Public lecture Fred Genesee
CANCELLED!
The lecture by Prof. Fred Genesee had unfortunally to be cancelled. Due to the closure of most European airports, Prof. Genesee was not able to come to Switzerland. We will try to reschedule the lecture at a later date.
Monday, 19 April 2010, Institute of multilingualism, 15.15 - 17.00, Room K0.02
Public lecture by Prof. Fred Genesee, McGill University, Canada
Bilingualism and bilingual education: myths and misunderstandings
Public lecture in English
Many children around the world, especially in multilingual countries like Switzerland, grow up with more than one language in the home or community. Many children also are educated through two, or more, languages, from the beginning.
Parents, educators, and policy makers often express serious concerns whether bilingual development and bilingual education are good for young children. In this presentation, I will identify a number of these fears and review scientific evidence that examines whether they are valid. The following issues will be discussed: early simultaneous bilingual acquisition; the effect of bilingual education on children’s native language and academic development; the suitability of bilingual education for struggling students; and bilingualism in children with language learning impairments. The presentation will be non-technical and there will be time for discussion.