History

Creating exemplary curriculum and instruction for 21st century language learners.

International Schools Services (ISS) established the World Language Initiative (WLI) to assist schools in meeting the complex challenges they have long faced when it comes to offering host-county language programs. Providing language programs to non-native learners was generally seen as a desirable, if not critical element of a school’s curriculum, but implementation was often fraught with challenges. All too often this gave rise to fragmented programs resulting in low levels of language proficiency and high levels of frustration.

In the Arab world in particular, this situation has been compounded in recent years as demographic shifts and the search for quality schools have drawn increasingly high percentages of host-country nationals into English medium and international schools around the Middle East region. Nowadays, student populations often include significant ratios of both native and heritage Arabic language learners¹. The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) asserts, “It is critical that these students be able to continue to develop their heritage linguistic and cultural skills in order to become fully bilingual and biliterate in today’s global environment.”² Furthermore, for schools who embrace 21st century aspirations towards internationalism and global citizenship, supporting student learning of the host country language has become essential. The WLI Arabic program evolved in an effort to address these challenges.

The Arabic Initiative

The Arabic programs were developed and piloted at two ISS managed schools: Riffa Views International School in Bahrain and The KAUST School in Saudi Arabia. ISS partnered with Dr. Hanada Taha-Thomure to develop standards-based programs for both native and non-native learners of Arabic that incorporate research-based best practices in language pedagogy, engaging resources for students and comprehensive program guides for teachers.

The program features:

• Levels 1-9, for both native and non-native Arabic speakers
• Meta cognitive approach
• Exciting and engaging Arabic text, illustrations and activities
• Scenarios and dialogues from Arab daily life, children’s Arabic music and art and cultural notes for non-native learners
• Literature-based program for native language learners
• Integrated grammar and etymology
• A student-centered, communicative approach – engaging students in higher-order thinking and dialogue rather than rote memorization
• A standards-based approach. The Qisas Series (native) is aligned with the ISS Arabic Language Arts standards (based on the Ohio ELA standards) and the Hiwaraat Series (non-native) is aligned with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards.

In response to the widespread interest it generated from schools around the region, and in the knowledge that professional collaboration can only improve its quality, the pilot was expanded to include a larger but limited number of schools in a two-year program that commenced in the summer of 2011. The pilot model was established to allow ISS to effectively manage the development and refinement of the program. It became available to schools at large in 2012.

1. “Students raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken by one who speaks or merely understands the heritage language, and who is to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language.” AATSP Professional Development Series Handbook for Teachers K–16: Vol 1. 2000. Thomson Publishing. Andover, Hampshire.
2. American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Position Statement. 2005. www.actfl.org