Toukomaa Vs Monolingual

Is a bilingual person more creative, imaginative, elastic, open ended and free in thinking than a monolingual? The answer depends upon the gifts within each individual. For example there are many variables to consider in the development of an individual’s talents. We might consider their family background; their proficiency in languages; the environment of the places they grew up plus whether simultaneous bilingualism or sequential bilingualism was seen. According to Cummins, the balanced bilinguals did better than the non-balanced bilinguals on the fluency and flexibility scales of verbal divergence and the monolinguals group in originality which is measured by reference to the Test Manual in each response. His conclusion was that a bilingual
Cummins, Toukomaa and Skutnabb-Kangas came up this theory from their studies and stated that it is the best way to explain the correlation of cognition and bilingualism using the two thresholds. Each threshold represents a level of language competence that has consequences for a bilingual. A bilingual needs to reach to the level in the first threshold in order to avoid the negative consequences of bilingualism. The second threshold’s level is required so that the bilinguals can experience the positive benefits of bilingualism. Furthermore, the thresholds theroy is portayed in the conditions of a house with three floors. On the bottom floors of the house, bilingual children have low level of competence in both languages comparing with the same age group. Their languages are not adequately developed. As a result, they do poorly in school due to their language insufficiency. Children who are in the middle level of the house have age-appropriate competence in one of the languages. Their home languages are stronger than the second lanuages. They are not to called the balanced biliguals. Therefore, children in this level are partly-bilinguals and their cognitive benefits are similar to the monolinguals. At the third floor whichis the top of the house, bilingual children are have approximate balanced biliguals. Their languages are in age-appropriate competence. They manage well with the curriculum materials in the class. Children appear having the positive cognitive advantages of bilingualism. Comparing children in this level with the monolinguals, the bilingual children show higher cognitive benefits. In summary, the threshold theory clearly explains the importance of biliangual educaiton. If English Language learners only stay in Transitional Bilingual programs, most likely they will be in the middle level of the