International schools in China, especially Preschools or Kindergartens, have, over the past couple of years, began to rethink their approach to delivering their curriculum. Stephen Walshe emphasises the importance of a school structure in which school leaders and teachers are visible models of cross-cultural understanding, cooperation and communication.
Language curricula in international education place increasing significance on student ability to produce and analyse a range of text types. The Language Acquisition and Language B Courses of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programmes are good examples of this trend. Chris Jay reports how the “Field-Tenor-Mode” anayltical approach can build understanding of English texts.
EAL students need to concentrate extra hard in class to understand what is going on in school. During the vacations, they have less guidance. Anita Bamberger has some ideas to make holiday homework fun and rewarding.
Kate Shepherd reviews three novels with stories that will engage and challenge young adults. The Family with Two Front Doors is based on the author’s real family while The Big Bazoohley is written in the zany style reminiscent of Roald Dahl. Words in Deep Blue is centred around a bookshop where we are drawn into the lives of the two main characters.
Kate Shepherd reviews three new novels – one for lower primary, one for middle school and one for secondary.
Frank Thompson, who teaches ESL at a busy language centre in Thailand has found one (free) online resource particularly effective for generating engagement in learning. Here’s what he has to say about kahoot!
According to Leah Davies, good communication depends as much as on actively receiving messages (listening; reading) as on giving messages (talking; writing). Good teachers and schools get both parts of the formula right – and work hard to keep improving.
Much has recently been written highlighting the importance of a child’s mother tongue (or “home language”). Susan Stewart, of the International School of London (Surrey), describes the advantages of putting home languages at the centre of a school’s curriculum.
Leah Davies argues that listening comprehension is vitally important if students are to achieve good reading comprehension. Children who come from homes with minimal language enrichment need to hear new words if they are to become proficient readers.
An increasing number of students in international schools, including those following IB Diploma courses are sitting the IELTS and similar examinations of language competence, but many under-perform. Chris Jay provides some useful guidance on how to avoid pitfalls and achieve success.