Jim Cummins
I wrote a paper in 1976 that, proposed that there might be a threshold level of development or, proficiency in both languages that children need to achieve both in order to avoid negative consequence. But also maybe a higher threshold to experience positive consequences. And so then the lower threshold was basically saying, look, if kids don't understand the language of instruction and if the school has very little to help them understand that language, they're going to fall further and further behind. And it's not that their bilingualism is causing that, but it's the lack of, capacity or lack lack of support to enable students to acquire sufficient proficiency in the language of instruction so that they can understand what's going on in the classroom.
Dr. Jim Cummins is a professor with the department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at OISE. His research focuses on literacy development in educational contexts characterized by linguistic and socioeconomic diversity. In numerous articles and books, he has explored the nature of language proficiency and its relationship to literacy development, with particular emphasis on the intersections of societal power relations, teacher-student identity negotiation, and literacy attainment.
Dr. Cummins has authored and co-authored several books on literacies in education, most notably Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire, and has seen his work translated into Japanese and Spanish. A significant contributor to bilingual education, Dr. Cummins has been the recipient of the International Reading Association’s Albert J. Harris award, and he has also received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from the Bank Street College of Education in New York City.
Dr. Jim Cummins es profesor en el Departamento de Currículo, Enseñanza y Aprendizaje del OISE. Su investigación se centra en el desarrollo de la alfabetización en contextos educativos caracterizados por la diversidad lingüística y socioeconómica. En numerosos artículos y libros, ha explorado la naturaleza de la competencia lingüística y su relación con el desarrollo de la alfabetización, con un enfoque particular en las intersecciones entre las relaciones de poder social, la negociación de la identidad entre docentes y estudiantes, y el logro de la alfabetización.
Dr. Cummins es autor y coautor de varios libros sobre alfabetización en educación, en particular Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire, y su obra ha sido traducida al japonés y al español. Como importante colaborador en el ámbito de la educación bilingüe, ha recibido el premio Albert J. Harris de la Asociación Internacional de Lectura y también un doctorado honorario en Letras Humanitarias del Bank Street College of Education de la ciudad de Nueva York.