Language Development, Including English Language Learners Kathy Escamilla, University of Colorado at Boulder Kathy Escamilla is Associate Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she specializes in social, multicultural, and bilingual foundations. Courses she teaches include second language acquisition, sociolinguistics and education, bilingual education foundations and methods, and methods of teaching English as a second language. She also served as Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, Denver; Research Associate in the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder; Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona; and as Director of Bilingual/Multicultural Education for the Tucson Unified School District. Escamilla has written and lectured extensively on bilingual education, early intervention, second language acquisition, and cultural and linguistic diversity. She has been a consultant to school districts in Colorado, Texas, and California on English as a Second Language and Spanish Balanced Literacy programs. Escamilla currently serves on the board of La Rasa. "Emerging bilinguals use Spanish to get to English in cognitively appropriate ways." — Kathy Escamilla Presentation Highlights This presentation discusses the concept of bilingualism in Head Start and Early Head Start children, focusing specifically on Spanish speaking children and families. Language is more than words - it is a person' cultural heritage, identity, and the way he or she is taught to view the world. Bilingualism enhances the development of cognition and should be viewed as desirable and encouraged both at home and at school. Characteristics of Bilingualism Two languages interact in a child's mind. Beginning English language learners use Spanish as a means of developing awareness of, and proficiency in English. Context/setting influence the development of bilingualism Bilingual Behaviors It is common for bilingual individuals to employ certain behaviors in order to make sense of their world. Some such behaviors are: Code-switching - The alternate use of two languages in one sentence or from sentence to sentence. Conceptual knowledge - Bilingual children may know some concepts only in Spanish, some only in English, and some in both languages. Language Shifting - Spanish may begin to atrophy if it is not encouraged and developed at home and at school. Understanding Bilingualism It is incumbent upon us to understand bilingual behavior, so that we may understand why bilingual children use two languages to make sense of the world. It is important to understand that bilingual children are using both languages in cognitively appropriate ways. Bilingual behaviors such as code-switching (knowledge of some concepts in English and some concepts in Spanish), may result in a loss of Spanish language proficiency. Therefore, we might judge some bilingual children ages 4-6 as having limited proficiency in both languages. Formal assessments that do not consider how two languages interact in a child's mind confirm the notion that bilingual children have limited proficiency in both languages. Head Start Programs and Staff Can Help Bilingual Children By: Using, valuing, observing, and assessing both Spanish and English; Using Spanish and English in appropriate ways; Allowing children to talk to each other in Spanish; Avoiding concurrent translation; Separating environmental print by language; Providing culturally authentic environments; and Coordinating efforts with K-12 education programs. Parents Can Help Bilingual Children By: Continuing to communicate with their children in Spanish; and Requiring that their children talk to them in Spanish Video of Presentation Presentation Highlights No Handout for This Presentation List of Language Development presenters/presentations Information on how to view videos and view/download handouts

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