Bilingualism in the Primary School

Richly based on case study material, this book helps primary teachers to understand the experience of bilingual children and shows it as a benefit rather than a hindrance in the classroom.

Richard Mills has taught in England, Australia and Pakistan, the last with Punjabi, Urdu and Pashtu speakers, and is now Principal Lecturer and In-Service coordinator at Westhill College, Birmingham. He is the author of numerous books, including Observing Children in the Primary Classroom (Routledge, 1988). Jean Mills has taught in Canada and Australia, and has over fourteen years teaching experience in UK inner city schools, mostly as a language support teacher. She has also been Deputy of the Primary ESL Unit in Birmingham LEA and is currently Senior Lecturer at Westhill College, Birmingham. Her publications include co-authorship of the Choices series (Oxford University Press).

Figures and tables, Contributors, Acknowledgements, Introduction: Setting the scene, Section I: Living and learning in two languages, 1. Language activities in a multilingual school, 2. A young child learns English, Section II: Assessment of and through language, 3. Monolingual teachers assessing bilingual children, 4. Assessing in mother tongue, 5. Assessing in English and mother tongue, Section III: The bilingual experience, 6. Children as interpreters, 7. Teachers speak out, 8. A community project, Bibliography, Index