Exploring EAL & Multilingualism at Hamilton

What is multilingualism?

• The ability to communicate in multiple languages.

• The skill of translating texts between languages.

• The ability to speak one language fluently.

• The process of learning a single foreign language.

What are the benefits of maintaining home languages?

• Increased isolation from family

• The benefits of maintaining home languages include cultural identity, cognitive development, academic success, family bonding, and multilingualism.

• Limited exposure to new cultures

• Decreased cognitive abilities

What does BICS stand for?

• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills

• Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills

• Basic Instructional Communication Skills

• Bilingual Intercultural Communication Skills

What does CALP stand for?

• Cognitive Applied Language Proficiency

• Cognitive Academic Learning Process

• Cognitive Assessment of Language Proficiency

• Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

Define BICS and CALP in the context of language learning.

• BICS refers to written language skills; CALP refers to spoken language skills.

• BICS is used for formal language; CALP is used for informal language.

• BICS is for social communication; CALP is for academic language proficiency.

• BICS is for academic language proficiency; CALP is for social communication.

How can parents support children's language development at home?

• Engage in conversations, read daily, encourage storytelling, and provide varied vocabulary experiences.

• Encourage silent reading only

• Avoid using new words to prevent confusion

• Limit screen time to improve focus

Why is it important to differentiate between BICS and CALP?

• It is important to differentiate between BICS and CALP to address the distinct language needs for social and academic success.

• Differentiating BICS and CALP is unnecessary for language learning.

• BICS and CALP are the same concept.

• BICS is more important than CALP for academic success.

Which of the following strategies can parents use to support their child’s language development and engagement at home? (Select all that apply)

• Reading stories together, reating real-life language opportunities, Listening to audiobooks, bilingual books, using the Flash Academy Free App provided by EAL department

• Assign more homework to increase focus.

• Use lengthy lectures to convey information.

• Limit group discussions to avoid distractions.

In what ways do transferable skills in language acquisition benefit learning?

• Focusing on grammar rules

• Improving vocabulary retention only
• Transferable skills in language acquisition benefit learning by enhancing adaptability, critical thinking, and communication in a new language.

• • They help learners remember words in just one language.

Answer explanation

• Transferable skills in language acquisition, such as recognizing patterns and vocabulary building, can support learning other languages. ​

What role do parents play in supporting multilingualism?

• Parents should only speak one language at home.

• Parents discourage the use of multiple languages.

• Parents focus solely on academic subjects without language support.

• Parents support multilingualism by fostering a language-rich environment and encouraging the use of multiple languages.