integrating explicit instruction. This will ensure that EBs are able to develop strong language and literacy skills in both languages. By utilizing practices such as cross-linguistic connections, metalinguistic awareness, collaborative approach, and literacy-based practices through thematic units, among others, educators can create a supportive and inclusive learning environment that promotes the success of all students. Clear and structured instruction is crucial in developing languages in a DL classroom. To truly master a skill, it is essential to have ample opportunities to listen, speak using their entire linguistic repertoire, read various genres, and write with a purpose. Building knowledge in two languages with effective practices will help students develop a robust biliteracy trajectory. 

Want kids to excel in English? Don't push English harder - develop their home language too. This graph shows decades of research following bilingual children in US schools. The surprising result? Kids in bilingual programs (enrichment models) consistently outperform those in English-focused programs (remedial models). Less English instruction + valuing home languages = better English outcomes. We've been approaching this backwards. Instead of treating bilingualism as a problem to solve, we should recognize it as an asset to develop. #BilingualEducation #LanguageLearning #Education