BICS and CALP
Helping ELLs at PNH
BICS
CALP
BICS AND CALP = two main
registers (styles) of English
(Cummins, 1979)
• BICS = BASIC
INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
• (Breaks into a
multitude of other
registers)
• CALP = COGNITIVE
ACADEMIC
LANGUAGE
PROFICIENCY
• Literature, reading
skills, decoding
difficult texts, making
inferences, etc.
BICS
• Basic conversational fluency – buying food,
asking for directions, social situations, even class
discussions in some cases – students develop
strategies to communicate
• Can sound like a native speaker – especially if ss
has developed use of idioms and back
channeling (uh-huh, hmmm. Uh-uh, etc).
• Mainstreamed too early
• “She speaks fine, what is she doing in ESOL?”
• You’ve been here ___ years and you’re still in
ESOL???!!
BICS
• Takes 1-3 years to develop.
• Develops first and develops according to
social group/s.
• Students may appear to “speak English,”
but may struggle mightily with academic
English register (most formal, proscribed,
follows a restricted pattern, whereas BICS
is more open and fluid)
BICS v. CALP
• BICS -Phonological development and
basic fluency plateau at around 6 years of
age – rate of subsequent development is
slowed in comparison to previous
development.
• CALP – literacy and vocabulary knowledge
continues throughout schooling and
possibly throughout lifetime. (30 years
ahead)
Problem
• Spoken English proficiency has been used
as an indicator time and time again to
determine placement for students – often
they are placed in SSD classes and
labeled with a disability, or they are
mainstreamed and left to flounder with no
ELL support based on a superficial
assessment.
Bumps in the Road
• “Failure to take account of the BICS/CALP
(conversational/academic) distinction has resulted in
discriminatory psychological assessment of bilingual
students and premature exit from language support
programs (e.g. bilingual education in the United States)
into mainstream classes (Cummins, 1984).”
• LAS placement testing when students arrive helps
• Students have to know that CALP development is a
lifelong process.
• Please help me educate the community on this point.
Spectrum of Formal and Informal
Register (Quirk et al. 1985)
Very formal, ← FORMAL Neutral INFORMAL →Very informal,
Frozen, Rigid
Casual, Familiar
EXAMPLES:
EXAMPLES:
Historical Documents
Academic Papers
Conversation
http://www.mah.se/upload/Studieverkstaden/Formal%20and%20Informal%20English.doc
Vertical and Horizontal Register
•
http://esl.about.com/od/advancedspeakingskills/a/v_register.htm
ELLs can mix up the various registers, and it takes time for them, and specific
feedback from you, to help them figure out the nuances of acceptable use within
the target culture.
Vertical Register = changes in formality in terms of speech and writing - static
Horizontal Register = moving between and among peer groups and switching code
to fit the groups
Reflection: What would you say to a student who used slang/speech
patterns/language that was inappropriate to the group/moment/task/social
situation? How would you validate the student’s efforts but still provide them
with some guidance about register use?
Language in your classroom, office,
etc.
• There are often four or five different language
registers used at the same time in a classroom.
All of these registers are valid and meaningful to
their users.
• ELLs must negotiate meaning and figure out
what register to use in various settings within one
class period and then within one day!
• (example of ss with shirt…, hey dawg…..)
• What registers can you think of that are used in
your classroom?
Culture Question
• A handshake in China should be ...
-Limp and brief
-Strong and lengthy
-Firm but brief
• Limp and brief!
• Personal distance, personal contact
CALP
• Takes at least 5-7 years of immersion in
academic environment.
• Time frame can vary due to poor school
attendance, family stress, economic stress,
low schooling in L1, quality of school
programs, health, learning differences, etc.
• CALP is more deliberate, takes more time,
must have more scaffolding – is key to
success in HS and college.
7-10 Years
• Recent research (Thomas & Collier, 1995) has
shown that if a child has no prior schooling or
has no support in native language development,
it may take 7 to 10 years for ELLs to catch up to
their peers. If students are below grade level in
their native language, it takes at least 7-10 years
for them to reach the 50th percentile. The
likelihood of them catching up to their peers is
very low.
SLA Development
• Both BICS and CALP can develop at the same
time, but students often do not realize that even if
they speak fairly well, that does not mean they
can stop working on their language proficiency.
• Learner awareness is key – students need to
know that they are learning two different registers
(at least), and that the CALP will take much
longer.
• Help me educate the community!
Strategies for working on CALP
• Give very clear feedback. It’s not enough to say ‘Clean
this up,” or “What’s your point?” or “clarify.”
• ELLs need much more specific feedback in order to
understand what you expect from them. This builds
the CALP schema for future success.
• You could ask to see them after class (even if you have to
with every assignment) for 3 minutes, and tell them what
they need to do, or provide written directions…it may
need to be more explicit at first, then you can ease up
when you see improvement in their understanding of your
expectations. (Surinsky example)
More strategies
•
•
•
•
Visuals, videos, photos, diagrams, lists
Group projects
3D models
What do you do in class that encourages
CALP development in ELLs?
• How can you help students differentiate
between and among registers?
Examples of Teacher Talk to ELLs
• “Brian, remember NOT to use “I” or “you” in most formal
essays.
• Can you write three more complete sentences that
explain the quote you chose? Why does it support the
idea that Maya Angelou understood strength through her
grandmother’s singing and silence? Tell me in your own
words why you think this. Tell me first, and then write it
down…..”
• Rogelio, what specific ideas can you tell me about the
Roosevelt and the Progressive movement? You need to
be more specific with your facts….tell me 3 things that
you could use to support your argument..
• Being more explicit takes a little more time, but it will
make all the difference for these students!
What can you do, What can I do?
• Please communicate with me regularly on what is
happening in your class, worries and concerns you have,
etc.
• Please allow ELLs extra time to complete assignments if
necessary so that they can go through the editing
process with me or another teacher.
• Remember to provide specific, detailed written feedback
combined with talking to the student after class to make
sure they understand what you are asking of them.
• Please feel free to call or email me anytime this year to
set up some one-on-one time with students or with you.
Student/Parent/Teacher
Misconceptions
• “You speak fine, why are you in ESL?”
• “Her English is great, she won’t need your
help.”
• “Why am I here if I have been in the US for
7 years?”
• “His English seemed fine so we…….”
• “She’s from India, they speak English over
there, so I’m sure she’ll be fine…”
ELL program
• We focus on CALP and scaffolding student
understanding – success in any class
• BICS will emerge with time and with peer
interaction and immersion in target culture.
• Multiple draft process – revision, conversation,
intense support at beginning and less support as
time goes by…
• We try to instill in students the understanding that
CALP development is a long process that does
not stop with high school graduation.
Culture Question
• At a dinner in Hong Kong where will the
guest of honour be seated?
--To the left of the host
--To the right of the host
--Opposite the host
• Opposite the host!
Bibliography
•
Collier, Virginia and Wayne Thomas.
•
http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/_long_does_take_learn_english_55843.php
•
Cummins, J. (1979) Cognitive/academic language proficiency, linguistic interdependence, the optimum
age question and some other matters. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 19, 121-129.
•
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED438551
&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED438551
•
http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/bicscalp.html
•
Halliday, M.A.K. and R. Hasan. 1976.
•
http://esl.about.com/od/advancedspeakingskills/a/v_register.htm
•
http://www.mah.se/upload/Studieverkstaden/Formal%20and%20Informal%20English.doc
•
Trudgill, 1992.