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Bilingualism: Raising the Achievement of Bilingual Learners

Hassan, N. (2006) Race and education, in J. Sharp, S. Ward and L. Franklin, Education studies. Essex; Learning matters.

How do we turn bilingual learners into high achievers?
In Denmark my main study is bilingualism. In my study we focus on how to improve bilingual learners danish language skills, by strengthening their academic language competences.
Therefore we have a tendency, of focusing solely on the learners CALP. Please click my animated-video to the right, if you would like me to explain more about BICS and CALP.         ------------------------------------>

A common used language theory at my studies in Denmark, is the interlanguage-theory invented by Larry Selinker in 1972.

Interlanguage covers the language, that the learner is speaking while learning a new language. The interlanguage has three characteristics, it is: systematic, changeable and variable. This theory also categorise the interlanguage as an idiolect, which makes it an individual and personal language. In that case it does not make sense to classify the learners language mistakes as errors, instead the theory suggest to call it target deviations. The target is in this matter, the learners second language.
This makes the interlanguage theory a blend between a behavioristic and mentalistic language view. Whereas it combine the behavioristic imitation and the mentalistic, Noam Chomsky, LAD Language acquisition device, which covers the human ability to produce and develop languages.

I therefor find it interesting to also focus on BICS while focusing on CALP, for bilingual learners. 

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