Jim Cummins on language and identity

Summary

Jim Cummins explains that students’ home and other languages are part of their identities and represent real accomplishments. When schools focus only on what students cannot yet do in the dominant language of instruction, they may overlook students’ knowledge, experiences, resilience, and multilingual abilities.

A deficit-focused view can lead students to see themselves as less capable and lower their academic ambitions. They may internalize teachers’ expectations, affecting their willingness to participate and make academic efforts.

Cummins argues that teachers and schools should recognize multilingualism as an intellectual strength and support students in continuing to develop their home languages. This goes beyond individual classroom practice: school policies and everyday messages matter too. When students are implicitly told to leave their languages and cultures outside school, their identities and communities are diminished. By contrast, including students’ languages in learning can foster belonging, curiosity about family and cultural backgrounds, and a more positive attitude toward learning.

Practical Approaches

• Recognize students as multilingual learners with varied knowledge and experiences, not merely as learners who lack proficiency in the school language.
• Communicate that students’ home languages are valuable and worth continuing to develop.
• Include home languages in classroom activities alongside the school language.
• Encourage students to work in more than one language, such as by creating dual-language books.
• Ensure that school policies and practices affirm students’ languages and cultures.
• Share the value of multilingualism with parents, who may not otherwise receive that message.

Speaker

• Jim Cummins — discusses language, identity, multilingualism, and schools’ role in supporting students.