- Ambrit Rome International School
-
- Language Policy Across the Curriculum (LPAC)
- 3rd Draft -May 2002 (with staff revisions)
-
- This document has recently been revised
by the LPAC Co-ordinator and the Administration.
-
- The Dual Language Programmes for Grades 3-5 and Middle School
have been modified and will be added to this document in due
course.
-
- Jennifer Kightley
- EAL and LPAC Co-ordinator
- September 2008
-
- Table of
Contents
-
- Introduction
(not yet available)
-
- I. Statement of
philosophy
- What we do, how we do it & who we do
it for
- What is a dual-language education?
- What are the roles of the English
and Italian Languages?
- What are the English and Italian language
admissions criteria?
- What is the role of Ambrit's administrators
and the LPAC coordinator?
- What is the role of the Ambrit faculty?
- What is the role of the Ambrit
community?
-
- II. Ambrit's School-wide Language
Policies
- A dual-language for learning
policy
- A dual-language development policy
- A dual-language admissions &
placement policy
- A dual-language & assessment
policy
- A dual-language policy on technology &
the creative arts (to be completed)
- A dual-language linguistic & cultural
awareness policy
-
-
- III. Ambrit's English and Italian
Language Policies
- A dual-language oral skills policy
- A dual-language reading policy
- A dual-language writing policy
- A dual-language curriculum policy
-
-
- IV. Dual Language
Curriculum
- Work in progress: this will include unit plans for all
content curriculum areas.
-
- Appendix A:
- Glossary (text items in bold
type )
-
- Appendix B:
- Ambrit dual language exemplary education checklist .(will be
included in final draft)
-
- Appendix C:
- Bibliography
-
-
- * indicates facilities or services which are
not yet in place but which we recognise as being necessary to
attain status as an exemplary dual language school and which we
are actively working to provide.
-
-
-
-
-
- Statement of philosophy
-
- What we do
- Ambrit students experience a dual-language education in which
English is the primary language of instruction whilst Italian is
maintained at grade level proficiency for native speakers and
taught as an additional language for non-native speakers. The two
languages are taught either as subjects or through subject matter
content, thereby developing both basic interpersonal communication
skills (BICS -the ability to communicate in an
additional language) and cognitive academic language proficiency
(CALP -the ability to think and to solve
problems in the additional language) in both English and Italian.
The ultimate instructional goal is the attainment of appropriate
levels of proficiency in the two languages, taking into account
those variables which affect language acquisition and
development.
-
- One advantage of a dual-language education is that it promotes
an appreciation of cultural and linguistic diversity. Ambrit
students transcend their own cultural boundaries to become
international and independent thinkers and communicators.
Ambrit International School also values bi/multilingualism among
its students for the educational and professional opportunities it
may open up for them in a global community.
-
- How we do it
- Ambrit teaches English and Italian as either first or
additional languages through a dual-language curriculum.
- A major goal of Ambrit International School is to provide an
exemplary dual language curriculum through a language immersion
approach. Under supportive conditions, this approach is one of the
most effective ways of acquiring a additional language.
- Supportive conditions include presenting the grade-level
content through a variety of recommended instructional strategies,
relating new material to students' life experiences, drawing
attention to key specialist vocabulary, using a variety of
assessment tools and implementing interactive group activities in
an integrated curriculum.
- English and Italian mainstream teachers, together with EAL and
IAL teachers, work jointly as members of instructional teams to
develop appropriate language experiences integrated with Ambrit's
curriculum objectives.
-
- Overall programme goals are:
- · high academic
achievement;
- · language proficiency in
English and Italian;
- · language maintenance and
development in both languages;
- · systematic increase of
language proficiency in both languages;
- · cross-cultural
understanding within an international school population.
-
- Ambrit administrators and faculty attend to these goals on two
levels:
- school-wide and in individual classrooms.
-
- The first level considers the school's culture, policies and
practice and includes:
- · school-wide policies and
organisation;
- · home, school, and
community partnerships;
- · curriculum and student
assessment;
- · staff knowledge base and
professional development;
- · development of language
programmes.
-
- The second level of programme implementation involves the
following practices at the classroom level:
- · creating a challenging
and responsive learning environment;
- · designing and delivering
instruction;
- · providing a framework and
context for instruction;
- · creating opportunities
for including and implementing changes.
-
- Exemplary criteria for measuring how good a job is being done
at Ambrit International School is attached as an appendix to this
document (will be included in final draft). We invite you to share
our ongoing improvement efforts.
-
- Who we do it for
- Bilingualism is a phenomenon which eludes exact definition.
While all bilinguals have knowledge of and are able to use two
languages, not all of them do so in similar ways. Bilingualism is
a continuum along which knowledge and use of two languages vary
for individuals. A typology of Ambrit bilinguals consists of:
- · English-background
students (both parents) with no Italian proficiency;
- · English-background
students (both parents) with some Italian proficiency either as a
result of an extended stay in Italy or attendance at a Italian
school;
- · non-English background
(both parents) "international" students who are English proficient
as a result of living abroad;
- · non-English background,
students who are not English-proficient as a result of always
having lived in the home country and attended school in their L1
and are acquiring L2 and/or L3 at Ambrit;
- · Italian background
students (both parents) with no English proficiency (admitted at
age 3-5);
- · Italian background
students (both parents) returning to Italy who have maintained
Italian language proficiency but who are also English proficient;
- · Italian background
students (both parents) returning to Italy whose Italian
proficiency is very limited but who are English proficient;
- · cross-language students
(one Italian speaking parent and one English speaking parent) who
have acquired the two languages simultaneously from birth;
- · cross-language students
(one Italian speaking parent and one English speaking parent) who
have acquired only one language in the home but who aspire to
bilingual proficiency;
- · cross-language students
(one Italian or English speaking parent but other not Italian or
English speaker) who are bilingual but not necessarily in Italian
or English cross-language students (one parent-one language and
one parent-another language but neither is English or Italian) who
are bilingual but in two other languages with no English or
Italian proficiency (admitted until grade;
- · cross-language
students (neither parent with English or Italian) who are
bilingual in Italian and another language that is not English
(admitted at age 3-5).
- Ambrit's dual language programme accommodates students with
varying levels of bilingualism.
-
-
-
- What is a dual-language
education?
- A dual language education uses two languages in the curriculum
with the expectation that its linguistically varied classroom
population develops bilingual language proficiencies. At Ambrit
the two languages are equally valued and serve to cultivate a
variety of practices to construct a bilingual school ethos.
-
- Student selection decisions are made at Ambrit in order to
ensure its mixture and balance of language learners. All Ambrit
students attain increasing levels of bilingualism and biliteracy
in English and Italian. Native speakers of English and Italian
make progress in their first languages and attain proficiency in
their second languages. Students coming from non-English or
Italian backgrounds find themselves immersed in both languages in
the school and community. In addition to this focus on proficiency
in the two languages, other Ambrit priorities include:
-
- · a learner-centred
education emphasising successful academic achievement;
- · social integration into
the school and community;
- · the building of a
positive self-image for each child;
- · a positive experience to
produce multicultural students.
-
-
-
- What are the roles of the
English and Italian languages?
- · acquire information by
listening to oral presentations, interpreting print and graphic
material and observing and recording practical experiences;
- · convey information by
telling stories and explaining ideas;
- · think logically
through inference, hypothesis, analysis, prediction and
evaluation;
- · accomplish practical
tasks either individually or by negotiating in small groups;
- · make decisions by
identifying alternatives, evaluating evidence and
determining appropriate actions;
- · work creatively by using
ideas and materials inventively;
- · interact, responsibly and
respectfully, with all members of the school community in order to
realise the above, and to be able to function on a social level
by, for example, making and responding to requests,
following and giving instructions and conversing.
-
-
- The Dual-language programme has the following agenda.
-
- Grades 1 and 2
- Students who are non-native speakers of English and/or Italian
follow the mainstream language programmes (with the support of EAL
teachers and/or Italian language facilitators). They have the
opportunity to acquire proficiency in both languages, to gain
broader cultural perspectives and gradually become active
participants in all mainstream activities.
-
-
- Grades 3, 4, and 5 ~ Middle School
- The programmes in these two areas have recently been
modified are due to be added to this document.
-
- Italian as a first language maintains grade-level academic
skills and literacy in alignment with the curriculum of the
Italian Ministry of Education. Students expand and enrich language
skills through other subjects such as math, history, geography and
science. After completing this programme it is possible for the
students to take the State examination at the end of 8th grade,
which enables them to continue their education in the Italian
educational system.
-
-
-
- English and Italian admissions
criteria
- · Admission is open to all
students regardless of race, gender, creed or socio-economic
background.
- · Ambrit selects students
with international backgrounds.
- · The director, through the
admissions process, aims to create heterogeneous groups for each
grade level.
- · The school makes every
effort to maintain a student body composed of at least 20% English
first language, 45% third language nationals and 35% Italian first
language.
-
- Italian first language students are
accepted:
- · in pre-school providing
that one parent of the applicant speaks English;
- · at other levels if they
have attended school abroad and require no EAL support.
-
- Third language speakers with no English:
- · are admitted through
grade 6;
- · may on occasion be
admitted in grade 7 and 8 if half-day, private EAL instruction is
provided by the family.
-
- English first language students are all admitted to the
school.
-
-
-
- What are the roles of Ambrit
Administrators and the LPAC Co-ordinator?
- The primary role of the administrators is to:
- · provide academic
leadership for the school;
- · support professional
development in the practices of the LPAC and;
- · uphold community liaison
with parents regarding language issues and the school's language
programmes.
-
- The LPAC Co-ordinator has the charge to guide the Educational
Leadership Team in areas relating to English and Italian language
policies and programmes. The EAL Co-ordinator, who is also the
LPAC Co-ordinator, is responsible for overseeing the
implementation and revision of Ambrit language policy efforts. The
following goals set out the range of activities that the appointee
officially undertakes:
- · work with administrators
and faculty to enhance the language programmes with a LPAC
perspective;
- · work with the Curriculum
Co-ordinator to develop thematically-integrated,
language programme curricula;
- · promote effective
language teaching and assessment practices;
- · maintain liaison between
LPAC and faculty regarding language policy issues;
- · represent the school's
language programmes at appropriate forums.
-
- Responsibility for dual-language education does not rest
exclusively with the LPAC Co-ordinator but rather is shared with
Ambrit faculty and parents as outlined below.
-
-
-
- What is the role of the Ambrit
faculty?
- Since learning and language are inextricably bound, the
responsibility for the implementation of the LPAC belongs to every
teacher.
- Specific "facilitating" behaviours include:
-
- · acquiring a professional
knowledge base in; second language acquisition processes,
students' developmental dual-language practices, and familiarity
with individual student's language learning cognitive styles;
- · integrating language
instruction with content instruction (explicit attention is given
to the syntactic and semantic features of language in the design
of lessons);
- · making high-level
academic content instructionally comprehensible (through the use
of contextualisation strategies such as gestures, visual aids,
maps, graphs, manipulatives, drama, and songs);
- · creating classroom
environments that are discourse-rich and process-oriented
(plentiful opportunities for students to listen, read, speak, and
write through interactive activities);
- · modelling
metalinguistic learning strategies
(specific actions second language learners use to become
self-directed);
- · giving ongoing feedback
to students on their linguistic and cognitive development through
observation and measurement strategies;
- · holding exceptionally
high linguistic and academic expectations for all students;
- · involving parents in the
linguistic and academic development of their children;
- · recognising and
supporting students' linguistic and academic needs and strengths;
and
- · encouraging dispositions
needed for life in an international world (e.g. empathy,
flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, respect for others'
languages and cultures through ongoing language study).
-
-
-
- What is the role of the Ambrit
community?
- The community is taken to mean the families of Ambrit's
students who may or may not come from a bilingual background (see
page 6). Bilingualism is a complex, multi-layered phenomenon, but
from the child's point of view, the family and community is where
it all begins. A number of parental actions will facilitate
linguistic and academic success for Ambrit's students. They are:
- · showing and maintaining a
positive attitude towards English and Italian;
- · associating closely with
members of the language groups in community activities;
- · getting together with
other parents to exchange ideas and reduce isolation;
- · modelling how much is to
be gained by learning other languages;
- ·
discussing the ways to raise bilingual children and making it a
family commitment;
- · developing and
maintaining mother tongue literacy skills in the home;
- · encouraging and
supporting children's second language acquisition;
- · supplying multilingual
materials in the home;
- · keeping informed about
dual-language issues in order to support Ambrit's language policy;
- · basing their expectations
of the children and the school on reliable, up-to-date information
about language acquisition and bilingualism.
-
-
-
-
- Ambrit School-wide
Language Policies
-
- A dual-language for learning
policy
- · We recognise that
language is the primary vehicle for learning and cognitive
development and acknowledge its centrality to the curriculum.
- · We are provided with the
opportunity to grow through in-service professional development.
- · We implement appropriate
instructional strategies supported by facilitators and second
language teachers in our classrooms.
- · We teach students to use
active and experiential learning strategies appropriate for
linguistically and cognitively diverse students.
- · We use specific
instructional strategies for different kinds of learners and take
into account their different backgrounds.
- · Our library facilities
have resources in English and Italian to support integrated
themes. *
- · Children practise
Italian, the host country language, in school and in the local
community, for example through field trips, by interacting with
guest speakers, and in community service*.
- · We encourage parents to
support their children's learning in both languages, for example
through the parents' own language learning and by their
demonstrating that they value other cultures and languages.
-
- A dual-language
development policy
- · We view on-going
language development for all Ambrit students as the responsibility
of all teachers.
- · We comprehend the
individual variability inherent in the second language acquisition
process.
- · We are familiar with the
research on the variables of aptitude, personality, attitude,
motivation, and learning style, all of which produce different
rates of second language acquisition and ultimate levels of
bilingual attainment.
- · We avoid blanket
decisions and treat each student's language development within the
context of our professional understanding and knowledge.
- · We facilitate language
development through the provision of extensive opportunities to
hear language in meaningful and comprehensible ways.
- · We facilitate language
development by giving students extensive opportunities to practise
authentic communication thereby responding to increasingly
sophisticated and complex linguistic demands.
- · We facilitate language
development through the provision of extensive opportunities for
students to receive feedback regarding their own efforts.
- · We initiate small-group
talk to extend interlanguage
boundaries.
- · We carefully structure
our classroom tasks and environments to provide the kind of
setting where natural language acquisition takes place.
- · We teach and model
language learning strategies
(metacognitive, cognitive, and affective) to enable students to
become self-directed and self-regulated learners.
- · We provide for language
development beyond the classroom for students who require
additional support, through the services of the resource
department.
- · We refer students who
require other specialist support or therapy to private
practitioners.
-
- A dual language
class placement policy
- · Ambrit supports a
heterogeneous student population in its classrooms.
- · We aim to form classes
that are balanced by gender, academic and language abilities in
order to facilitate the appreciation of diversity, positive,
social interchange and co-operative learning.
- · Teachers and specialists
meet at the end of each academic year to decide student class
placement for the following year.
- · We apply this class
placement policy, at each grade level, in accordance with the
above criteria and the school philosophy.
-
- A dual-language
assessment policy
- · We consider
holistic performance more significant than knowledge of discrete
linguistic items (i.e. what students can do over what they have
memorised).
- · We use developmentally
appropriate assessment strategies, which provide meaningful
feedback to learners, their parents and ourselves.