Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire by Jim Cummins

Abstract

In Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire Jim Cummins marshals the weight of 25 years of research to counter the cur-rent threat to bilingual education programs. As the subtitle of his work implies, the debate tends to be emotive and uninformed. This work argues for an informed, objective analysis of current theory and practice that is focused on the learner. It is a highly accessible overview of the author's major linguis-tic theories on bilingual education, theories that are tested and refined through ongoing dialogue with researchers and practitioners. Collaborative dialogue is presented as a basis for reshaping educational policy and practice that will ultimately support linguistic and cultural diversity. Jim Cummins has long been a key figure in bilingual education research. His theories regarding the influence of bilingualism on cognitive growth have been seminal, supported by extensive research on the development of aca-demic language proficiency in second language learners. His prolific output has focused on empowerment issues for minority children, challenging cur-rent methods for teaching and assessment as irrelevant and inadequate for a significant portion of the North American population. This publication is written for the professional, teachers and researchers, with the goal of modifying pedagogical practice. The author includes a wide range of examples taken from all levels of education—kindergarten through 12th grade and adult education. It is, therefore, a book with a mission. Cummins passionately believes in the power of researchers and educators to address issues of equity and to influence the direction of education. Why, he asks, do teachers so rarely encourage bilingual students to take pride in their linguistic skills? Why do educators know so little about the linguistic and cognitive benefits of bilingualism? Why do they know so little about the con-sequences of first language loss? His book addresses those concerns. The strength of Cummins' work lies partly in his lucid presentation of ideas and in his ability to conceptualize clear, theoretical models and hypotheses. Because of their pedagogical implications, however, these hypotheses have often been misrepresented by both proponents and antago-nists. Cummins, therefore, reviews these theories in the early chapters, pre-senting fresh data and responding to criticism. Nevertheless he warns his readers that his theories are hypotheses, consistent with empirical data, but not necessarily the last word on these issues. Cummins' theories remain central to the current debate over bilingual education. For example, in his developmental interdependence hypothesis he argues that literacy skills and knowledge may be transferred from the first language (L1) to the second language (L2) through a common under-lying proficiency (CUP). According to this hypothesis, content may prof-itably be studied in either language. After later research indicated that this transfer of knowledge and skills does not always take place, he refined his theory to apply to those learners who reach a certain threshold in their pro-ficiency in both languages. The threshold theory states that bilingual educa-tion may have advantages over monolingual education for these learners, a cautious statement borne out by other research but ignored in political moves to ban bilingual programs. Cummins has frequently stated that the controversial issues surrounding bilingual education can only be resolved if there is an adequate conceptualiza-tion of the nature of language proficiency and of its assessment, particularly in relation to academic achievement. He returns in this text to his influential distinction made earlier (1979) between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). This the-ory presents a case for more support in schools for English language learners, stating that these learners need five to seven years to develop the academic skills required in the context-reduced, cognitively demanding situation of the classroom. While research supports this finding, it has been criticized as too narrow, focusing on academic skills, and ignoring sociolinguistic factors that affect learning. In response, Cummins claims that the model is valid for the academic context. In its simplicity, moreover, it conveys a message that is vital in arguing for adequate support for the English language learner. It could be argued that much of Language, Power and Pedagogy consists of a recapitulation and defense of Cummins' earlier work. However, this publication has a greater purpose. First, it is timely to produce an authori-tative work that synthesizes key research in the field. Second, this publica-tion does more than review relevant research. It presents a strong case for transforming pedagogical policy and practice and provides vision, ideas, and guidelines to bring about change. In cases where the success of bilin-gual programs is not borne out, Cummins looks for causes for student fail-ure in areas such as issues of status and discrimination. He does not, how-ever, discuss other possible causes of program failure, such as a lack of resources or the quality of teaching. 202 • The CATESOL Journal 13.1 • 2001