English as an Additional Language (EAL)

In PYP at ISH, EAL services are provided for PYP 1-5 students directly through push-in and pull-out lessons. Early years (Pre-K and Kindergarten) are currently supported through collaboration with EAL coordinator and teachers in the design, differentiation and delivery of the curriculum.

PYP 1-5 classes are assigned with EAL teachers and the EAL coordinator who collaborates with class teachers to develop inclusive teaching and learning arrangements that allow young language learners to access the curriculum. This form of curriculum support is structured to extend and develop the knowledge and skills that EAL students require to improve their linguistic performance and understanding.

In the PYP we believe that language learning is made up of three major components. These components are

• learning language, 
• learning about language
• learning through language. 

In this respect, the EAL Program at ISH aims to:

• encourage the ongoing development of the home language, which is very important to affirming identity and culture, extending language, and scaffolding meaning
• collaborate to provide meaningful and explicit teaching and learning experiences that focus on authentic language use through inquiry
• support and develop purposeful inquiry that leads to conceptual understanding
• activate prior knowledge and current understanding to enable inquiry for language learners
• collaborate to maintain a safe, inspiring environment where language learners are encouraged to be risk-takers and to trans-language
• attend to and advocate for the social and emotional needs of the child
• differentiate teaching and learning engagements to enable all learners to access the curriculum
• support reflection as a core element of the language learning process

 

For MYP  1 to 5 (grades 6-10), English language learners join all subject classes with their peers. During their English classes, EAL students attend English Language Acquisition classes which are designed to develop both language skills and subject knowledge.

English as Additional Language (EAL) teachers and EAL coordinator work closely with subject teachers to support the needs of English language learners. Our MYP EAL program uses IB MYP Language Acquisition phases and its language development standards to help students build their proficiency and to gain access to the curriculum by setting up staggered learning outcomes and expectations for each type of proficiency. These proficiency levels are called emergent, capable and proficient. 

Emergent and capable EAL students are supported further with Academic English support to learn English through subject content and language if needed. Academic English classes help students to reach IB Language Acquisition phase-specific goals using the learning experiences from subject classes as a starting point to develop meaning in reading, listening, writing and speaking. 

Overall, MYP and EAL Program believe that all teachers are language teachers and every part of the learning community is involved in the language learning process.  In this respect, alongside the subject teachers, EAL Program takes advantage of every opportunity to help students progress academically, socially and linguistically in English.

 

In our high school, we offer the English B, and English as an Additional Language support classes. The IB DP English B focuses primarily on the 4 skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students have the opportunity to learn and practice these skills over a range of topics in this two-year programme.