"Teaching Multilingual Children" by Virginia Collier

Collier argues that there is a unique set of educational and cultural issues that must be addressed when teaching multilingual children but that if done with care, and properly handled multilingual children can succeed in the classroom.

Passage of interest

• The key is the true appreciation of the different linguistic and cultural values that students bring into the classroom.

I truly believe this statement....Collier understands how teaching a second language can be beneficial to both student and teacher. We learn new things everyday, even adults...so why not incorportate the many cultural differences our students have into our every day life??? We must learn to "appreciate" the different languages and values of each student.

• The critical distinction to maintain is between how children acquire the capacity to converse casually in a second language, and how they learn to become proficient students using second language. These are two entirely different processes.
• Teachers are responsible for facilitating academic language development. Academic language does not come to kids automatically, just because they are in a dominant English-speaking locale.

These two statements are just the icing on the cake. Collier lists seven guidelines to support her arguement...with the best supporting evidence to back them. Collier's approach to me seemed real matter of fact and very clear. I thought it was very interesting that one point she mentions that it is easier for language learners to have short simpler sentences, and in fact this in deed was exactly the sort of text used in her article. I believe that she wrote this peice with ELL students in mind; if they were to come across this peice of writing, it would be straightforward for them.