"Bilingual in Chile: An Impossible Dream?" is a book that is dedicated to all English Language Teachers and students worldwide. Through the use of personal anecdotes, case studies, and research findings, it clearly shows that bilingualism is NOT an impossible dream, not for Chile, and not for any other nation that seeks to become bilingual.
After reading this book, you will know the myths and misconceptions surrounding bilingualism, and have the evidence that disproves the myths. You will have real world examples from which to learn from the experience of other nations, other schools, and other teachers. If you are an administrator, principal, or government official, you will be able to design your own bilingual approach based on the lessons learned from reading this book.
Quote: "We have some of the most advanced commercial accords in the world, but that is not enough," Sergio Bitar, Chile's former Minister of Education, said. "We know our lives are linked more than ever to an international presence, and if you can't speak English, you can't sell and you can't learn." The initial phase of the 18-month-old program, officially known as "English Opens Doors," calls for all Chilean elementary and high school students to be able to pass a standardized listening and reading test a decade from now. But the more ambitious long-term goal is to make all 15 million of Chile's people fluent in English within a generation. "It took the Swedes 40 years" to get to that point, said Mr. Bitar, adding that he sees the Nordic countries and Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia as models for Chile. "It's going to take us decades too, but we're on the right track."
Though the main focus of the program is young students, the government has also sought to reach adults by encouraging businesses to offer English courses to employees. As part of the program, tax credits are to be offered to companies, and Rodrigo Fabrega, director of the effort, talks of "flooding the country with English-Spanish dictionaries and English-language textbooks."
Government officials say that their biggest problem now is a lack of qualified teachers. But they hope to recruit volunteers from English-speaking countries to come here, and are also sending Chilean teachers to places like California and Delaware.
"The first thing we have to do is train an army of English teachers," said Mr. Fabrega.
The quality of the English that will eventually be spoken here may not rival Shakespeare's, he conceded, but he said that did not matter. "We'll speak English Chilean-style, because the important thing is to understand English and to be able to use it as a tool in our favor."
After reading this book, you will know the myths and misconceptions surrounding bilingualism, and have the evidence that disproves the myths. You will have real world examples from which to learn from the experience of other nations, other schools, and other teachers. If you are an administrator, principal, or government official, you will be able to design your own bilingual approach based on the lessons learned from reading this book.
Quote: "We have some of the most advanced commercial accords in the world, but that is not enough," Sergio Bitar, Chile's former Minister of Education, said. "We know our lives are linked more than ever to an international presence, and if you can't speak English, you can't sell and you can't learn." The initial phase of the 18-month-old program, officially known as "English Opens Doors," calls for all Chilean elementary and high school students to be able to pass a standardized listening and reading test a decade from now. But the more ambitious long-term goal is to make all 15 million of Chile's people fluent in English within a generation. "It took the Swedes 40 years" to get to that point, said Mr. Bitar, adding that he sees the Nordic countries and Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia as models for Chile. "It's going to take us decades too, but we're on the right track."
Though the main focus of the program is young students, the government has also sought to reach adults by encouraging businesses to offer English courses to employees. As part of the program, tax credits are to be offered to companies, and Rodrigo Fabrega, director of the effort, talks of "flooding the country with English-Spanish dictionaries and English-language textbooks."
Government officials say that their biggest problem now is a lack of qualified teachers. But they hope to recruit volunteers from English-speaking countries to come here, and are also sending Chilean teachers to places like California and Delaware.
"The first thing we have to do is train an army of English teachers," said Mr. Fabrega.
The quality of the English that will eventually be spoken here may not rival Shakespeare's, he conceded, but he said that did not matter. "We'll speak English Chilean-style, because the important thing is to understand English and to be able to use it as a tool in our favor."
