Understanding EAL or ESL Learners: Distinguishing between Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

Created Feb. 5, 2024 by Melissa Lander, Carole Butcher

Understanding ESL Learners: Distinguishing between Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

The purpose of this pamphlet is to help teachers understand why second language learners, who appear to be fluent in English, may experience a great deal of difficulty in their academic work.

Download: ESL-3-1_Distinguishing_between_BICS_and_CALP.pdf


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