Art Un ticle I.1 ited Sta In the ates News - Woodring College of ...

Jim Cummins has postulated three basic principles related to second language acquisition(Cummins, 1979; Cummins, 1994). These have come to be known as: the conversational/academic language proficiency principle, the linguistic interdependence principle, and theadditive bilingual enrichment principle. It is the first of these three principles that has given riseto the now famous distinction between basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) andcognitive academic language proficiency (CALP).Saville-Troike has focused on the social settings and academic skills necessary for maximumacademic achievement of CLD students (Saville-Troike, 1984; Saville-Troike, 1988). Amongother things, she found that a well-developed vocabulary is the most important aspect of oralEnglish proficiency for academic achievement. However, an academic focus on structuralpatterns, such as basic grammar rules, appears to contribute little toward meeting students’immediate academic needs. At the root of her theory is the belief that students need opportunitiesto discuss academic concepts in their native language if they are to master content areaknowledge. Thus, social interaction between students is not sufficient for development ofacademic English language skills.Finally, Roland Tharp’s work on sociocultural theory (D'Amato & Tharp, 1997; Tharp, 1997;Tharp & Dalton, 1994), and his development of five principles for cross-culturally compatibleeducation, while not explicitly a theory of second language acquisition, can be readily applied tocreating environments that encourage language development and bilingualism. Tharp’s theoryand its application are discussed in more detail in the final section of this article.Best Practices for Second Language LearnersFrom the perspective of this model, every student brings with him/her to the classroom a widerange of prior skills and knowledge. In order to take advantage of this rich background, as wellas to provide students with the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful in ourschools, teachers must focus on authentic and meaningful language use. Authentic language usetakes place when students are active participants in language use focusing on topics that aremeaningful to them.One important factor in fostering authentic language usage is to focus on the social organizationof the classroom. Research with CLD students (Garcia, 1991; Miramontes, Nadeau, & Commins,1998) demonstrates the importance of teachers making the shift from the traditional classroommodel where the desks are in straight rows and teacher is in front, to a model of classroomorganization emphasizing student centers, and a mixture of guided, group, and independentwork. Not surprisingly, the same organizational models have been shown to be successful withdominant culture students as well (Resnick, 1987a; Resnick, 1987b). When such a shift in socialorganization occurs, it is almost impossible for a teacher not to change her pedagogy to onewhich is more closely aligned with the sociocultural model of teaching and learning.Assessment of the following conditions can be used to provide a rough estimate of whether aschool is providing an adequate learning environment for CLD students that is aligned with whatwe know about best practices: 1) classrooms should be student-centered and offer a nonthreateningenvironment that is informal and literature-rich; 2) classroom climate should becomfortable in terms of space, temperature, and freedom from distractions, and offer access totechnology, curriculum, and supplies that allow for plentiful and appropriate learning choices;and 3) to be equitable, CLD students should be participating in all activities the school offersincluding honors classes, programs for the gifted and talented, and all manner of extracurricularactivities.© 2008 Dr. Catherine CollierAll Rights Reserved120