I read Bilingual Playground by Ashley Surdin, an article addressing the growing immigrant population and bilingual students. Surdin uses Dora the Explorer as an example. Dora is a nickelodeon cartoon that is bilingual and sells toys and products that are both in English and Spanish. The Dora the Explorer Dollhouse sold more than any dollhouse on the market this year.
There is a huge demand for bilingual products right now and that means that many things need to change in the classroom. Technology is helping children learn languages to bridge the culture gap. I was surprised to read about this because I did not know these bilingual toys were so popular. I also had no idea that these toys were used as a learning tool. I believe that as our country becomes more globalized, the classroom dynamics start to change bit by bit and teachers are going to need to be prepared.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toytalk12feb12,0,3828719.story?coll=la-home-business
2 comments:
Sorry, accidentally deleted this. Here it is again. : )
I agree that we are going to have to incorporate more bilingual programs in education. I lived in New Mexico for a time as a teenager and knew students that still struggled with English in high school. It is the lowest performing state according to some research I read recently. I'll post the link when I find it.
I actually am a fan of Dora the Explorer myself and she is quite popular with the kids I know. (I actually find myself watching her just to help reinforce what I learned in Spanish class.)
I also watch it to learn how to interest young children. It's like a bilingual version of Sesame Street, and it instills values like honesty.
Do you have any ideas on incorporating more bilingual programs?
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