Multilingualism in the English-language Classroom: Pedagogical Considerations

This contribution to the symposium "Imagining Multilingual TESOL" considers the issue of whether TESOL should challenge the principle of exclusively monolingual English language teaching. According to the monolingual principle (A. Howatt, 1984), the sole use of the target language to the exclusion of a student's native tongue reduces interference in language learning. Cummins contends that there are strong reasons, both theoretical & empirical, for TESOL to articulate a set of pedagogical principles & strategies for multilingual instruction in the English-language classroom. S. Stanton