Diary of a Bilingual School: How a Constructivist Curriculum, a Multicultural Perspective, and a Commitment to Dual Immersion Education Combined to . in Spanish and English-Speaking Children

Dual immersion, a popular new way to foster bilingualism, is capturing the attention of parents and educators alike. By bringing together children from diverse backgrounds to learn each other’s languages in a natural setting, it has proved far more effective at cultivating fluency than traditional approaches.

But how do these programs actually work? What goes on in dual immersion classrooms? And what is it that makes them so effective?

Diary of a Bilingual School answers these questions with a unique mix of narratives and analysis. Depicting a year in the life of a second-grade classroom, it demonstrates what can happen when the instruction is bilingual and the curriculum is constructivist.

The book focuses on Chicago’s Inter-American Magnet School, one of the nation’s most acclaimed dual immersion programs, where children thrive in an environment that unlocks their intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. Simultaneously, without conscious effort, they become proficient in two languages and at home in a culture that differs from their own.

For those who want to discover the benefits of dual immersion for their children or for their students — or who want to learn more about child-centered approaches to teaching — Diary of a Bilingual School is a must.

Sharon Adelman Reyes, Ph.D., has worked in education for more than thirty years as a teacher, principal, school district administrator, curriculum specialist, researcher, and university professor with extensive experience in bilingual and ESL classrooms. She is coauthor of Teaching in Two Languages: A Guide for K-12 Bilingual Educators and Constructivist Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners. Today she serves as program director of DiversityLearningK12.

James Crawford, former Washington editor of Education Week, is an independent writer and advocate on issues affecting English language learners and founder of the Institute for Language and Education Policy. Previously, he served as executive director of the National Association for Bilingual Education. The author of seven other books, including Educating English Learners (5th edition), Language Loyalties, Hold Your Tongue, and At War with Diversity, he is cur­rently president of DiversityLearningK12.