Collier, Rodriguez, CUNY-NYSIEB 6/20

 Argument Summary:
Collier focuses on how difficult learning to read and write can be for immigrant students and challenges teachers to meet them with lessons that match both their age and cognitive development. Rodriguez reflects on the personal cost of assimilation, arguing that learning English can lead to success, but also distance from home, family, and cultural identity. The CUNY-NYSIEB videos bring both perspectives together by showing real classrooms that view multilingualism as a strength. They offer a model for schools that want to support bilingual students without forcing them to give up their identity.

Three Quotes

1. “The teacher’s challenge is to find ways to integrate immigrant students with other students their age, while presenting meaningful lessons both at their level of maturity and their level of cognitive development.” – Virginia Collier
This quote helped me understand just how much we underestimate the effort it takes for emergent bilingual students to succeed. Even fluent English speakers struggle with literacy, so we can only imagine the pressure and confusion facing students who are still learning the language, often while dealing with other challenges like resettlement or family separation. It connects to Delpit’s argument that good teaching requires deep knowledge of students’ backgrounds. 

2. “But the bilingualists simplistically scorn the value and necessity of assimilation. They do not seem to realize that there are two ways a person is individualized. So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality.” – Richard Rodriguez
Rodriguez’s perspective is complex. He doesn’t reject bilingualism, but he believes that learning English gave him access to power and public voice, even though it came with a cost. His story made me reflect on Johnson’s Privilege, Power, and Difference. English fluency gave Rodriguez power, but it also forced him to leave something behind.  

3. “In spite of the world's wealth of textual information, learning to read and write is often trying for average students. Nonetheless, it is essential, since reading and writing enable students to learn about and act upon the world. It is ever more important for immigrant students. Many of these students are refugees or older preliterate students. For them, the challenge is greater. The teacher's challenge is to find ways to integrate immigrant students with other students their age, while presenting meaningful lessons both at their level of maturity and their level of cognitive development” – Virginia Collier
Language learning is already hard work, but even harder when students are also navigating new cultures, trauma, or interrupted education. Her message is that we can’t teach these students with a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Our job as educators isn’t just to deliver content. It’s to make it meaningful and accessible. The teachers in the CUNY-NYSIEB videos are doing that. They show how students can use their home languages to process ideas and show what they know. They treat bilingualism as a tool. This connects with Sleeter’s idea that the curriculum should reflect and respect the communities students come from. We can’t just teach to the majority and hope others catch up.

Further Reading

Summary of Article from Frontiers
Teachers who supported blending language and subject learning had more positive attitudes toward bilingualism and home language use. Those who preferred English-only teaching weren’t necessarily less caring but resisted using other languages in class. Teachers who valued students’ cultural and language backgrounds were more open to integrated approaches. Interviews showed that those with training or pull-out experience leaned most toward LICT. While most supported integration in theory, many lacked the tools to apply it. The study points to the influence of English-only norms and calls for shifting teacher mindsets to truly support multilingual learners.

Questions

• Are we really creating bilingual spaces or just English-first spaces with translation on the side?
• What does real support look like for students who are navigating two languages?
• What are students being asked to give up to succeed in English?
• Can we support bilingualism without reinforcing the pressure to assimilate?
• How do we balance English development with students' cultural and linguistic identities?