Language matters
Translanguaging and the journey to effective bilingualism Peter Daignault examines the real objective of EAL/ELL
1. That mother tongue learning is best (UNESCO, 2017). 2. That a time period of 5-7 years is required for an EAL student to develop enough academic language, after which L2 English speakers may achieve competitive parity to native English peers in schools (adapted from Cummins, 1979) 3. That the stronger a student’s L1, the more effective the acquisition of an additional language (L2).
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Finally, the article chronicles a four and a half year learning journey, from grade 8.5 to 12.5, of a Japanese male student with a beginner level proficiency (WIDA, 2020) in English. An examination of the student’s learning disposition and context is presented. The context of the student Hiro (not his real name) arrived from Japan at our international school in eighth grade at the age of 13. It was already February and Hiro had missed a month and a half of school. With nearly 2/3 of the school year completed, a successful transition seemed daunting to conceive in so little time. 9th grade, therefore, would be decisive. Among the critical novelties and challenges of Hiro’s transition were: • The English Medium of Instruction (EMI) school and the international school culture • Academic standards and expectations • A ‘western’ learning style Summer |
Winter
This article presents the context of, the rationale for, and the progress towards the development of effective bilingualism in international schools. Here, effective bilingualism refers to a high-level development of first language (L1) and a high-level acquisition of second language (L2). This bilingual proficiency allows for a student’s cognitive and competitive productivity, such as in learning and in demonstrating learning (adapted from Cummins, 1979). This article is also based on three core understandings of L2 acquisition and learning:
| 2020
