geri smyth university of strathclyde1 supporting bilingual learners geri smyth university of...

Geri Smyth University of Strathclyde

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Supporting Bilingual Supporting Bilingual LearnersLearners

Geri SmythGeri Smyth

University of StrathclydeUniversity of Strathclyde


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I thought everyone would speak English then I saw my language and I was happy.

Boy, age 11: speaks Arabic and Fench


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What is bilingualism?What is bilingualism?

• A native like control of two languagesA native like control of two languages(Bloomfield, 1935)(Bloomfield, 1935)

• Where a speaker of one language can Where a speaker of one language can produce meaningful utterances in the produce meaningful utterances in the other languageother language (Hangen, 1953)(Hangen, 1953)

• Ability to use the complete repertoire Ability to use the complete repertoire of each languageof each language (Baetens (Baetens Beardsmore)Beardsmore)

• Using two (or more) languages in Using two (or more) languages in everyday lifeeveryday life (Wiles, 1984)(Wiles, 1984)


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Multilingual pupilsMultilingual pupils

I speak Farsi and English.

I speak Somali and English.

I speak French and English. How many languages

do you speak?


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TerminologyTerminology

• ESL: English as a second languageESL: English as a second language• EAL: English as an additional languageEAL: English as an additional language• First/home/community language/mother First/home/community language/mother

tongue: the main language spoken in the tongue: the main language spoken in the child’s homechild’s home

• ESL/EAL teachers may work with bilingual ESL/EAL teachers may work with bilingual pupils to support their English language pupils to support their English language developmentdevelopment

• Bilingual teachers may work with bilingual Bilingual teachers may work with bilingual pupils in their first language to support their pupils in their first language to support their first language developmentfirst language development

6Geri Smyth University of Strathclyde

What does it mean to be What does it mean to be bilingual?bilingual?

L2 L1

Separate underlying proficiency

Surface features

Central operating system

Common underlying proficiency


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The teacher’s roleThe teacher’s role

• Value and encourage the Value and encourage the maintenance of the home language.maintenance of the home language.

• Develop the child’s English language Develop the child’s English language in order that they can achieve their in order that they can achieve their potential.potential.

• Recognise the language demands of Recognise the language demands of the curriculum.the curriculum.

• Support the bilingual child’s Support the bilingual child’s language and learning.language and learning.


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Linguistic makeup of Linguistic makeup of ScotlandScotland

• Urdu, Punjabi, Cantonese – 2Urdu, Punjabi, Cantonese – 2ndnd/3/3rdrd generation: generation: inner city; community shift – suburbsinner city; community shift – suburbs

• Far East inward investment: new townsFar East inward investment: new towns• Postgraduate students: African; Pacific; Malay; Postgraduate students: African; Pacific; Malay;

Arabic – housing schemesArabic – housing schemes• East Europe political changes – coastal areasEast Europe political changes – coastal areas• Immigration Act – asylum seekers’ dispersal: Immigration Act – asylum seekers’ dispersal:

Africa; E. Europe – housing schemesAfrica; E. Europe – housing schemes• Fresh Talent initiative – across ScotlandFresh Talent initiative – across Scotland


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Experiences of Experiences of bilingualismbilingualism

The Singh/Tandon familyThe Singh/Tandon family• What evidence is there of languages being What evidence is there of languages being

gained and lost over the three generations?gained and lost over the three generations?• What are the differences in the experiences of What are the differences in the experiences of

language learning of the different family language learning of the different family members?members?

• What are the different purposes for which the What are the different purposes for which the family members use their languages?family members use their languages?

• What views are expressed about schools What views are expressed about schools promoting multilingualism?promoting multilingualism?


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Experiences of Supporting Experiences of Supporting Bilingual LearnersBilingual Learners

In language groups of 3 or 4, discuss the In language groups of 3 or 4, discuss the following issues:following issues:

• How many bilingual pupils have you worked How many bilingual pupils have you worked with and from which linguistic backgrounds?with and from which linguistic backgrounds?

• What support have you had?What support have you had?• What difficulties have the pupils encountered?What difficulties have the pupils encountered?• What are your questions concerning What are your questions concerning

supporting bilingual learners?supporting bilingual learners?

Choose one question and record it on the Choose one question and record it on the flipchart.flipchart.


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First steps in supporting First steps in supporting bilingual learnersbilingual learners

• Pronounce the child’s name correctly.Pronounce the child’s name correctly.• Pair the child with a supportive peer.Pair the child with a supportive peer.• Find out what the child’s linguistic Find out what the child’s linguistic

background is.background is.• Find out about the child’s family Find out about the child’s family

circumstances, cultural and educational circumstances, cultural and educational background.background.

• Support the child’s acquisition of basic Support the child’s acquisition of basic additional language vocabulary for additional language vocabulary for communication.communication.


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Bilingual pupils need to Bilingual pupils need to acquire or be taught acquire or be taught

vocabulary in the following vocabulary in the following categories:categories:

• PersonalPersonal• Getting helpGetting help• EverydayEveryday• Around schoolAround school• Around the Around the

communitycommunity• Around the homeAround the home• RelationshipsRelationships

• Instructional Instructional words and words and commandscommands

• Specific to Specific to curricular areas curricular areas

• ConceptsConcepts


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Working in an additional Working in an additional languagelanguage

• Work in mixed language groups of four.Work in mixed language groups of four.• Three members of each group should Three members of each group should

work out the meaning and requirements work out the meaning and requirements of the task.of the task.

• The fourth member should observe and The fourth member should observe and note down the strategies which they use note down the strategies which they use and the degree to which they employ and the degree to which they employ existing knowledge and skills.existing knowledge and skills.

• Together, the four should decide on the Together, the four should decide on the kind of support they would have found kind of support they would have found useful to make the task fully accessible.useful to make the task fully accessible.


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Naser, Naser, support strategysupport strategy

examples from examples from videovideo• Visual supportVisual support

• Peer supportPeer support• Stimulus in mother tongueStimulus in mother tongue• Modelling by peersModelling by peers• Relevance to class workRelevance to class work• Drawing on previous Drawing on previous

educationeducation• Pupil involvementPupil involvement• Opportunity to use English Opportunity to use English

with peerswith peers• Informal classroom Informal classroom

atmosphereatmosphere

• Rainforest displayRainforest display• 3 games3 games• Dual language textDual language text• ‘‘Happy Families’ gameHappy Families’ game• Environmental studies Environmental studies • MathsMaths• All tasksAll tasks• GamesGames

• throughoutthroughout


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Every bilingual child is Every bilingual child is differentdifferent

• Consider the child’s language Consider the child’s language backgroundbackground

• Consider the child’s language Consider the child’s language backgroundbackground

• Consider the child’s strengthsConsider the child’s strengths• Consider the child’s needsConsider the child’s needs


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Omar – 1Omar – 1stst year year

• Omar, age 12Omar, age 12• multilingual: Urdu, multilingual: Urdu,

Punjabi, EnglishPunjabi, English• Learning to read the Learning to read the

Qu’uran in ArabicQu’uran in Arabic• Learning French in Learning French in

schoolschool• The challenge: how The challenge: how

to acknowledge to acknowledge Omar’s linguistic Omar’s linguistic strengthsstrengths


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Jack, 1Jack, 1stst year year

• Jack, age 11Jack, age 11• Bilingual in Bilingual in

English and English and FrenchFrench

• French being French being taught in schooltaught in school

• The challenge: The challenge: how to value Jack’s how to value Jack’s existing skills and existing skills and develop his Frenchdevelop his French


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Sunita, 1Sunita, 1stst year year• Sunita, age 12Sunita, age 12• Recently arrived refugee Recently arrived refugee

from Somaliafrom Somalia• Educated in Somali, very Educated in Somali, very

little Englishlittle English• Parents have very little Parents have very little

English and are keen for English and are keen for Sunita to succeed.Sunita to succeed.

• The challenges: how to The challenges: how to ensure Sunita can achieve ensure Sunita can achieve in educationin education

• How to involve Sunita’s How to involve Sunita’s parents in her educationparents in her education


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BICS / CALPBICS / CALPBasic Interpersonal Communicative Basic Interpersonal Communicative

Skills / Cognitive Academic Language Skills / Cognitive Academic Language ProficiencyProficiency

• Although learners may acquire Although learners may acquire fluency in conversational English fluency in conversational English quite quickly (approximately 2 quite quickly (approximately 2 years), it takes much longer (7 years years), it takes much longer (7 years or more) to acquire the level of or more) to acquire the level of proficiency in English which is proficiency in English which is required for learning and production required for learning and production within the school curriculum.within the school curriculum.


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Multilingualism in the Multilingualism in the classroomclassroomShe doesn’t know

English yet

but she knows French.

I did Lingala

because it’s her

best language.


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Acquiring an additional Acquiring an additional languagelanguage

• The motivation for learning a The motivation for learning a language is the need to communicate.language is the need to communicate.

• Language is best taught in the service Language is best taught in the service of other learning.of other learning.

• The best place for bilingual children The best place for bilingual children to develop their English language is to develop their English language is the mainstream classroom.the mainstream classroom.– BUT this learning must be supported or BUT this learning must be supported or

the child may ‘drown in language’ the child may ‘drown in language’ (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1981)(Skutnabb-Kangas, 1981)


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Acquiring an additional Acquiring an additional languagelanguage

• Children must feel part of the school Children must feel part of the school from the start.from the start.

• Plenty of listening time is important. Plenty of listening time is important. Insisting on oral responses too early Insisting on oral responses too early may hinder learning.may hinder learning.

• Children make excellent helpers.Children make excellent helpers.• Activities which are good for bilingual Activities which are good for bilingual

learners are good for all learners.learners are good for all learners.


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Confident bilinguals tend to Confident bilinguals tend to have:have:

• Well developed deductive abilitiesWell developed deductive abilities• Facility for mathematical reasoningFacility for mathematical reasoning• Awareness of the importance of context Awareness of the importance of context

and audience in language useand audience in language use• Strong potential for creativity and Strong potential for creativity and

empathyempathy• Ability to talk about language and how it Ability to talk about language and how it

worksworks• Experience of learning two languagesExperience of learning two languages


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Education and Bilingual Education and Bilingual pupilspupils

• Additive bilingualism (both Additive bilingualism (both languages are allowed to develop languages are allowed to develop side by side with equal status) side by side with equal status) benefits the bilingual individual.benefits the bilingual individual.

• Subtractive bilingualism (the Subtractive bilingualism (the majority languages develops to the majority languages develops to the detriment of the minority language) detriment of the minority language) has generally negative effects on the has generally negative effects on the bilingual individual.bilingual individual.


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• Thomas and Collier’s research on Thomas and Collier’s research on school effectiveness for bilingual school effectiveness for bilingual pupils was conducted over 14 years pupils was conducted over 14 years with over 700,000 pupils and with over 700,000 pupils and showed that children educated showed that children educated through the medium of their first through the medium of their first and second language consistently and second language consistently achieve higher than those who are achieve higher than those who are educated monolingually.educated monolingually.


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• The message from our findings is The message from our findings is overwhelmingly clear that all language overwhelmingly clear that all language minority groups benefit enormously in the minority groups benefit enormously in the long term from on-grade level academic long term from on-grade level academic work in their first language (L1). The work in their first language (L1). The more children develop L1 academically more children develop L1 academically and cognitively at an age appropriate and cognitively at an age appropriate level, the more successful they will be in level, the more successful they will be in academic achievement I n L2 (in this case academic achievement I n L2 (in this case English) by the end of their school years.English) by the end of their school years.

School Effectiveness for language School Effectiveness for language minority minority StudentsStudents Thomas and Thomas and Collier, 1997Collier, 1997


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Bilingual ParentsBilingual Parents

• Successful schools had ensured that Successful schools had ensured that parents were treated as equal partners in parents were treated as equal partners in the education of their children. They had the education of their children. They had tried to find imaginative ways to break tried to find imaginative ways to break down barriers and make parents welcome, down barriers and make parents welcome, being responsive to parents’ needs and being responsive to parents’ needs and respectful of the constraints upon them. respectful of the constraints upon them. Information was shared with parents on Information was shared with parents on achievement and development as well as achievement and development as well as discipline issues.discipline issues.

Removing the Barriers, DfEE, Removing the Barriers, DfEE, 20002000


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Giving bilingual pupils access to Giving bilingual pupils access to the curriculum as quickly as the curriculum as quickly as

possiblepossible• The task facing the bilingual learnerThe task facing the bilingual learner

– To progress from a radically different starting To progress from a radically different starting point from other childrenpoint from other children

– To learn a new languageTo learn a new language– To learn the curriculum in a new languageTo learn the curriculum in a new language– To acquire the appropriate social skillsTo acquire the appropriate social skills– To accommodate the new language, values culture To accommodate the new language, values culture

and expectations alongside the existing ones learnt and expectations alongside the existing ones learnt at homeat home

This has to be achieved in a relatively short time and This has to be achieved in a relatively short time and attainment will be measured against a constantly attainment will be measured against a constantly moving targetmoving target


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What is to be done?What is to be done?

• Bilingual learners need to become increasingly Bilingual learners need to become increasingly independent in their use of a range of learning independent in their use of a range of learning strategies --- the teacher has a key role to play strategies --- the teacher has a key role to play in encouraging pupil independence through the in encouraging pupil independence through the selection of planned activities, and by assisting selection of planned activities, and by assisting learners to apply strategies which develop self learners to apply strategies which develop self reliance, e.g providing opportunities to model reliance, e.g providing opportunities to model and extend what has been taught; scanning and extend what has been taught; scanning texts to look at sub-headings and diagrams texts to look at sub-headings and diagrams prior to reading; using diagrams to demonstrate prior to reading; using diagrams to demonstrate knowledge; note taking; teaching study skillsknowledge; note taking; teaching study skills

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