Bilingual Education at Institución Educativa Distrital La Libertad

 Institución Educativa Distrital (IED) La Libertad is located in the southwestern neighborhood of La Libertad in Barranquilla, Colombia. The school serves students from surrounding neighborhoods such as Me Quejo, Nueva Colombia, Carlos Meisel, La Manga, and Bajo Meisel—areas characterized by low socioeconomic status. These neighborhoods face numerous challenges, including environmental hazards like landslides and flooding, poor infrastructure, and a lack of basic services such as drinking water, sewage systems, electricity, and recreational spaces. Such conditions perpetuate cycles of poverty and social inequality, contributing to high levels of violence, disease, and pollution.

In this context, many students at IED La Libertad do not grow up in stable nuclear families. High rates of single motherhood and family fragmentation mean that children are often cared for by extended family members while their parents work long hours. This lack of parental presence and involvement, especially in educational matters, leads to feelings of isolation and can increase the vulnerability of young people to criminal activities and substance abuse. Furthermore, many students lack life goals or aspirations, as they often follow in the footsteps of their parents, who work in manual trades such as construction, domestic services, or cosmetology—jobs that typically do not require a higher level of education.

Additionally, there is a prevalent belief among many parents that learning English is unnecessary. This perspective stems from the perception that English has no real value in their children’s lives, as they do not envision a future for them beyond low-wage, manual labor. The lack of financial resources to pursue higher education further reinforces this view, undermining the importance of academic learning, including English.

To address these challenges, the school has undertaken the responsibility of fostering human development and improving the quality of life for its students through a bilingual education program.

1.1 Forces, Mechanisms, and Counterweights Defining the Bilingual Educational Framework

The successful implementation of a bilingual program at IED La Libertad can be understood through the analysis of factors outlined by Mehisto et al. (2015), which categorize the dynamics affecting bilingual education into forces, mechanisms, and counterweights.

Forces

Forces are the underlying ideas and influences that drive the development of the bilingual program and impact cultural, ethical, and social dynamics within the school. Some of the key forces include:

• The local government initiative, “I’m Bilingual”, which seeks to improve English proficiency across public schools in Barranquilla, from preschool to high school.
• The leadership of the school principal, who, as a bilingual teacher, has championed the integration of bilingual education at IED La Libertad, specifically through the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach.
• The growing recognition of the positive impact bilingualism can have on students’ lives, providing them with opportunities to engage more fully in global contexts and improve their future prospects.

Mechanisms

Mechanisms refer to the tangible actions and strategies that enable the implementation of the bilingual program. These include:

• High school students’ participation in the “Sister Classroom” program, part of the “I’m Bilingual” initiative, which fosters collaborative learning in English through partnerships with schools in the United States and Canada.
• The “Unstoppable Children: Glocal Students” strategy, which focuses on teaching English to third- through fifth-grade students to enhance their communication skills.
• The “Unstoppable Kids: English Playground” initiative, targeting preschool through second-grade students, which introduces English through play-based learning.
• The development of a cohesive and consistent English curriculum at IED La Libertad, ensuring that the teaching methodology aligns with the goals of bilingual education.
• Support from the state through Barranquilla’s Secretary of Education, including funding for multilingual education initiatives.
• IED La Libertad’s role as a pilot school for the National Bilingualism Program (2018–2022), which guides bilingual education efforts across the country.

Counterweights

Counterweights are forces or mechanisms that can either hinder or counteract the positive effects of the bilingual program. These include:

• Lack of collaboration among teachers, which impedes the successful execution of the bilingual education plan.
• The absence of common planning time for teachers to discuss and assess the bilingual project’s progress.
• Resistance from some teachers to actively participate in the “I’m Bilingual” program, reflecting a lack of sense of ownership or commitment.
• The insufficient systematization of the results from bilingual activities, which hinders the ability to evaluate their impact effectively.
• Parents’ skepticism towards the ability of their children to learn English, often due to negative past experiences or a lack of understanding of the benefits of bilingual education.
• Widespread belief among parents that English education is irrelevant to their children’s futures, which is compounded by a lack of ambition and limited career expectations within the community.

1.2 Recommendations for Improvement

To address these challenges and improve the implementation of the bilingual program, several actions can be taken:

1. Engage Parents: Organize meetings to inform parents about the bilingual education program, focusing on the CLIL methodology and its benefits. These meetings should provide a platform for parents to express their concerns, ask questions, and offer suggestions. Increased parental involvement is crucial for the program's success, as it ensures that the learning environment at home supports the educational goals of the school.
2. Foster Collaboration Among Teachers: Create opportunities for teachers to collaborate and share best practices, ensuring that everyone is aligned in their approach to bilingual education. Regular working sessions will promote the exchange of ideas and the development of new pedagogical strategies that enhance the effectiveness of the program.
3. Systematize Data: Establish processes for recording and analyzing the results of bilingual activities. Systematizing data will allow the school to track the program’s progress more effectively and make adjustments as needed. This will also help demonstrate the program’s impact on student outcomes and foster greater accountability.

Bibliography

Mehisto, P., & Genesee, F. (2015). Building Bilingual Education Systems: Forces, Mechanisms and Counterweights. Cambridge University Press.

Ministerio de Educación Nacional. (2015, May 02). Programa Colombia Bilingüe 2014-2018 / Bilingualism in Colombia: “Colombia Bilingüe” Program 2014-2018. Retrieved from https://rutamaestra.santillana.com.co/programa-colombia-bilingue-2014-2018/

Usma Wilches, J. (2009). Education and Language Policy in Colombia: Exploring Processes of Inclusion, Exclusion, and Stratification in Times of Global Reform. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Educativos, 9(1), 123-145. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-07902009000100009