Reviews (17)

Very educative book!
I bought this book trying to find some guidance regarding raising a bilingual kid. I was very pleased with the contents of the book and the way information is presented.
Nothing Useful or New
I was disappointed with this book. It presents general overview of linguistics and language development that one can find in multiple other sources. There is no practical advise on raising children bilingually. Case studies illustrating possible scenarios are for the most part inapplicable and lack detail to be useful in practice. There are very few books that should go straight into recycling bin - and this is one of them.

The Bilingual Family : A Handbook for Parents
Limited use. I wanted a book to help me with how to approach bylinguilism but this book was just theory. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Bilingualism in children    3. Child Development    4. Children    5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    6. Language    7. Parenting    8. Parenting - General    9. ELT: teaching theory & methods    10. English    11. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (1)

Every teacher and caregiver should read this
Collaboration is the way to help students overcome a variety of issues they face in today's tough world.By learning to work together in a safe environment, they develop lifelong skills that will help them with all interpersonal relationships.Home and community and school need to work together to educate children.McCaleb offers reasons why and how to accomplish the important task of interweaving the culture of these 3 elements in the children's lives. Sharing stories and creating books together is a great way to come together and also to create lasting memories. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Community and school    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Home and school    5. Parent Participation    6. Parent-teacher relationships    7. Education / Bilingual Education    8. Literacy    9. Organization & management of education    10. Philosophy of education   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Linguistics    5. Second language acquisition    6. Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics    7. Language acquisition   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. General    5. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Education / Teaching    4. English language    5. Foreign speakers    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Experience Approach    9. Literacy    10. Multicultural Education    11. Report writing    12. Rhetoric    13. Study and teaching    14. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    15. ELT: teaching theory & methods    16. Education / Bilingual Education    17. Teaching of a specific subject    18. Teaching skills & techniques   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. In-service training    4. Multicultural Education    5. Science    6. Science teachers    7. Study & Teaching    8. Study and teaching (Continuing    9. Study and teaching (Continuing education)    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Science & Technology    11. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Science & Technology    12. Science: General Issues    13. Teacher training   

Reviews (1)

Bilingual Education and Social Change
The book is in really good shape and only has some underlining that doesn't deter from quality ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Case studies    3. Discourse analysis    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Education, Bilingual    7. Linguistic minorities    8. Philosophy & Social Aspects    9. Social aspects    10. United States    11. Bilingualism & multilingualism    12. Organization & management of education    13. Philosophy of education    14. Teaching of ethnic minorities    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. General    4. Multicultural Education   

Reviews (5)

Not as bad as people say ...
This book isn't as bad as all the reviews you've read. I've taught overseas, in the US (elementary, middle school, and high school). It's definitly not the best! but, the skilled instructor can make many of these activities work for the benefit of the students. On the contrary, because the materials are so 'general,' it takes more creativity and (sometimes) more preparation for the ESL/EFL teacher. Not a total lemon, but . . .
. . . this book is of limited use here in Korea. It seems to be a typical example of the way in which Americans believe their methods are the best - pure North American navel-gazing, if you ask me. Boooooring
Perhaps if you are lazy and just wish to photocopy boring activities and space out behind your desk, this book is for you. I own an English school in Japan and this was utterly useless. The activities are unimaginative and rote. The author is a sham. Avoid this lemon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. English as a Second Language    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Multicultural Education    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Workbooks    9. ELT resource books for teachers    10. English   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Concepts - Colors    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Language Arts - Vocabulary & Spelling    6. Spanish: Kindergarten   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. English as a Second Language    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Foreign speakers    7. General    8. Language    9. Narration (Rhetoric)    10. Storytelling    11. Study and teaching    12. ELT: teaching theory & methods    13. English    14. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (1)

"Advocacy for ELLs"
The collection of articles contains much valuable information about meeting the instructional needs of ELLs.Ideally, "assessment drives instruction."Improvement of literacy-assessment tools (both informal and formal) will result in better ELL placement and better ELL socioeducational adjustment to school. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ability testing    2. Bilingual Education    3. Bilingualism    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Education, Bilingual    7. Language and languages    8. Literacy    9. Reading And Reading Improvement    10. Reading Skills    11. Testing & Measurement    12. Bilingualism & multilingualism    13. Education / Bilingual Education    14. Teaching of specific groups   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Children of minorities    3. Education (Elementary)    4. Education / Teaching    5. English as a Second Language    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Language    8. Linguistic minorities    9. ELT: teaching theory & methods    10. English    11. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language    12. Linguistic minorities--Education (Elementary)    13. Organization & management of education    14. Philosophy of education    15. Teaching of specific groups   

Reviews (14)

Multilingual is not for avg. family striving for bilingual
This book gives great insight to the world of language acquisition from many perspectives with supporting evidence.However, aside from the basic description of the ingredients for success and discussion thereof, it is not extremely useful for a family who wants to achieve bilingual fluency alone.It is a well-written, well-researched autobiography of a highly educated family who has become multilingual as a chosen (but essential) skill for their diplomatic lifestyle.It is loaded with brief case studies that are not very relevant to the average American family trying to promote bilingual fluency. Lacking
The book exhibits three main themes: success factors in raising multilingual children, the description of real-life families where children were brought up multilingual, and the underlying physiology. The most significant statement the author makes is that about Windows of Opportunity. There are three of those: first 0-9 months, second 4-7 years and third 8 - to the old age. The reasons for these windows' formation comprise physiological (synapse formation), developmental (lack of self-awareness in children) and cultural (start of school). Unfortunately, this theory is not well supported by argument, nor is it well developed. For example, according to it language acquisition levels off between the ages of 9 months and 4 years. So, unless a child is unusually gifted, a 2 or 3 year-old can only expand on the knowledge of a language to which he already was exposed in the first 9 months of life, but can not successfully start learning a new foreign language until they are 4. No evidence is given to support this surprising fact. The boundaries for these windows are selected based on dubious parameters. In case of 9 months of age it is the death of certain neurons that are left "unrehearsed". But neurons die all the time, why is the death of those ones so special? The boundary of 7 years is due to the increased self-consciousness of children that allegedly impedes their free-flowing chatter. But what about other factors contributing to their learning: capacity to concentrate, self-correction etc? Critical analysis of author's own statements certainly is lacking in the book. Parent's Guide to Multilingual Children
I read this book before putting it in my school's library and enjoyed every minute. Most of the books I read about multilingualism and literacy are not easily accessible to families because of language and terminology - but this manages to be both profound and very readable and the store of case studies is a big help as families will recognize situations and strategies similar to their own. It also bears out my own experience - although I am not a language teacher, as Head of a large international school I come across a great many families who have the anxieties and concerns (as well as the vision and the excitement) of so many parents who are described in this book and who are bringing up their own multilingual children. THis will be a great help and support to them and give them some clear foundations about what their own role as parents can be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Bilingualism in children    3. Child rearing    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Language acquisition    7. Language and languages    8. Linguistics    9. Miscellaneous    10. Study and teaching    11. Bilingualism & multilingualism    12. Child & developmental psychology    13. Children    14. Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics    15. Philosophy of education    16. Multilingualism   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Case studies    3. Education    4. Educational anthropology    5. Mexican American children    6. Mexican-American Border Region    7. Multicultural Education    8. Philosophy & Social Aspects    9. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    10. Popular Culture - General    11. Social aspects    12. Central America    13. Education / Philosophy & Social Aspects    14. Multicultural studies    15. North America    16. Social groups & communities    17. Social issues   

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. General    5. Special Education - Learning Disabled    6. Education / General    7. Language teaching theory & methods    8. Teaching of a specific subject    9. Teaching of children / adults with specific learning difficulties    10. Teaching of learning disabled persons   

Subjects:  1. Aims & Objectives    2. Bilingual Education    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Education, Bilingual    6. Literacy    7. Multiculturalism    8. Bilingualism & multilingualism    9. Teaching of ethnic minorities   

Subjects:  1. Correlation with content subje    2. Correlation with content subjects    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. English as a Second Language    6. General    7. Interaction analysis in educat    8. Interaction analysis in education    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Language and languages    11. Language arts    12. Linguistics    13. Psycholinguistics    14. Second Language Acquisition    15. Study and teaching    16. Teaching Methods & Materials - Foreign Language    17. Education / Bilingual Education    18. English Language Teaching (ELT)   

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Bilingual Education    3. Children's songs    4. Education / Teaching    5. English language    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Songs and music    8. Spanish    9. Spanish language    10. Study and teaching (Elementary)    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - Arts & Humanities    12. Teaching Methods & Materials - Foreign Language    13. Texts    14. Modern languages (ie other than English)   

Subjects:  1. Asian    2. Poetry    3. Education / Bilingual Education    4. haiku, Japanese haiku, Japanese literature, short poems, Oriental poems, Oriental thought, Oriental literature, haiku translations, translated haiku, haiku translated into English, eastern thought, eastern philosophy, Basho, Buson, Issa, multicultural