A Parents' and Teachers' Guide to Bilingualism: (9 Parents' and Teachers' Guides)

Written in a very reader-friendly style, the book is a practical introduction for parents and teachers to bilingualism. Straightforward and realistic answers are given to a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions about bilingualism and bilingual education. Areas covered include family, language, culture, identity, reading , writing, schooling and issues. In the third edition, there is new or more detailed consideration of: • Moving between countries, cultural adaptation • Identity issues • One parent - one language (OPOL) families • Pre schools / kindergartens / nursery schools • Helping with homework • Dyslexia • Language scaffolding • Multilingualism and trilingualism; trilingual families • Adoption • WWW links, articles and books for further reading

Table of Contents:
Introduction SECTION A Family Questions SECTION B Language Development Questions SECTION C Questions about Problems SECTION D Reading and Writing Questions SECTION E Education Questions SECTION F Concluding Questions Glossary Index

About the Author :
Colin Baker is Professor of Education at the University of Wales, Bangor and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has three bilingual children and frequently gives talks to parents and teachers on bilingualism. He is the author of 14 books and over 50 articles on bilingualism and bilingual education, with specific interests in bilingual development in young children and bilingual education. His books include ‘Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (4th edition 2006) which has been translated into Japanese, Spanish, Latvian, Greek and Mandarin. He is the Editor of the International Journal of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education.

Review :
Families around the world raising bilingual and multilingual children will breathe a sigh of relief to find Colin Baker’s third edition of A Parents’ and Teachers’ Guide to Bilingualism. With its expert answers and easy-to-read format, this book will be a touchstone for families just getting started as well as those needing guidance along the way. As the world changes quickly, Colin Baker has taken the initiative to seek out and answer the most pressing questions and concerns of today’s bilingual families including questions on dyslexia, multiliteracies and autism with the same ease and expertise that we have come to expect from him. This book really met our family's needs - we are a bilingual family, in the exact same situation as Colin Baker and his family - which meant that the case studies were of real practical help. It is really useful to use as an arguing tool for anybody who comes up against prejudice against bringing one's children bilingual. It's also very easy to read, I feel I'll be referring to this one again! Reviews on Second Edition: The varied number of particular questions examined in this book make it of interest to parents, teachers, politicians, language planners, pediatricians, beginning students of bilingualism, and bilinguals themselves. This is a practical and informative book. Throughout it, the message that "bilingualism is valuable" resonates with authority and conviction. This book demonstrates a keen personal involvement and relish in the topic of bilingualism. It succeeds both in being locally rooted in Wales and in making links to many other contexts and situations of child bilingualism. We are offered clarity and coherence by an author with wide personal and professional experience of a complex, changing and important topic.