Tony Dickenson believes the relationship between teacher and student is evolving. Today, a more holistic approach, centred on inquiry requires a “collective approach,” with teacher and student exploring these concepts side by side.
As an adult or as a student, becoming competent in a language means being able to listen and understand, to speak and make meaning while using it to read and write. Elly Tobin reflects on implications for those learning in a range of subjects using English, as a second language.
In school libraries around the world, ‘leveling’ texts to match them to a child’s level of reading development is accepted practice. Uma Shankar Singh thinks we ought to think again – carefully.
According to Elly Tobin. the needs of learners in international schools have changed dramatically over recent years and at Consilium we have seen a shift from school populations being largely English speaking expats to host national students with limited inital English proficiency seeking an international education through the medium of English.
It will not be long before the number of British schools franchised for overseas campuses reaches the 100 mark. According to Nick Chaddock the explosion of British schools throughout the world shows no sign of slowing, and this phenomenon raises some important issues for EAL learners, as they master ‘academic’ English.
In the first of three articles about language as the key to learning, Orla Redmond examines ways of creating language-rich primary classrooms, which encourage the kind of talk that will stimulate thinking.
Proofreading is generally considered the last part of the editing process during which students check for errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Chris Jay believes it can be so much more.
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” analytical approach can build understanding of English texts.
Much has recently been written highlighting the importance of a child’s mother tongue (or “home language”). Susan Stewart, describes the advantages of putting home languages at the centre of a school’s curriculum.
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.