-
Language acquisition is developmental and students progress through the
development stages at their own rate. (Cummins, 1982;Fillmore, 1993)
-
Value bilingualism as an enriching tool to attain goals.
-
Recognize language and culture are closely connected.
-
All students are capable of learning given the proper opportunity to do so.
-
Acquisition of a second language is enhanced through a program that uses a variety of activities ranging from those that are context embedded and cognitively undemanding to activities that are contextually reduced and cognitively demanding. (Cummins, 1981)
-
Instills confidence and positive self-esteem.
-
Actively involve students in the learning process in order to increase student performance.
-
Produce life long learners.
-
When students achieve Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in L1 (primary language), there is a common underlying proficiency (CUP) in their L2 (second language) which hastens the transition from L1 to L2. (Cummins, 1981)
-
Provide a learner-centered environment.
-
During the language acquisition process students first acquire Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and then build Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency which is necessary for academic success. (Cummins, 1981)
-
Language learning is facilitated through input which is comprehensible and natural (used for real communicative purposes). (Fillmore, 1983)
-
Additive Bilingualism, proficiency in L1 and L2, enhance students’ cognitive and social success compared to subtractive Bilingualism, in which the second language replaces the primary language having detrimental effects on cognitive and social success. (Lambert, 1993)
-
Have high expectations regardless of circumstances for each student.