English Only Vs English Plus
There is an increase of those children in state schools who do not come from English speaking back ground. One in seven children at primary school in England and one in ten at secondary school speak a language other than English at home. A research team from Goldsmiths concludes that using two or more languages deepens an understanding of mathematical concepts and results in a better overall performance in school. Bilingual children are able to access key concepts through both languages, giving them an advantage over monolinguals. Children who speak at least two languages actually strengthen their identities as learners and boost their cognitive development. Researchers say this finding is of particular importance for second and third generation immigrant children. It is important to “embed” mother tongues into daily activities through games, songs and incidental use, such as answering the register and giving praise and simple instructions, familiar stories can be told or acted out in their languages.
In the 60s and 70s, the British education system has destroyed the home languages and the new research proved that the policy was wrong and the British education system is guilty of crime against humanity. It is very important that immigrant parents keep talking to their children in their home tongues as this will give children a valuable tool to access lessons, deepen understanding of key ideas, and enhance overall school performance. Children who led bilingual lives could access their lessons through both languages. The children in the project expressed a strong desire to use their community languages in school. Teachers were able to tap into their pupils’ full range of cultural knowledge.
Children who attended mother tongues classes did better in their National Curriculum tests. Research suggests that bilingual pupils do better than those with just one language. The researcher warns that many second and third generation children are in danger of losing their bilingual skills if they do not have the chance to develop their mother tongue through their school work. Multilingual children may be allowed to use their mother tongue in mainstream classes. Rather than thinking in terms of an “English only” culture we should be promoting “English plus”.
Among all the migrant children, Muslim children suffer more than others. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. They need to be well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. They need to be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Apparently 10% of britons were born abroad.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I believe that when my Muslim, kinda bilingual generation has children....95% will be monolingual.
Salaam
Muslim Children have been suffering academically, linguistically, socially, emotionally and spiritually for the last 50 odd years because they have been in a wrong place at a wrong time. The state schools are exam factories producing children with A to C Grades. They do not educate children, as a result, institutional racism, drug, crime, incivility, ant-social behaviour, binge drinking, high rate of abortions and teen age pregnancies are common part of life in state schools. Muslim parents do not want their children to be integrated into such barbarity.
Majority of Muslim children leave schools with low grades because state schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach Standard English to bilingual children.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. They need to be well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. They need to be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.
A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/She does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brits.
PHSE lessons, as well as Citizenship lessons cover all of the above. I've been in my school placement for 7 weeks, and I've covered institutional racism, drugs, anti-social behaviour....furthermore, the hidden curriculum (transmission of norms and values) regularly reinforces most of the above.
Whenever, a social issue comes up (either cos of current affairs, or due to an incident in the playground, classroom and/or at home) teachers go out of their way to tackle it.
That is one of many reasons. It is def not the ONLY reason.
By the way, inclusion - catering for the needs of ALL children, expecially EAL children is a important part of teachers training. And teachers are taught how to do this. I had to make sure I catered for the needs of EAL children in all my planning - even when I didnt even have a EAL child in my class! Its also one of the criteria's that OFSTED marks schools against.
So it is something that schools have to take seriously.
I wouldnt mind being monolingual. I practically am anyway.
Salaam
Teachers like you should educate native children and let bilingual Muslim teachers educate their own children in state funded Muslim schools.
Majority of Muslim youths educated in state schools by monolingual teachers grew up to be angry, because they have been cut off from their cultural roots and from their languages. Majority of them are not even well versd in English language. They are even uable to enjoy the beauty of their own literature and poetrey along with English literature and poetry. Most of them grew up as deaf and dumb.
Since this is a point you mention a lot. Do you actually have any stats/research that clearly proves that MAJORITY of BL children suffer at school cos of their monolingual non Muslim teachers?
If that was the case then how comes we see BL British Muslims in all sectors - buisness, education, the NHS etc etc
I went to school in the 90's. I was BL then. ALL my teachers were monolingual, non Muslims. However, I did not grow up to be angry, deaf and dumb. Nor did my friends.
If anything, about 20 of us (Muslim and BL) loved the education system so much that we stayed on and are training to be primary/secondary teachers.
It may also interest you to know, that in the school I'm currently working at. Bangaladeshi BL children are the highest performers, whilst English monolingual children are the lowest achievers, and thats despite the fact that ALL the teachers are monolingual.
I have to say, in all of the posts I've read (skimmed-through) by Iftikhar, I've pretty much disagreed with just about everything he's ever written.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Salaam
British born and educated Muslim teachers should be teaching native children for better race relations. The problem is that a school with native children does not want a Muslim teacher, therefore all Muslim teachers are employed in those schools where Muslim children are in majority. You should be thankful that you have a teaching job in a school with Muslim majority, otherwise, you will be without a teaching job.
In the 70s when I started campaigning for state funded Muslim schools with all the issues and problems facing Muslim children, I was asked about the evidence or any piece of research. I did not have any evidenmce at that time but I believed that state schools with non-Muslim monlingual teachers were and still are not suitable for bilingual Muslim children. I set up the first Muslim schools but after six years it was closed down. Now there are over 120 schools and 8 are state funded. There are hundreds of stat schools where Muslim children are in majority, in my opinion all such schools may be designated as state funded Muslim schools. The process has already been started in Bradford and in Slough and I hope that very soon my dream will come true because silent majority of Muslim parents would like to send their children to Muslim schools. The lengthy waiting lists are the evidence. The so called Muslim leaders, councillors and Members of parliament do not represent Muslim communities. They are there for their own self interest . They are just the "show Boys" of the British society.
At the time of 9/11 there awere only 53 Muslim schools and now there are more than 120 and more are in the pipe line.
A native teacher is proud of his/her culture and language. A Muslim teacher should be proud of his culture and his languages. In case of a Pakistani teacher, he/she should be well versed in Urdu, Arabic and English, otherwise, he/she is not fit to teach bilingual Muslim children. Majority of British Muslims are from Pakistan and their children are suffering more than other Muslim children.
Again you’re assuming and generalising.
I did a third year dissertation on the Need for Muslim Schools for Muslims residing in my area and surprisingly, the ‘silent majority’ of parents had very strong views against Muslim schools…and one of the many reasons why there is a shortage of Muslim schools is cos parents don’t even want to send their children to them!
When I started sending out CV’s I ONLY applied to Muslim Schools. Cos I didn’t even want to work in a non Muslim school. However, cos my applications were rejected, I started to apply to state schools, which consist of predominantly Muslim children.
However, my applications were not successful there either.
The school where I got a job (my contract starts in a few weeks) is predominately non Muslim! According to OFSTED reports, ONLY 32% of children are ethnic minority/Muslims.
I’m currently doing a work placement in a school where most of the children are non Muslim…and about 35% of the children are Muslim/ethnic minorities. They also offered me a job in that school.
So, it isn’t the ‘Muslims majority’ schools I should be thanking. If I solely relied on them, I wouldn’t even have a job today.
A Muslim teacher should be proud of his/her faith. Culture is secondary.
Salaam
You are a product of a racist education system. English population hate to learn a foreing language and hate to know other culture. A Muslim who does not care about his roots and language, is just like an english person who hates others. Those Muslims who are well versed in English only have no respect for their own elders because English language does not teach how to respect others.
Okaaaay :shock:
And you’re a narrow minded individual, full of generalisations and assumptions.
Maybe if you had facts and figures to support your repetitive statements, people wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss your opinions.
The English population hates learning a foreign language? Really? Is that why most (if not all) secondary schools in Britain offer children a foreign language from year 7… either French, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu and/or Punjabi.
And is their ‘hate’ reflected in the fact that MFL (Modern Foreign language) is a part of the National Curriculum?
And is their ‘hate’ reflected in the fact that many primary schools all over the UK, focus on ‘language of the month’? (I’ve taught my class the ‘basic’ vocabulary of Gujarati, Somali and am currently teaching them Polish – and I haven’t even been in my school for two months yet)
My cousin just married an English, monolingual convert. She’s one of the sweetest and most politest people I know. I was of the understanding that it is your upbringing, morality and understanding of religion that teaches you how to respect your elders. Not necessarily your competence in ‘Urdu’.
And is it really true that people who only speak English have no respect for their own elders? Does being monolingual in English teach you how to disrespect your elders?
I agree with Muslim Sister here.
Brother Iftikhar,
If Muslims do not learn how to deal with the public here and don't get the grades they should then it would certainly be a grim future for us. Muslim schools may be good but it does not help Muslims integrate into society and deal with the negative, western culture here.
"Purity is half of faith.......Prayer is the light...patience is illumination; and the Quran is an argument for or against you. Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin." Muslim
I think it is GOOD to be multilingual.
I would love to know many more languages. You know... if it did not involve work and effort and that type of thing...
But there are other major problems that should not be ignored.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Typical admin, can't bare the thought of doing some work.
check this out:
[img]http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/8346/ziadfazahyh3.jpg[/img]
Ziad Youssef Fazah
This guy speaks like 58 languages or something, mashAllah!
he's a Liberian who grew up in Lebanon and now lives in Brazil
AND he didn't even go to school in Britain!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziad_Fazah
http://www.spidra.com/fazah.html
Don't just do something! Stand there.
so yaqub - whom im assumin is a monolingual
does ur monolingual english background teach u to disrespect ur parents? :twisted:
to be honest, i never used to respect my parents properly before I was a Muslim, i was always staying out late and NEVER made an effort for them by helping rouund the house etc.
since being a Muslim alhamdulillah things have got A LOT better, but i don't think it has anything to do with me trying to learn Arabic at the same time...
muslims in general REALLY need to realise that religion and culture are two TOTALLY different things
Don't just do something! Stand there.
agreed.
and at the same time. culture can be a hinderance to religion
just look at the fuss being raised over foriegn imams
Culture and Religion go hand in hand sometimes and tend to agree and help each other.
Culture can be a hindrance at some points but I think people are over-sensitive with the whole culture thing.
"Purity is half of faith.......Prayer is the light...patience is illumination; and the Quran is an argument for or against you. Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin." Muslim
Theres nothing wrong with culture [i]per se[/i], but people need to realise that it is seperate from Islam, because Islam is a Universal Religion.
any (morally) good characteristics of a culture is from Islam,
any (morally) bad characteristics of a culture is against Islam,
any neutral characteristics of a culture (not morally-related) are nothing to do with Islam and completely seperate from it.
Religion and Culture don't go hand-in-hand, Religion drags Culture kicking and screaming into the light from the darkness.
Remember: [b]Muslims don't make Islam great, Islam makes Muslims great.[/b]
Don't just do something! Stand there.
On the other hand culture can be a dead weight to religion and drag it down.
Imagine this; im religion and Your culture. Im quick witted funny and get all the girls, but your drool all over yourself and i then have to spend all my time cleaning you up. Now if we got rid of culture... then who knows.
Back in BLACK
Ameen
Don't just do something! Stand there.
My kids are going to be mega multi-lingual - Annette is teaching them Spanish, French and Latin on top of English.
Yep, raising two little geniuses over here - It's all me.
LOL!!
I've been away from The Revival for some, but I'm glad to see that some things never change.
Iftikar and his demands for foreign ("Muslim") language tuition in UK schools have long been ubiquitous in this forum.
Life just wouldn't be the same without his 1970s letters to British Raj.
Did you know he is actually the oldest continuous non-staff member?
I applaud the very noble intentions. however, i am surprised that, along with some very useful and fulfilling languages, you have included and out-dated, useless and almost dead language from ancient history. I am, of course, referring to french.
Don't just do something! Stand there.