An important part of bilingualism is often the varying cultures that exert influence on a student who is fluent in two languages. In a bilingual school, it is important that teachers in all subjects find ways to incorporate subject matter that relates to both of those cultures into their teaching. For example, in classes like history or social studies, units should be alternated so that the theme or focus comes from both cultures and languages, instead of only originating from a single point of view.
When you teach bilingual students, monitor the frequency with which you are relying on either language. Often, teachers fail to realize just how much they teach in a single language. This can slow down the child's development in everyday use of the other language. Keeping a careful record however allows teachers to see when they need to devote more time to instruction, in any subject, in the other language.
When students do not yet have much English but need to learn the language in the classroom, the maintenance method works for some teachers. This method involves ensuring that students are up to par on skills in their initial language at first, and then starts teaching basic subject matter in that language. When the material is revisited, it will be taught in the second language, with supplemental language lessons designed to increase the language skills specifically.
Teachers in bilingual classroom tend to place focus on individual learners. Every student in a bilingual classroom will develop language skills in a slightly different way. The teacher must be constantly aware of this, and work with each student according to their needs in order to ensure that their language development is sufficient in both languages concurrently.