Blog

Education
January 29, 2015
Naomi Shihab Nye
For several days in January, poet Naomi Shihab Nye was invited to spend time with students at several ISS Chinese schools. While visiting NCPA in Nansha, Naomi interacted with students and was able to observe their mastery of the English language. NCPA and Shekou are both proud pilot ("catalyst") schools for the ISS World Language Initiative (WLI) English as an Additional Language program. We are delighted to include her thoughts in this blog post.
Education
January 24, 2013
Recently, ISS had an opportunity to hear more from ISD Director Michael Lees, and that school’s ESOL Teacher, Kim Ariail, who is a key participant in the EAL Pilot Program.
Education
January 24, 2013
Bridget Doogan, ISS Consultant
ISS established the World Language Initiative (WLI) to assist international schools in meeting the complex challenges they have long faced when it comes to offering host-county language programs. While providing such programs to non-native learners was generally seen as a desirable, if not critical element of a school’s curriculum, implementation was often fraught with challenges.
Education
December 21, 2012
At a time when English language instruction has become a priority around the world, there is also a growing demand by parents and governments to maintain native languages. Many parents whose children are attending English language schools are thrilled that their children are gaining the capacity to speak, think and learn in English to give them a chance to succeed in a competitive world. However, they also worry about maintaining their heritage and cultural identity, and seeing their children unable to speak and write effectively in their mother tongue confirms their fears.