Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills

In this class (Linguistics for ESL Educators), I discovered that I am an EL student myself, I was exposed to English early on, and my experience and cultural and social surroundings played an important part in acquiring the English language, which would be referred as Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) by Jims Cummins. As I entered school I learned what is known as academic English, Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALPS). As a teacher, I have understood that language is a complex subject. There are many factors such as your culture, background, and the environment you’re surrounded by play an important part in language acquisition. It is known that is not an easy task to acquire a second language after puberty, however, …show more content…
I believe there is no one way to teach language acquisition. First, I learned that it is important to know the meaning of Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). This type of language is learned in the environment and social settings of the student. It is the language used in everyday situations to communicate with your family and friends. These skills are developed by ELL students within the first six months to two years that they arrive into the United States. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALPS) is the language that is developed in five to seven years after arrival to the United States. Academic learning involves the listening, speaking, reading and writing that is acquired at school. There is also good news about the skills, ideas, and concepts a student has acquired in their first language that may transfer to the new …show more content…
In the anatomy of language, it is said that the brain controls all mental and physical aspects of speaking. The purpose of knowing this is to teach pronunciation to students and to let them know that their first language will interfere with their pronunciation and will cause an accent as adults. An accent is not a bad thing to have, however, it can hinder the communication in various settings. In order to help with the pronunciation, there are various strategies to use with the students so that their communication becomes clearer. These strategies may include the use of voicing. Having students touching their throats while they pronounce voiced and voiceless sounds so that they can notice the difference. Mouth position is also a great strategy to teach students. By using a mirror and having the students see how their mouth, lips, and tongue are positioned while they speak will help them with