As former multilingual learners, we have experienced firsthand how much it matters when educators begin by recognizing students’ strengths. Doing so begins with understanding what students know and can do, independent of where they are in developing English proficiency.
Recognizing students’ strengths also means understanding that English language development and academic learning, while closely connected, are not the same. Educators want multilingual learners to develop strong English language proficiency while making academic progress and supporting one should never come at the expense of the other. When students’ English proficiency is used as a measure of their academic understanding, it becomes more difficult to see what they truly know and can do. Distinguishing between language development and academic learning allows educators to provide instruction and intervention that strengthens both.
As multilingual learners continue developing English proficiency, it can be easy to view language development as the primary lens through which their learning is understood. In doing so, educators may unintentionally overlook the knowledge, literacy skills, and problem-solving abilities students already possess. Recognizing the difference between developing English proficiency and developing academic understanding leads to more accurate instructional and intervention decisions. It also ensures that students receive support that builds on their strengths while continuing to advance both language development and academic growth.
Creating affirming learning environments where multilingual learners thrive begins with examining our own assumptions. Before making instructional or intervention decisions, educators benefit by first considering what assumptions they may unconsciously have about multilingual learners. This can shape how we interpret students’ strengths and needs, the opportunities we create for them to participate and contribute, and the ways we invite them to demonstrate what they know. When we begin by recognizing students’ assets, we create stronger foundations for meaningful instruction and effective intervention.
The way we see students shapes the way we teach them
The assumptions we hold about multilingual learners influence every instructional and intervention decision that follows. The greatest barrier to effective intervention often lies not in the intervention itself but in the mindset that shapes how students are perceived before any decisions are made. Asset-based instruction occurs when educators intentionally focus on the strengths that students already bring, rather than centering on perceived deficits. Below we address some common misconceptions about multilingual learners that will help shift our thinking from struggle to strength.
Misconception #1: Being labeled "behind" because of developing English
When labels and terminology position multilingual learners as “behind” or “lacking,” they create deficit-based narratives that can influence instructional decisions and limit access to rigorous learning opportunities. Such labels fail to recognize that multilingual learners bring extensive linguistic knowledge, cultural resources, and cognitive strengths to the classroom. In fact, students who develop proficiency across multiple languages often match or exceed the academic performance of their monolingual peers while drawing upon skills and knowledge developed in both languages (Taboada Barber, 2025).
Research shows that misconceptions about bilingualism have historically been rooted in a "zero-sum mindset” (Taboada Barber, 2025)—the mistaken belief that learning more than one language limits a child’s cognitive capacity or interferes with academic success. Contemporary research, however, demonstrates that bilingualism and multilingualism are an asset that contributes to linguistic and cognitive development (Taboada Barber, 2025). Multilingual learners can transfer skills they learn in their first language into a second language they are learning (Cummins, 1991; Goldenberg & Coleman, 2010 as cited in Taboada Barber, 2025).
Research shifted to studying the metalinguistic awareness of multilingual children, which involves the development of two skills—analyzing linguistic knowledge and controlling attention processes—this requires students to “focus on, manipulate, and analyze the form of language” (Taboada Barber, 2025). This metalinguistic awareness is evident when students distinguish between syntax and meaning in sentences (Taboada Barber, 2025). It ultimately enables them to control their attention and ignore information that is irrelevant, which is why research “shows that bilingual children have more efficient executive control systems than monolingual children” (Taboada Barber, 2025).
Misconception #2: Language development is evidence of inability
Developing proficiency in an additional language requires students to constantly manage, monitor, and navigate multiple linguistic systems. Research demonstrates that bilingualism strengthens executive control processes such as attention regulation, cognitive flexibility, and the ability to filter irrelevant information. Because both languages remain active in the brain, multilingual learners engage in ongoing cognitive work as they select, suppress, and coordinate language use across contexts. This process reflects the development of sophisticated cognitive and metalinguistic abilities that support learning, problem-solving, and literacy development. As multilingual learners gain proficiency in English, they are not catching up from a position of weakness; they are building on existing linguistic knowledge while simultaneously developing neural pathways that support higher levels of attention, self-regulation, and language awareness (Taboada Barber, 2025)
These two misconceptions draw our attention to the importance of asking ourselves not what multilingual learners lack, but what strengths do we have yet to recognize. Below are some questions you can ask yourself as you think about the multilingual learners in your classroom, school, and/or district:
- When I think about intervention, do I begin with what students cannot do or what they already know and bring?
- How might my assumptions influence instructional decisions?
Honor students’ assets before identifying intervention needs
Effective intervention begins with affirmation, which involves honoring and valuing our students’ cultural identities, linguistic abilities, experiences, and knowledge. Multilingual learners often draw on transnational funds of knowledge, which include skills, experiences, and insights developed across various cultural and national contexts (Sywulka, 2025). When we evaluate students solely by their English proficiency, we overlook these assets and lose powerful learning resources that could fuel their growth (Sywulka, 2025).
Students also show what they know in different ways, depending on the language and the task in front of them. A student who cannot yet explain a science concept in English may understand it deeply in their primary language or be able to discuss it confidently with a peer. When learning connects to students’ lived experiences, participation goes up.
Prior to discussing intervention for multilingual learners, consider the following factors.
- Primary language knowledge: What does the student already know or know how to do in their primary language?
- Access to instruction: Were visuals, models, sentence frames, oral rehearsal, language partners, and meaningful examples available?
- Language context: How long has the student been learning English? What language(s) of instruction have they experienced?
- Multiple ways to show learning: Has the student had opportunities to demonstrate understanding orally, visually, bilingually, collaboratively, and in writing?
- Family partnership: What have caregivers shared about strengths, responsibilities, interests, and literacy practices outside of school?
The factors could be detailed in a one-page learner snapshot to use during an intervention meeting.
What multilingual learners need most from us
With instruction and intervention, we should design learning so students can use what they bring while they develop what they need. This shows up in the questions we ask, the wait time we provide, the languages we welcome, the peers we partner them with, the examples we choose, the formative feedback we give, and the way we communicate with families.
Research by Sywulka (2025) found that multilingual learners excel both academically and socially when educators recognize them as knowledgeable contributors and provide regular opportunities for them to share their cultural and linguistic expertise. When students are viewed as capable, they engage with the same level of confidence. Support and affirm your multilingual learners with the following classroom strategies.
- Treat bilingualism as instructional capital. Invite students to brainstorm, annotate, discuss, or draft in their primary language before producing in English. Use bilingual glossaries and cognate charts. Ask, "How would you say this idea in your primary language?"
- Build routines that make language practice safe. Use predictable partner talk, rehearsal time, sentence frames, gestures, and visuals. Let students practice orally before expecting a written response.
- Use formative assessment to communicate high expectations. Check for understanding in multiple ways: quick sketch, oral retell, exit ticket, bilingual response, pointing to evidence, or explaining to a peer. Then provide feedback based on their responses.
- Make culture part of the learning. Connect texts, problems, and examples to students’ communities and experiences. Ask students and families what examples would make the topic more meaningful.
- Teach self-advocacy explicitly. Model and practice phrases such as: "Can you repeat that?" "I understand the idea, but I need help with the word." "Can I explain first in my primary language and then try in English?"
- Bring the family into the intervention plan. Use interpreters, invite caregiver input, share specific strategies families can use in any language, and ask what the child is proud of outside of school.
Celebrate who students are
Before developing intervention plans, creating progress monitoring charts, or convening MTSS meetings, we should first view multilingual learners through an asset-based lens that affirms and celebrates their cultural and linguistic identities. When we start with students’ strengths, everything shifts. We foster belonging, encourage participation, and open doors to more equitable opportunities. Most importantly, our interventions become more effective because they are rooted in who students are, not just in what they need.
References:
Sywulka, K. J. (2025). Using positioning theory to investigate the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse adolescent students in classroom discussion. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 68(5), https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jaal.1380
Taboada Barber, A. (2025). Reading science for emergent bilinguals: Lessons from bilingualism and cognitive research. The Reading Teacher, 79 (2), https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.70016
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