ESL in the Mainstream Professional Development for Staff

Shaila Samtani, Head of EAL(English as Additional Language)

As part of the 成人大片 community, we continuously look for ways to upskill ourselves as teaching professionals. As a professional teacher trainer, I have spent much of my teaching career in teacher training, particularly in international school settings and in the delivery of ESL in the Mainstream strategies. Recently I have had the privilege of working with our secondary teachers in delivering The Language, Literacy, and Learning course, a well-known professional development course from the United Kingdom.

Some topics we have delved into include:

• understanding our second language learners
• exploring what key factors affect their educational success
• engaging in practical classroom strategies and activities to promote language development and curriculum access.

We have worked collaboratively on different strategies, and engaged in academic research to strengthen our pedagogical knowledge of language and how language works.

It has been wonderful to witness how committed our teachers are to teaching and learning, and student support. At 成人大片, we know that our bilingual and multilingual students have a wealth of knowledge they bring to the learning context. We are always looking for ways to acknowledge their contributions.聽

Shaila Samtani, Head of EAL

Este Verhave, G5 EAL Teacher聽

Eva Li, G4-5 ALP Teacher聽

The EAL department at 成人大片 endeavors to accommodate a range of learning needs, as we truly believe that 鈥渆very child matters鈥�. This week, we鈥檇 like to introduce you to our English Literacy Intervention (ELI) Program and our Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), both customized to accommodate the varied language needs of Elementary students.

What is ELI (English Literacy Intervention)

English Literacy Intervention (ELI) is a short-term program where facilitators identify students who need assistance with their literacy skills. Teachers work with students in groups of 3 to 4 to improve their fluency, accuracy, and comprehension skills. Their progress is monitored throughout the quarter (usually three months) and individual needs are targeted.

Benefits of ELI

 

• • Focused phonics instruction
  • Help students grow their vocabulary
  • Consistent daily practice
  • Regular teacher feedback and support
  • Grow students鈥� confidence as readers and writers
  • Improve critical thinking skills

ALP (Accelerated Language Program) – How Does It Work

Accelerated Language Program (ALP) is a semi-sheltered class where selected EAL students can receive daily intensive support in core subjects, from English Language Arts to Math and STEMinn. It aims to support students in their English language acquisition through targeted and comprehensive support in literacy and language skills.

Students spend around 15 periods a week in the ALP class in a pull-out setting and the rest of the time with their respective homeroom classes for all subject areas, including specialist classes. Students learn grade-level content with differentiated and personalized support, following the mainstream curriculum with varying levels of accommodations and modifications.

During Language Arts, students work on building literacy skills, following the same Reader鈥檚 and Writer鈥檚 workshop model as their mainstream peers, while at the same time building language foundations and growing language proficiencies.

For math and STEMinn, students have access to scaffolded instructions and specific curricular resources which promote the development of their speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This hybrid and unique program offers students a chance to be part of the mainstream classrooms while receiving specialized EAL support in the areas where they need the most. The goal of ALP is to help students grow confidence, make accelerated progress, and move towards grade-level expectations.

Parent Tips for Choosing the Right International School

Choosing an international school can be challenging, so where to begin? If a high proficiency in Mandarin or other languages is crucial to you as a parent, consider starting your search by understanding the language programs offered. Schools offer a wide range of languages and proficiencies – some offer additional language instruction three days a week while other schools have daily classes. In addition to frequency, some schools offer few levels, while others differentiate.聽

Research Second Language Options

Some key questions to consider: What languages are offered? How often? Are different levels offered? Is there a bilingual program? Is culture taught as part of the language classes? Program differences emerge in these details and will help parents shortlist their final options based on their priorities. 成人大片 School Hong Kong offers 48 levels of modern daily language with both Mandarin and Spanish options and an elementary bilingual program (English/Mandarin). All students must take a modern daily language and benefit from 40 minutes of instruction daily, leveled by grade and proficiency. This model allows students to achieve a higher mastery and education tailored to their needs. Students also explore culture in their language classes through art, poetry, and music to foster a global mindset and gain a deeper appreciation of the language and culture through project-based learning.

Next Steps

Agree on Priorities

Before visiting, it is helpful as a family to agree on the non-negotiable priorities, as each school is unique. What are you looking for in the teaching approach? Are specific art, athletic, or STEM programs vital? Are certain facilities essential? Agreeing on a few key offerings can help you ask the right questions and ensure you are visiting schools likely to meet your family’s needs.

Visit

After shortlisting schools, take time to visit! Beyond the language program, it is essential to understand how the school will foster your child’s skills and academics to achieve their ambitions.聽 Opportunities to meet the faculty and see the facilities help you decide if the school is the right fit. Sign-up for school tours, Open Days, or other events and visit as often as you wish – choosing a school is a big decision.聽聽

成人大片 School Hong Kong offers a wide range of events, tours, and Open Days to help parents understand our curriculum and culture. If you are looking for an innovative IB school with strong daily Mandarin or Spanish programs as well as聽 a bilingual option, visit us or for more details.

Should you Choose AP or the IBDP?

The good news is that both programs offer engaging and challenging coursework for students-but. What is the difference between AP and IBDP programs?

University/College Credit in High School

Many people know AP or Advanced Placement is a program that offers courses that allow students to earn college credit in high school. Less widely known is that the IBDP of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme also allows students to earn college credit. IB courses taken at the higher level translate into university credits at many North American Universities, and some universities even grant credits for subjects taken at the standard level. The number of credits awarded by each college/university is different and is located on individual university websites. Although not an exhaustive list, some examples can be

The IBDP-More than Courses

The AP is a collection of courses, whereas the IBDP goes beyond courses and offers a comprehensive program focused on critical thinking and global awareness. In addition to the courses students select, the Theory of Knowledge component builds critical thinking skills, a crucial part of university-level work and life-long skills. The IBDP also offers a 4,000-word essay project which prepares students with the research and writing skills needed for university. The Creativity Activity Service component of 150 hours broadens students’ horizons by building up skills outside the classroom and in their portfolios.

Broad Courses vs. Targeted

One consideration for students is the broad nature of the IBDP, which requires course selection across six areas. Although broad, students select lower and higher-level courses according to their talents and aspirations. Some students may prefer AP as it does not operate as a package. This flexibility allows students to pick and choose specialization courses.聽

成人大片 School Hong Kong offers the best of both options, allowing students to take select IB courses to gain college credit in high school without committing to the full IBDP if it doesn’t suit their career pathway. In addition, students benefit from the CAS component and overarching IB focus on developing lasting skills such as resilience and globally mindedness.

Each child is as different in their career aspirations. Contact the admissions experts at 成人大片 School HK to learn how our three graduating pathways can support your child’s future.

 

Benefits of the MAP Test

Many schools are now using MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) to help inform instruction and measure student growth, but why use the the MAP test, and how effective is it?

Forty Years of Research

First, it is essential to go back to the development of the MAP assessment. In 1973, educators and researchers from Oregon and Washington state school districts formed an association to build a new testing system that precisely measured individual students’ academic level and growth. These innovators pooled their time and talents to make the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). Since its creation, the NWEA has been a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency to provide insights to help tailor instruction.

What does MAP test measure?

A MAP assessment measures a student’s proficiency in math, literacy, and science against grade-level standards. Based on a student鈥檚 current achievement results, MAP also predicts (with guidance from a teacher) how much growth a student should achieve over the coming year. One important way of measuring this is to determine what percentage of students met or exceeded growth targets. For example, at 成人大片 School, students exceeded their growth targets by 15% three years in a row under the instruction of expert faculty with an average of 12 years of experience. Even during the pandemic and online classes, Grade 7 students averaged 12.9% higher than their target.

How does it support learning outcomes better than an exam?

Teachers or schools often develop exams themselves; therefore, exams can vary from school to school, even with the same curriculum content. While internal testing is helpful to understand progress, it does not provide a broader perspective based on a large data sample.

To address this need for standardized comparison, the MAP assessment was developed by experts at NWEA using over 40 years of experience. NWEA tools are currently used in about 24,500 schools in the U.S and an additional 1,000 international schools and agencies in 145 countries worldwide. MAP assessments allow educators factual data to benchmark growth on an extensive and diverse global sampling of learners.

A Tool to Improve Learning Results

After an exam, students often receive a grade without insight into where they need to extend or improve their learning鈥攐nly what they got right or wrong. MAP data provides teachers insight into each student’s unique skills and challenges as it is adaptive to their level. If a student gets a question wrong, a MAP assessment will also present questions at different levels until consistent success is shown. The final result is a clear indication of a student’s capabilities.

MAP assessments are conducted twice a year (beginning and end) and helps teachers, parents, and students understand their proficiency鈥攁t the beginning of the year鈥攖o inform teaching and reflect on progress at the end of the year ahead of the next academic year.聽聽

For example at 成人大片, based on MAP data, secondary teachers were able to confirm the trend that students with lower English proficiency would be impacted in certain math units and therefore adapt instruction to cover more vocabulary for targeted student groups and increase math proficiency.

At 成人大片 School Hong Kong, MAP is just one of the many tools used to measure student proficiency in literacy, math, and science. It’s a trusted tool to help the experienced faculty tailor instruction to each student’s unique strengths and areas needing additional support to achieve their best individual result.

Students Use STEM for Campus Design

成人大片 School Hong Kong is on the cusp of an exciting expansion, with new additional facilities to be opened on campus in the year 2021.聽 As in all areas of school life, the school community has been involved in this project from the beginning, with staff, parent and student involvement in designing areas such as the secondary library space, and selecting furniture and fittings throughout.聽

This semester, Grade 6 students have continued this collaboration by using their STEMinn skills to design an innovative and interactive activity wall for the new ground floor outdoor space, a welcome addition at the front of the school.聽

鈥淒uring our project briefing, students were shown the artist renders for the outdoor space and, as individuals, or in pairs, were challenged to design interactive features for the wall area,鈥� Ms. Blackhurst, Grade 6 teacher and lead for the project explained. 鈥淭hey were all keen to get to work, and it was exciting to hear their follow-up questions as they imagined the possibilities,鈥� she continued.聽 Students were curious to know more about aspects including if the wall was straight or curved; what the ground surface looked like; if there would be a roof overhead; and whether they could specify materials such as wood, plants, or paint color for their designs.

鈥淲e had to think of everything and draw everything and plan everything all by ourselves and it is this challenge that lets you understand that designing is a lot easier said than done,鈥� commented Eric, a student in Grade 6.

鈥淚 enjoyed thinking about innovative ideas that were unique,鈥� said Isabella.

Students were given time during their STEMinn classes to explore the design process, from the initial concept and research, through to sketching their idea, and presenting them to their classmates for feedback.聽 There was a lot to consider – inclusiveness for all age groups, material choice, sustainability and aesthetics – and these were included in a rubrik as the project was graded as part of their semester course work.聽

鈥淭he most challenging part was to think of ideas that were safe for all ages and waterproof,鈥� shared Emma.聽聽

鈥淚 enjoyed drawing my design because I like to draw and I can use my creativity to think about the design,鈥� said Tiffany.聽

鈥淭he most enjoyable thing in this challenge is that you can see other people鈥檚 work. Their work was very creative and I loved all of the work that other people did,鈥� added Frankie, when asked about the project.

鈥淚 enjoyed handing in my proposal, because I am proud of myself that I designed it – my first design challenge!鈥� said Anson.

The final designs were collated in a presentation including their visual plan and a written description, which have been shared with school leadership and the design team for consideration. Ms. Chambers, Elementary Principal commented on the variety of concepts, 鈥淭he proposals ranged from in-built seating; puzzles and games; water and plant features; as well as the use of music and technology.聽 The collaboration helped us understand what the students value in the new area – a space to engage with each other, but also an area where they can relax and enjoy some time outdoors.聽 When the final pieces are in place, we will ensure that the Grade 6 cohort of 2020 are credited for their innovation, whether their designs are adopted in whole or part.鈥澛�