Language: ESL and Mother Tongue

Boarding Handbook 2020-21

Language plays a key role in providing students with the intellectual framework to support conceptual development and critical thinking. The development of language is essential to communication and inquiry-based learning as it supports and enhances a student’s ability to construct meaning. Language cannot be explored without culture. As such, we see the development of language as a shared responsibility of all teachers to foster language and literacy skills in all disciplines.

An IB blog post reminds us, “Those who learn several languages soon realise the inseparable link between thought and language. It is a fact that learning other languages gives us a more complete vision of reality, helps us think in different ways and provides solutions to the same problem from different perspectives.”

Branksome Hall recruits and welcomes international students with a variety of mother-tongue languages. Branksome Hall provides English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction from Grade 8 through to Grade 11 for students whose mother tongue is not English. Grade 7 students are offered language support outside of the classroom. Push-in support is available in addition to after school language support. All ESL students transition into regular English classes in their Grade 12 year at Branksome Hall. The school sources and employs mother tongue teachers for the languages represented in our community, as well as a curriculum leader who assists the teachers in meeting curricular requirements. The International Languages program is available to all students at Branksome Hall.

Branksome Hall recognizes that a broad proficiency in English is essential to students’ success in both their social and academic lives. The English as a Second Language program addresses reading, writing, listening and speaking expectations as well as social and cultural competence goals. The ESL curriculum is designed to provide English Language Learners with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in attaining their individual goals and

achieve success and balance in the Branksome community and as global citizens.

Extra time is given for summative assessments for ELL students from Grade 8–11.

Translating dictionaries may be used for assessments (up to the end of grade 10).

Students are encouraged to use assistive technologies, when appropriate, to support English acquisition (online/electronic translators, online vocabulary generators, etc.)

Specific attention is provided to the individual learning needs of ELL students including:

	Modifications of assessments and/or deadlines.
	Strategic seating with a “language buddy” to encourage mother tongue translations/support.
	Encouraging the use of mother tongue for note-taking.
	Use of visuals and written notes that accompany verbal instructions.

One of the primary goals of language development is to promote communicative competence in a multilingual environment that respects and celebrates multiple languages and cultural diversity. We support the research that the maintenance and development of mother tongue is crucial to cognitive development and maintaining cultural identity within an intercultural context and we recognize that language learning is crucial for both social integration and academic success. Therefore, we strive to value all languages and cultures in our attempt to be the pre-eminent educational community of globally minded learners and leaders.