Video Debate: Notes

Roles:
Katie Detrux: Bilingual Education
Tylar Smith: Bilingual Education
Julia Zendell: Bilingual Education

Kayleigh Basovsky: English Only

Leigh Scarano: English Only

Mazie Stiles: Moderator

Moderator Opening Statement:

The English Only vs Bilingual debate is a controversial debate across America’s school districts.
The English only side is in favor of adopting strictly an only English policy within the
classroom. Students coming from different countries and cultures will adopt English as their new
native language, creating a more unified classroom and nation. The Bilingual side is in favor of
integrating and appreciating the student’s native culture into the English language and American
culture. Today both sides will present their opening statements for why they are in favor of their
side. In addition, both sides will state the pros and cons of each side, as well as cross examine
each other through questions and answers. Lastly, the debate will wrap up with each side’s
closing statements after hearing the opposing side’s thoughts and persuasions.

English Only Pros & Cons:

Pros:
1.) English only is much cheaper than bilingual education. School districts will save money
on hiring specialized teachers, specialized textbooks and materials in both languages and
other funding’s from outside resources.

2.) Immigrants are encouraged to adopt English as their new and “native” language creating
a more unified classroom and school district where everyone can effectively
communicate using the same language
 3.) Also, English only will abolish the use of translation services as well students will learn
faster by only focusing on one language, and it will raise their confidence in speaking that
language.

Cons:
1) It’s a deficit-based model that focuses on students’ lack of ability to speak English as
opposed to highlighting students’ ability to speak their native language
2) It restricts freedom of speech because they are not comfortable with English yet so they
will be shy and not speak as much as they normally would.
3) We also believe that the lack of bilingual education in a school prevents students’
involvement in local culture
4) Decreased participation from students with lower English skills.

Bilingual Education Pros & Cons:

Pros:
1.) Bilingual education creates an opportunity for children to become involved in early
diversity.
2.) Learning children with future opportunities
3.) Working memory is also improved because they are challenged to learn twice as much as
an English only leaner.
4.) Boosts brain development in students giving them an advantage in schooling.
5.) Stimulates concentration and student involvement

Cons:
1.) Education in a second language can be inconsistent
2.) Learning specific content can be extremely difficult trying to use two different languages
constantly
3.) Bilingual education costs a lot of money and is difficult to keep up with

4.) Bilingual education can shift a student’s focus back and forth, confusing them of the two
languages.
5.) There may be a lack of qualified teachers and assistants
English Only Opening: 3 Key Points:
● Kayleigh: English only education is cheaper. Schools will save money on hiring
specialized bilingual teachers, as well as save money on bilingual materials like
textbooks and workbooks.
● Leigh: Next, when students are in an English only classroom, they are able to learn faster
and it raises their confidence. Since English is everyone’s first language in the classroom,
the students will be able to excel in any subject they are learning.
● Kayleigh: Lastly, Immigrants are encouraged to adopt English as their new and “native”
language because it is the only language spoken in the classroom.

Bilingual Education Opening: 3 Key Points:

● Katie: Bilingual education creates an opportunity for early diversity. It helps students
learning a new language make an easy transition to begin learning math, science, and
other subjects in English. Students begin receiving instruction in their native language
and eventually become weaned off it and begin to learn entirely in English.
● Julia: It also provides children with many future opportunities that they may not have
had with only knowing one language. Research has shown that non-English speaking
students who take advantage of these programs effectively learn how to write and speak
in English.
● Tylar: Lastly, a bilingual education provides two languages to students simultaneously.
Bilingual education programs intend to assist English and non-English speaking students
to speak and write in a second language.

Questions English Only will ask Bilingual Education:

1) Leigh: Where are schools going to get the funding for implementing bilingual
education in their district?
 Katie: States and school districts bear the responsibility of serving English language
learners. The federal government pitches in a little more than 700 million dollars which
has taken on a growing role in the education of English language learners. Therefore, the
state gives funds to the school if they decide they will teach bilingual education. Nothing
comes out of the school’s pocket; this way the school will still acquire all of the materials
they need.
- Although, no money would come out of the school’s pocket, in our opinion,
money and funding should be going towards other areas that benefit the school as
a whole, not just one child individually.

2) Kayleigh: Through our research, we discovered that school districts have been
hiring unqualified teachers and assistants? How do you justify this action?

Tylar: Bilingual education is mostly funded by the state. With this being said, school
districts around the country will utilize this money by providing our teachers with
extensive and efficient education programs to inform them how to best educate their dual
language students. Teachers who may not have had as much training or experience with
bilingual students will be provided with aids and assistances in the classroom in order for
the teacher to have extra help and the student to have someone to communicate with who
will advocate for their needs. Our greatest hope is that with the training schools provide
and the experience teachers receive in the classroom will allow them to learn how to
educate their dual language students to the best of their ability
- Although this training may be beneficial in the long run, it is going to take too
much time and money to make it a close to perfect system. In the meantime, while
teachers are learning and training, students are being affected negatively.

3) Leigh: How do teachers who teach different languages keep learning consistent for
the student?

Julia: They will use the same procedures and methods for each subject. The teacher
will keep it consistent so the student will not get confused. For example, if the student
learns well with visuals the teacher will keep using visuals for the student. The teachers
have to make the learning hands on rather than textbook work. The teacher will be trained
to reflect after each lesson to recognize what works well for the student and what does
not. The teacher will take all of these things into consideration when designing the next
lesson. The main goal is to provide a consistent education that fits best for them.
- Although these methods and procedures are good, teachers must keep the
language consistent constantly in order for it to be effective. This is only going to
be confusing and unlikely a flawless system.
Questions Bilingual will ask English Only:

1) Katie-What would you propose the solution would be if a student who does not
speak English just moved into a school district that does not offer bilingual
education?

Kayleigh: Students who do not speak English should get outside help like going to a
tutor to receive the bilingual education they need. It should not be the school districts
responsibility to accommodate all of their curriculum for one child. By having the student
receive outside help and translation services, a more unified classroom will be created.
This will as well make students more confident with their new outside skills to bring into
the classroom and strive to make friends and relationships with these skills.

- We understand that by receiving language assistance outside the classroom will

put the ell learner at an equal advantage but we find it necessary to consider the
students whose families may not have the money to receive English tutors outside
of the classroom and would like to be able to provide them with the
accommodations they need while in school.

2) Julia-How do you justify the lack of student engagement when a student cannot
understand, the second language?

Leigh:
- In our opinion, there will be no lack of student engagement through English only
education. If the student receives outside assistance in learning the English
language, then the classroom will be an additional practice of these skills.
Teachers will teach and treat these students just as they would any other student,
keeping them engaged and focused at all times. Teachers may use
accommodations and modifications with these students like they would with any
lower level learning student, however no focus or lack engagement will ever be
lost.

- We appreciate your virtue for treating all students with the same respect and
encouragement no matter what, but we believe that if their native language is not
incorporated the ELL student will just sit there in confusion the whole time. This
will put them at a disadvantage in schooling.
 3) Tylar-What is your perspective on the elimination of culture and diversity through
English only programs?

Kayleigh:
- English only does not eliminate any culture or diversity, it welcomes students into
a new culture, only strengthening their knowledge and perceptions of the world. It
creates a sense of unity and culture within the classroom when everyone speaks
the same language. It’s not eliminating the student’s native culture; it is adapting
them to an additional culture.

- I understand where you are coming from however, some student’s that may enter
the classroom may not be able to speak any English. Many schools cannot deny
the students the right to enter a classroom. If these students do not get the
appropriate measures needed, they will drastically fall behind in the curriculum.

Closing Points for English Only:

1) Leigh: To justify the point of a school district not having bilingual support, students
should get outside help like going to a tutor to receive the bilingual education they need.
This will maintain the unity of not only the school district but the nation as a whole.
Overall, English only is not eliminating different cultures and diversities, it is creating
adapting students to additional culture as everyone will speak the same language in the
classroom. English only welcomes students to a new culture.

2) Kayleigh: In addition, school districts have little funding so eliminating bilingual

education will help schools fund different programs. Taxpayers should not have to go out
of their way to pay for bilingual education when the majority of the students do not need
this support. We believe that the school districts funding should go towards different
areas other than bilingual education. English only education will allow students and
teachers to be positively affected because they will not have to focus on teaching other
languages.

3) Leigh: In conclusion, English only education increases the student’s confidence and they
will learn faster because they are only focused on their new language not retrieving
information from their past language. Students will have a sense of unity in the classroom
which will allow students to express themselves and feel more confident. Students will
not have to focus on learning another language which will help the students learn faster.
Closing Points for Bilingual Education:

1) Tylar- from the research we conducted we found that Bilingual education gives a greater
opportunity for future success to each individual that can comprehend one or more
languages. With this being said, bilingual education will not only help students in the
classroom succeed during their academic years as a student but also when it comes to
finding a job. For example, as an educator one is much more likely to get hired when they
know more than one language. The more one knows the better.

2) Julia- Another key point to our argument is that English only curriculum decreases
participation from students with lower English skills. If a student does not understand
English, they will not succeed in a classroom setting. Through research we found that
ELL students are less likely to ask their teachers and peers for help. If the student does
not participate and does not understand the student will be affected in a negative way. In
order to give all students an equal advantage their native language needs to be
incorporated in their learning.

3) Katie- To conclude, bilingual education boosts brain development, increases working

memory, and overall gives students an advantage to effectively write and speak in
English. Knowing both languages will give the students an advantage in the future by
giving them a greater choice of acquiring a job.

Bilingual Education: Closing Statement:

Although we are for bilingual education, and remain, the English only side gave a good
argument. We learned that it is much cheaper so school districts will save money on hiring
specialized teachers, textbooks and materials from outside resources. An English only school
will also create a more unified classroom where everyone can effectively communicate using the
same language. Lastly, with only having to learn one language at a time, the students will learn
faster and it will raise their confidence in speaking that language.

English Only Education: Closing Statement:

Although we remain on the English Only Side, we feel the Bilingual side presented factual and
evidence-based arguments that make this debate more compelling and persuasive
From their evidence we learned that bilingual education provides more job opportunities not only
for the ELL student, but for the other students learning around them. In addition, we learned that
Bilingual education creates an opportunity for children to become involved early in diversity in
their life, benefiting them for their future. Lastly, by teaching with two languages stimulates
student’s concentration and brain development, which we had previously opposed.

Moderator Closing Statement:

The English only vs Bilingual debate presents not only many opinions and ideas, but factual
based evidence to support each side. The English only side presented ideas that centered around
the idea of cost efficiency, school unity, and education inconsistency. By having English only,
school districts will save money on not hiring specialized staff as well as purchasing extra
material in dual languages all for one student. In addition, by having everyone speak the same
language in the school, the school unites into a better community, enhancing student’s culture,
not eliminating their own native culture at all. With English only, students as well as teachers can
focus on one language only, and keeping all of the other important learning aspects of the
classroom the main focus. If students try to learn two separate languages constantly, they are
going to not only confuse themselves, but they are never going to excel in either language, only
remain average by trying to learn both. On the other hand, the Bilingual education side presented
ideas that centered around the ideas of creating opportunity for diversity, future opportunities,
and brain development. Not only the ELL student, but the other students in the classroom will be
more culturally aware and diverse by being surrounded by multiple languages and cultures. With
this situation everyone will benefit. In addition, Bilingual side expressed that by students being
surrounded by multiple languages and being bilingual, it will create more job opportunities in the
future of this changing nation. Jobs like doctors, police officers, and soldiers need to have the
benefit of being able to communicate with as many people they interact with. All in all, both
sides today have presented very detailed and evidence-based ideas about their views on this
debate.