"The Balance Theory" and "Key Points Review "

"The Balance Theory"

In Chapter 8, Baker and Wright (2011), talk about how language develops in a bilingual individual’s mind. The different theories mentioned in this chapter lead us to different implications that teachers face when they are evaluating bilingual students. All those theories are necessary to find ways to implement new curricula and different assessments to evaluate bilinguals.

In the balance theory, Baker and Wright represent bilingualism as two different balloons that are in constant balance. They stated that “as proficiency in one language increases on one side of the scale, the proficiency of the language on the other side of the scale decreases”(pg.157). This shows that a person can only be dominant in one language. They refer to Cummins (1981) findings and compare with the Separate Underlying Proficiency (SUP) model of bilingualism, where the two languages are completely separate and there is no ability to transfer the language.  Baker and Wright found evidence that supports the theory that the development of language and cognition are not separate. What is learned in one language is easily transferred to a different language. Cummins also proposed the Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) model of bilingualism (pg. 158). Cummins represents the two languages as two separate icebergs but beneath the surface, these icebergs both emerge in the central operating system. Baker and Wright suggest that “Languages influence both the content and process of thinking”(pg. 159). We can see that bilinguals, including multilingualism, have the ability to use both languages controlled by the central operating system. The capacity that bilinguals have to hold information in both languages makes them increase their understanding, views and ideas. This is one advantage that is found in being bilingual, but we have to consider at what level the person functions so that they can succeed in school.

Key Points Review in Chapter 8 

The key points in chapter eight lay out a detailed summary of different issues that bilingual education students face in school. There are different theories that explain ways that bilingual students develop languages while they are processing communication skills in two different languages. In the balance theory, the balance that exists in the brain is incorrect because language can not be drawn as two different storage systems in the brain. It concludes that an average time span for a person to learn a language is about two to five years, depending on the individual or group where they develop their language. There are many factors that may define the process of language proficiency. In the threshold theory, the authors explain to what degree we have to take into consideration the learning level of bilingual’s two languages. The authors suggest that” language needs to be developed to a high level before high levels of cognition can be activated”(pg. 160). All those previous theories have their flaws, but I think that they are necessary to develop a better way to understand and evaluate bilingualism, especially in schools where a diverse community exists.