ISS Sindelfingen

Towards a dual language programme

Sarah KupkeSeptember 2013

AMSTERDAM ECIS

WE PLACE LEARNING AT THE CORE OF ALL WE DO

Learning at the International School of Stuttgart combines an individual’s predisposition and experience with the acquisition of knowledge, skills

and understanding to nurture and develop character and intellect.

Wir stellen das Lernen in den Mittelpunkt all dessen, was wir tun .Das Lernen an der Internationalen Schule Stuttgart verbindet die individuelle Begabung und Erfahrungen mit dem Erwerb von Fähigkeiten, Wissen und Verstehen, indem Charakter und Verstand gepflegt und entwickelt wird.

Herausragende Ausbildung für international-denkende Familien.Unsere Mission ist es, unsere Schüler und einander zu inspirieren, zu fordern und aktiv zu unterstützen, um positiv in einer sich ändernde Welt mitzuwirken.

Leading education for internationally-minded familiesOur mission is to inspire, challenge and actively support our students and each other to become positive participants in a changing world.

Innovation in Education

The question is:

How does our growing understanding of how children learn lead to re-visioning our approaches to teaching?

In other words ... What are our beliefs about learning and best practice

teaching?

What does it look like in the classroom? 3rd and 4th grade

1st and 2nd grade

7th grade

Carlos joined us in

September

Dia is working on verb conjugations

Alison too – but at a different level

1. Identify the learning challenge

2. The Idea What do we want to achieve to improve learning?

3. The Practice What do we need to do to achieve an improvement in learning?

4. What have we learned? Programme evaluation and planning

David Gatley‘s vision: ISS Director 2001-2006

David

Identify the Learning Challenge

• Closing the conceptual gap for (German) EAL students

• Raising expectations for German as an Additional Language students to master host-country language

• Equity in respect of languages and cultures • Nurturing international-

mindedness

Myths

• Additional language fluency in 3 months

• Total immersion is effortless learning

• Young children learn additional languages much more quickly than others

Wayne P. Thomas & Virginia P. Collier, 2002

Drawing from the Research

Development of competence in the native language can be transposed to thesecond language (Cummins’ Common Underlying Proficiency Hypothesis)

Researchers believe that it takes 5 to 8 years to become bi-lingual (Collier, 1992; Ramirez, 1992).

Students who do successfully complete bilingual instruction perform better academically (Collier, 1992; Ramirez, 1992).

The Idea What do we want to achieve to improve learning?

We want an educational model that will: … support conceptual as well as language development in the individual child

… address issues of language equity in education and promote international mindedness

… support educational innovation and reform

... Encourage English–speakers to learn German with the same vitality that German-speakers learn English

Defining our meaning of Dual-language learning

The child’s conceptual development takes place in their main language and

in the classroom their additional language is supported through team-teaching in an authentic,

language-learning context.

Beyond the ‘sink or swim’ approach

Jim Cummins (2004)introduced the terms:

BICS (basic interpersonal communicative skills) And

5 years on ... CALP (cognitive academic language proficiency)to the discussion of educating EAL students

Jim Cummins teaches in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

What’s in a comma?

A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eatsit, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.“Why?“ asks the confused waiter as the panda makestowards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuatedwildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.“I‘m a panda,“ He says, at the door. “Look it up.“The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough,finds an explanation.“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, naturalto China. Eats, shoots and leaves.” “Eats, Shoots and Leaves“ Lynne Truss 2004

The Practice – what do we need to do

to achieve an improvement in learning?

How does it work?

• 90/10% to 50/50% • Team teaching• Assessing, goal-setting, monitoring and reporting

The definition of the ISS Sindelfingen dual language model encompasses the

following 4 critical components:

• Where possible, the child’s conceptual development takes place in their mother tongue.

• the integration of main and second language learners for instruction in and through two languages.

• periods of instruction during which only one language is used.

• both native English speakers and native German speakers are participants.

The addiditonal language learning continuum as an

evaluation tool Planning for

learningGoal setting

Feedback immediate

and explicit

Evaluating / adjusting

learning programmes and

curriculum

Assessing for learning –

identify success

indicators

Monitoring student learning progress

Reporting self-

assessment and student

progress reports

Phase Oral Reading Writing

New to A.L. receptive, responses in main language or non-verbal, “silent phase,” focus on BICS (Cummins)

reads some environmental print, recognizes some personally significant words

communicates familiar contexts/personal experiences by drawing pictures or by copying writing

Early

Acquisition of A.L.

starts to produce single words, formulaic phrases in A.L, focus on BICS (Cummins)

reads short, simple texts with simple repetitive vocabulary and picture cues, set in familiar contexts

writes short, simple texts either copied or modeled with peer/teacher support on personally significant experiences

Becoming Familiar

with A.L.

starts to produce/use language (short phrases) in personal/familiar contexts, focus on BICS (Cummins)

reads short, simple texts in familiar contexts

writes short, simple texts on personally significant contexts using models and beginning understanding of spoken and written language

Becoming Competent

in A.L.

starts to develop competencies in CALP (Cummins), begins to use and understand subject area language

begins to read controlled, simple familiar as well as unfamiliar texts with predictable, simple language structures

begins to use A.L. to write about academic contexts using simple language structures, writes short texts on familiar contexts using simple language structures

Competent in A.L. develops competencies in CALP (Cummins), gains more competence in using A.L. in academic contexts, spoken language in advance of literacy

reads controlled familiar and unfamiliar texts with simple, predictable language structures and familiar vocabulary

begins to develop competency at writing short, organized texts of different types, using simple sentence structure and specific vocabulary

Proficient in A.L. develops proficiency in CALP (Cummins), begins to use more complex language functions in academic contexts, uses A.L. with increasing confidence in social and academic settings

begins to read mainstream materials with more complex language structures

begins to write organized texts of different types, using more complex language structure and specific vocabulary

Advanced Proficiency

in A.L.

extends proficiency in CALP (Cummins), uses complex language functions in academic contexts, uses A.L. confidently,

nearly fluent

reads wide range of mainstream materials

writes more organized texts of different types with more cohesion and coherence

Fluent in A.L. oral skills in A.L. equal to oral skills in main language, e.g. bilingual

reading skills in A.L. equal to reading

skills in main language, e.g. biliterate,

spoken skills equal to literacy skills in

A.L.

writing skills in AL equal to writing skills

in main language; e.g. Biliterate,

spoken skills equal to literacy skills in

AL

ISS Sindelfingen Additional Language Learning Continuum

Reflection for planning: Programme Evaluation

What the students say …

Quinn: I like learning another language because it makes it easier to communicate with other people and learn. It is hard to learn it sometimes. It takes a lot of effort and thinking.

Liana: I like learning because if you get stuck on a word, no one laughs and it’s fun with language buddies.

What the teachers say …

• The use of the two languages is a natural feature of class discourse, children function simultaneously in main and additional language, the two languages are constantly "switched on". You can truly use the children as a language resource and create opportunities for the children to learn with and from each other, e.g. language "buddy" projects. Jennifer king

• It is much more natural to have language lessons during class than having a regular “pull-out” session and the children “shutting down” beforehand.

• Children have the native speakers as models and hear the correct language from peers, and not only from teachers. Stephanie Langer

Self-evaluating our programme

Questions we are still playing with:• Does our programme have the flexibility required to foster the

language learning needs of every child from beginning additional language learners to mother tongue learners?

What are the characteristics in effective Dual Language teachers? Is there such a thing as a student who is not talented in learning

languages?• What professional development can best support dual language

teachers’ needs?• What do the language experts say who are not supporting dual-

language teaching or mother-tongue support?• What do the parents need to know in order to best support their

children’s needs?• How will we self-appraise and objectively reflect upon our

programme so that it is research-based and not just a belief-system?

• What evidence of effectiveness supports the dual language model?

It’s all about learning …..

Thanks to the students and staff at ISS Sindelfingen

References•Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue: Why is it important for Education http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/mother.htm•Website with a large number of books on bilingualism www.multilingual-matters•Wayne P. Thomas & Virginia P. Collier, 1997/98 The National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE) School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students•Cummins, J. (1996). Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a diverse society. Ontario, CA: California Association for Bilingual Education.•Krashen, S. (1999). Condemned without a trial: Bogus arguments against bilingual education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.•Torres-Guzmán M (2002) Dual language Programs: Key Features and Results. Directions. Spring 2002. No 14•Denby J. Fieldwork Summer School 2006.

•The Case for Bilingual Education Why Bilingual Education? by Stephen KrashenERIC® Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation •How effective is bilingual education? Elizabeth Howard, Center for Applied Linguistics.•James Crawford's Language Policy Web  Possibly the most in-depth bilingual education site on the web. •Rethinking Schools:  Online Urban Educational Journal. The Case for Bilingual Education•Why Bilingual Education? by Stephen Krashen ERIC® Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

Sarah Kupke ISS Sindelfingen September 2013

Thank you for your interest