ISS Launches New EAL Program in China

For those of us who have been working with English learners for a long while, it often seems that the 'same old, same old' questions and issues are at work in international schools; specifically, the perceived deficiencies of English learners lead to a narrow focus on remediation through English-only or separate ESL content programs to 'fix' students. The image of EAL (English as an Additional Language) programs as remedial or a school's standards declining with the number of English learning students increasing has been so deeply ingrained, that it has bounded our perceptions of these students as problems to be overcome rather than as the positive forces so often stated in school mission statements.

Until now that is - with ISS' World Language Initiative (WLI) taking on the challenge of developing exemplary EAL policies, programs, and practices at two catalyst school sites where the overwhelming majority of students come from non-English backgrounds. These sites - Nansha College Preparatory Academy (NCPA) and the International School of Dongguan (ISD) in China - are building linguistically- and culturally-responsive policies along with enriched approaches to curriculum design and instructional delivery that intertwine English-language development across all content areas. These approaches help students learn to use language and literacy to master academic content, think creatively and critically, collaborate, and self-reflect beyond the classroom as a means for shaping a global perspective. As ISD Director Michael Lees states, "This exciting work as an EAL pilot program Catalyst School is driving all of us to be on the cutting edge of best EAL practice and research applications."

The genesis for this work grew out of ISS' initial focus for the WLI in the Middle East region which has developed the first series of standards-based Arabic language programs. Accompanying curriculum materials and extensive professional training and support are shifting the focus of Arabic language teaching towards learning experiences that aim for comprehension and communication, encourage exploration of how language is purposeful and patterned to do its particular rhetorical work, and scaffold students' literacies so that the knowledge gained will assist them in generating new understandings on their own in the future.

Similar in nature, the exemplary EAL programs are implementing six key principles for effective ELL instruction drafted by a Stanford University committee (Hakuta et al, Hakuta, K. & Santos, M. (Co-Chairs) et al (2012). Understanding Language: Language, Literacy, and Learning in the Content Areas. Available: http://ell.stanford.edu/leadership. The core message of this reference is that implementation of responsive schooling for English learners demands uncompromising expectations of all teachers to respect and do the following:

1. Leverage the native cultures and languages of English learners within the spirit of additive bilingualism which regards students' home languages as assets to be used as instructional entry points;
2. Include as a part of instruction the identification of discipline-specific language learning targets aligned with content learning targets at each grade level and in each subject area;
3. Build into instructional practice across all curriculum areas opportunities for students to engage in oral and written discourse identified by grade-level standards;
4. Become highly skilled and intentional about the use of specific scaffolding and differentiation strategies to help all students - regardless of language proficiency level - progress towards grade-level expectations;
5. Provide necessary support to students to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to become interpreters and producers of complex discourse and texts as independent learners; and
6. Use diagnostic, formative and summative assessment data consistently to guide instructional practice.

What the EAL catalyst sites are teaching us is that exemplary language teaching goes beyond the reductionist model of past practices towards circumstances more favorable for developing a second language; that is when students have opportunities of acquiring English in situ. The fact is that international schools are in the position to make this happen: EAL teachers putting their energies into working with mainstream teachers to create places for language acquisition through curriculum and pedagogy. As Brian Brumsickle, Principal of NCPA, confirms, "We have developed and continue to nurture habits of collaboration, and our EAL teachers are committed to coach and co-teach with our subject-area teachers in order to support students' acquisition of academic English as preparation for the AP program."

What is astounding at these catalyst sites is that we are all now asking ourselves: "Is what we do in every classroom each day up to the standards of our English learners?"