Language, Cognition and Scaffolding

2. Cognitive engagement

2.1. BICS and CALP

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills - BISC. Those skills needed for everyday conversational talk. In Cummins’ research with immigrant pupils in Canada, most students were found to achieve BICS after two or three years of education. Tasks associated with BICS are usually less demanding than those of CALP. Cognitive processes linked to BICS include: identify specific information

name

match

sort objects into sets

brainstorm a technique to encourage learners to produce ideas quickly without critical examination or evaluation
‘can do’ statements indicate to students what they are expected to do by the end of a unit, module or course. (e.g. can organise factual information / can describe a process)

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency - CALP: the language development for studying curricular subjects. Researchers have noted that it takes learners at least five years to attain a level of English suitable for academic school study. The time depends on the learning context and the level of previous education, and prior learning learners bring with them to CLIL. The language taught and produced is cognitively demanding and often impersonal, e.g., listening to lectures on abstract topics, writing essays. Cognitive processes linked to CALP include:
identify criteria
justify opinions
form hypotheses
interpret evidence.

In short, CALP refers to the language of academic learning.