Language Policy
Introduction
Kaleide International School is a small co-educational day school for children aged from 3 to 12 years, based on the principles of experiential active learning and democratic education. The school opened in September 2022 with over 40 students, 75% of whom are Spanish and have had little or no previous exposure to English as a second language.
Our priority at this stage is to help our students develop a positive relationship with English based on children’s innate desire to communicate, play, and learn. Establishing a personal relationship with our facilitators that is based on trust and affection is paramount to learning in our school, as children also learn from imitation -especially from people who care for them and whom they care for.
Ultimately, our aim is to help students develop an academic level of language competence in English, enabling us to attain the goal of offering 50% of the curriculum in English.
Language Philosophy
KIS Mission Statement
Our mission is to create a school that values caring relationships based on trust, and makes heard the voices of children in all aspects of their education. Kaleide International School is a home-like setting where children will find continuity between their family, their school and the wider society; a growth-mindset-friendly community where children feel safe from judgment, respected in their own rhythms, and supported in their full potential; a learning environment which inspires wonder, curiosity, research, experimentation, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration.
We foster children's self-motivation and autonomy, together with critical and divergent thinking, emotional awareness and competence, while nurturing their inner sense of belonging and connectedness to nature.
KIS language policy is constructed around a set of shared beliefs and values, as well as a set of language goals. Our aim is to entrust children with freedom to make decisions in a way that allows them to be lifelong learners, and responsible, thoughtful human beings who understand the complexity of the world around them, and have the knowledge, values, attitudes and skills to make a positive contribution. In this sense, language learning plays a vital role in developing global citizens who value and respect all cultures and languages.
We believe that:
Language is a tool for communicating, developing logical thinking, creating and sustaining cultural identity, as well as developing social skills and values. It helps young people to develop an understanding of the world, and also enables them to stand up for themselves and their ideals.
A language is learnt best in a real communication context, when the learning springs from an authentic need to express ourselves and relate to each other.
A command of English provides a tool for accessing information in diverse areas of knowledge, and for communicating within our school community and within the international community.
In today’s increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, proficiency in other languages is a vital skill that gives students the opportunity to engage with the world in a richer and more meaningful way.
We nurture the development of English and Spanish as the languages of instruction, and students’ home languages. A rich language environment is promoted throughout the school. As a community we recognise the shared responsibility for language development and understand the importance of language and its role in all teaching and learning.
Purpose and scope
The purpose of this Language Policy is to articulate our beliefs about the place of language in the education we offer and the responsibilities which arise from these beliefs, and to outline how students are to learn at least one language in addition to their mother tongue. It is a statement of agreement—one to which the staff and the KIS community are asked to commit to so our school can achieve its mission.
While English and Spanish are to be the languages of instruction, the language policy allows for students to inquire in their mother tongue and aspires to multilingualism. The school is committed to providing as much diversity of effective language instruction as possible.
The language policy validates the equal status of all languages. It promotes an awareness of the Spanish culture and language, as required by the Consejería de Educación del Gobierno de Canarias.
Our language policy recognises the transfer of cognitive skills from the mother tongue to English and vice versa and the acquisition of additional languages. This process encourages the acquisition of higher order thinking skills and development of multiple perspectives. The policy also recognises the importance of all teachers identifying and acting on the different levels of language acquisition of our students.
Our approach to language learning at Kaleide
KIS aims to foster in young people the desire and the ability to think and express themselves with precision, clarity, confidence and imagination in at least two languages, English being one of them. Language development in more than one language enriches personal growth, deepens our connection with other cultures, provides cognitive advantages and is essential to the development of international mindedness.
At Kaleide International School, language is always taught meaningfully and in context, which can be speaking with native facilitators, researching a topic, reading in English or writing for a variety of purposes chosen by the students. We advocate the learning of language through inquiry, allowing students to make connections with context, to explore and investigate. The learning of any language is developmental by nature, building constructively on what each individual student knows to help move them forward.
All our teaching staff (facilitators) need to have a good knowledge of English (level B2 minimum) as pedagogical team meetings are carried out in English, and our documentation is always produced in English.
The goals of language learning at Kaleide International School are:
To promote inquiry‑based authentic language learning;
To focus on the transdisciplinary nature of language learning;
To incorporate the teaching and learning of the English language into our programme of inquiry;
To incorporate an awareness of the Spanish language and culture in our programme;
To develop the skills of active listening, speaking, reading, writing and media literacy;
To interrelate the skills of active listening, speaking, reading, writing and media literacy;
In the near future, to provide for the teaching of additional languages.
Mother tongue languages
At Kaleide we recognise that some of our students speak more than one language at home. These students can make rapid progress when learning English or Spanish. Within two years, they may be competent speakers when using English or Spanish in social situations. However, it may take students from five to seven years to become fully competent in the use of academic language. This is something that both parents and facilitators need to be aware of, and which affects our Admissions Policy.
Language Profile and Admissions Policy
On application, parents complete a student background survey that indicates their proficiency in their mother tongue, English and other languages. Any application for a student who indicates that English is not their mother tongue will be reviewed by the Director as part of the admissions policy.
Once a student is admitted to the school, the Director will notify the School Coordinator and the mother tongue facilitator of the student’s level in order to provide the adequate support for the student in terms of language learning.
References
Carder, Maurice. Bilingualism in International Schools: a Model for Enriching Language Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2007.
Council of Europe. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Learning, Teaching, Assessment. http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/cadre_EN.asp
Bilingual Program
2022-26
Purpose and Scope
In line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), we believe language learning should be directed towards enabling learners to act in real-life situations, expressing themselves and accomplishing tasks of different natures.
Currently at Kaleide our student body is composed of around 75% Spanish monolingual speakers, and 25% DLLs. Dual Language education at Kaleide needs to take into account these differences, providing:
a rich language environment where DLLs can flourish;
and an adequate transition for monolingual students, promoting the transfer of skills from the home language to the additional language.
The significance of keeping the home language alive is apparent in recent research that shows how the development of this first home language helps the development of a second or third language. In the past it was thought that if the child is not proficient in the language of instruction, i.e. English, then more time should be given to learning English and less time to his home language. However, research shows that in order to gain greater proficiency in the language of instruction, it is best to sustain and support the home language. This is because of cross language transfer, where skills, knowledge and cognitive strategies that a child has, are transferred between the first and second language - by acquiring and developing one language well, the child gains a universal understanding of language that makes it much easier for him to learn and become proficient in a second or additional languages.
In relation to the school’s language instruction, the purpose of this Program is:
to design an appropriate timeline that will enable the school to provide at least 50% of our educational content in English by 2026;
to establish how our staff will be working towards this goal in the different phases of the timeline;
to describe how this Program will impact the curriculum and the necessary resources;
to allow us to assess the school’s progress in the implementation of a dual-language model.
In relation to our students’ language skills, we have established the following goals:
to help Preschool students develop basic communication skills in both Spanish and English (A1 level CEFR);
to enable Primary students to use English and Spanish in real world situations during spontaneous interactions or in a non-rehearsed context (A2-B1-B2 level CEFR).
Below is a description of the language skills expected for each level of proficiency in young learners:
Level
Description
A1
Students are able to use basic language in communication situations involving immediate needs or very common everyday matters.
A2
Students can understand commonly-used everyday phrases and expressions related to areas of experience particularly relevant to them (e.g. basic information about themselves and their families, shopping, places of interest, occupations, etc.).
B1
Students can:
Understand the main ideas of clear texts, in standard language, if they involve well-known topics related to work, studies or leisure.
Handle most situations on a trip
Produce simple texts about common topics or subject matters of interest.
Describe: experiences, events, wishes and hopes as well as briefly justify opinions or explain plans.
B2
Students can:
Understand the gist of complex texts, regardless of whether they are about concrete or abstract themes. Even technical texts should be understood as long as they are within the candidates’ field of specialisation.
Interact with native speakers with sufficient fluency and spontaneity, so that communication does not constitute an effort for the interlocutors.
Produce clear and detailed texts about diverse topics, as well as defend a point of view on general topics, stating the pros and cons of the different options.
For the purpose of this program, children who are Dual Language Learners (or DLLs) are those who are learning two (or more) languages at the same time, or learning a second language while continuing to develop their first language. Children who are DLLs are a very diverse group by many measures, and have varying levels of proficiency in their home language and in an additional language. In the context of this program, the term "Dual Language Learners" may encompass or overlap substantially with other terms frequently used, such as Limited English Proficient (LEP), bilingual, English language learner (ELL), English learner (EL), and children who speak a Language Other Than English (LOTE).
Receptive Bilingualism refers to children who are able to understand two languages but express themselves in only one. These are children who have been exposed to the language prior to coming to school, through television for example, or through older siblings who may be learning English in school and may speak it amongst themselves. This is a fairly common experience for many children, although they are not considered fully bilingual.
Pedagogical Approach
At Kaleide, the promotion of positive interactions between teachers (or “facilitators”) and students is an essential instructional objective. In the reciprocal interaction approach that we implement -and which also applies to language instruction-, teachers participate in genuine dialogue with pupils and facilitate, rather than control, student learning. This model encourages the development of higher level cognitive skills rather than just factual recall (Berman et al., 1995; Cummins, 1986; Doherty et al., 2003; Wenglinsky, 2000) and is associated with higher student achievement (Levine & Lezotte, 1995).
As a transitional measure, during the first stages of the Program, we will be using a “sheltered approach” to English instruction with those students who are still in the “receptive bilingualism” stage. This is an instructional approach that engages English Language Learners above the beginner level in developing grade-level content-area knowledge, academic skills, and increased English proficiency. In sheltered English classes, teachers use clear, direct, simple English and a wide range of scaffolding strategies to communicate meaningful input in the content area to students.
These are some teaching strategies used in sheltered instruction:
• Speak clearly and slowly. For example, introduce your name with a pause between your first and last names, or between your title and last name.
• Employ pauses, short sentences, simple syntax, few pronouns, and idioms.
• Use visuals, hands-on activities, and items that they can manipulate or hold.
• Require physical response to check comprehension, such as asking students to show, point, or draw their response.
• Model, or act out, the activities for students.
• Use modified speech, gestures, body language, facial expressions.
• Use other (bilingual) students as peer helpers. This also works with family members.
• Encourage responses in a student's first language.
• Simplify the language, not the content.
• Ask students questions that require one/two word responses: who?, what?, which one?, how many?
• Focus on expanding students’ vocabulary by using words with Greek and Latin roots, which are used in other languages besides English. For example, instead of saying watch, say observe because it corresponds to the Spanish verb observar. Show them how some words are related, such as turn, tornado and tour.
• List and review instructions step by step, checking comprehension after each one.
• Paraphrase using synonyms, antonyms, and cognates.
These sheltering techniques occur in the context of a reciprocal interactive exchange and
include various activities as alternatives to the traditional transmission approach. Sheltered
techniques include:
• Using visual aids such as pictures, charts, graphs, and semantic mapping
• Modeling instruction, allowing students to negotiate meaning and make connections
between course content and prior knowledge
• Allowing students to act as mediators and facilitators
• Using alternative assessments, such as portfolios, to check comprehension
• Providing comprehensible speech, scaffolding, and supplemental materials
• Using a wide range of presentation strategies
With those students who are DLLs and are already able to use both Spanish and English, we will be implementing a dual immersion model. This approach provides instruction in both English and Spanish at alternating times of the day, on alternating days, or on alternating weeks. To effectively use this approach, teachers must be fluent in both languages and teaching materials must be available in both languages. Research pointing to the cognitive, social, and later economic benefits of bilingualism and the need for substantial exposure to two languages to attain those benefits, suggests that this approach or a variation of it, delivered in a high quality setting, is optimal for DLLs.
There are two levels of language acquisition that are relevant to bilingualism, and which our facilitators need to be aware of:
Rapid Language Development– Social English
In this instance the speaker learns the surface language patterns and can, within a very short period of time – usually one to two years - sound like a native speaker. This informal, superficial language skill, in which short, simple sentence structures are predominant,is what is also referred to as ‘conversational’, ‘playground’ or Social English. Social English requires a smaller vocabulary than Academic English. Children use Social English with peers and adults in relaxed, playful, informal situations. It is the first type of English that we hear our young English Learners use, and it is important for facilitators to remember that each child will develop this skill at his or her own pace.
Academic Language Development– Academic English
Studies have shown that it takes school-age bilingual children five to seven years to master Academic English that requires longer, more complex sentence structures as well as a larger vocabulary than Social English. It is important for facilitators to remember this time factor, so that when we come to assess language development, we do not immediately label this child as having language difficulties or disorders.
Successive Bilingualism applies to children whose home language is well established and they learn the second language when they come to school. Children acquiring a second language generally go through the following four stages of language acquisition. Being aware of this model helps us have reasonable expectations of children:
1. The child who enters the preschool understanding hardly any English will use his home language, which may not be understood by others but which is his only means of communication. Eventually of course, children no longer use their home language with those who do not understand it. However, it appears that continued use and development of the child’s home language will benefit children as they acquire an additional language.
2. Children then go through a silent or nonverbal period. This stage can last from one to twelve months. If we are not aware of this stage, we might think that the child is having difficulties and consider professional intervention. This silence however, is the silence we find in the young infant, who is still absorbing his language, prior to speaking it - where an understanding of the language precedes his ability to use it. During this silence, a lot of listening is taking place, as well as acute observation of the gestures, sounds, facial expressions etc. that accompany any language. The child is trying to make sense and find
meaning in this jumble of sounds and movements. If children find themselves in a safe, secure situation they will gradually start making a few attempts at speaking - combining gestures and facial expressions. The role of the adult at this stage is to ‘let the child be’. We need to ensure that the child finds himself in a linguistically rich environment where things are being said, exchanged, explained, sung, read, written and recounted, so that children may absorb all the sounds, structures, words, gestures etc. that they require. Using images and materials to reinforce what is being said, a lot of pointing and dramatic gestures etc. all help to convey meaning to a child who is able to understand, in fact, much more than what he can say. We must respect this creative silence, since we know full well that although voiceless, the child is creating his new voice, and with that will also come his identity.
3. The next phase begins when children start cracking the code of this new language, usually in a telegraphic or formulaic way i.e. they will use a few words, or phrases without understanding how they really function in order to communicate mainly action, possession or location e.g. ‘me home’ ‘I like...’ ‘Gimme...’ ‘I want... ‘. We respond to these efforts, by showing we understand and by verbalizing the complete phrase of what the child is saying. We help by repeatedly giving him these formulaic phrases, which he will quickly pick up and which will serve to communicate to others his basic needs and feelings.
4. Finally, the child comes to the Fluid Language phase, where he is able to use his second language like all surface users i.e. he becomes proficient in Social English. We find children are constantly experimenting in the use, form, sound, purpose and intent of both languages. They love to play with language and we should not worry about this trial and error phase. On the contrary we need to support and encourage the child’s attempts at speaking, accepting all the mistakes made in pronunciation, syntax and expression but ensuring that we respond using the language correctly. We help by giving all the appropriate names of objects, emphasizing key words in sentences, repeating important words in context and coordinating, where necessary, actions with language, so that we may optimize the child’s understanding capabilities, thereby enhancing his self esteem.
Children who are DLLs and learning diversity
Instruction for young children who are DLLs and who also have specific learning needs should take into account their specific early intervention or special education and related services needs, as well as their language needs. As with all children who are DLLs, it is critical that teachers working with these children have an understanding of the second language acquisition process, and how this might be influenced by the child’s individual development, and their disability.For instance, if there is a disability, it should be present in both languages, not just in English.
The approach we shall be following with children with learning diversities will be the following:
Home language (Spanish) with English support: Under this model, instruction is primarily provided in children’s home language, but there is support for English language acquisition, through intentional exposure to English, the availability of learning materials in English, and the display of English words. This approach can also be appropriate for infants and toddlers who are DLLs. Infants and toddlers are still in the early stages of developing their first language. A strong foundation in a DLL’s first language is important in its own right, and facilitates English language acquisition through the transferability of language skills. It is also important that in these early years, infant and toddler DLLs be offered experiences in English. As such, this approach can also confer important benefits to young children who are DLLs through intentional exposure to both their home language and English. To effectively use this approach, teachers should be fluent in the home language selected and should be proficient in English or recruit the assistance of other qualified staff or volunteers who are proficient in English.
Structure and Staffing
At Kaleide, language instruction is integrated within the curriculum. Native English facilitators use only English when speaking with the children.
We have appointed an English Language Coordinator (Saidhbh Mallon) to oversee and coordinate the implementation of this Program in collaboration with the Director.
Spanish and English are kept distinct by facilitators attaining to the principle “one person one language”, except in the case of the main Early Years facilitator, who will use Spanish most of the time to help her bond with the children. Ratios for all activities are between 5 and 15 children per adult.
Curriculum coverage and progression takes place in all areas of learning regardless of what language a facilitator is using. Facilitators do not repeat the same activity in both languages but they do ensure that pupils develop the necessary linguistic skills to express key concepts in both languages.
Pupils feel free to use whatever language they are comfortable with when engaging in interactions as they negotiate and construct meaning.
The facilitator’s role, besides being a “language model”, is to also monitor language use in the classroom environment and through appropriate strategies to encourage students to use the target language.
Facilitators’ level of English proficiency:
Name of facilitator
Level of English
Saidhbh Mallon
Native
Alba González Piera
C1
Saphia Tonazzini
C1
Paloma Pérez Rodríguez
B2
Cora Cruz Arias
B1
These are the British Curriculum areas of development to be taught in English:
Preschool:
Communication and Language 50%
Physical Development 100%
Literacy 50%
Mathematics 50%
Expressive Arts and Design 50%
Understanding the world (Spanish)
Personal, Social and Emotional development (Spanish)
Primary:
English 100%
Maths 50%
Science 100%
Design and Technology 50%
Music 100%
PE 100%
Computing 50%
PSHE 50%
Citizenship 50%
History (Spanish)
Geography (Spanish)
Art and Design (Spanish)
Lengua y Cultura española (Spanish)
Timeline
During the first three years of the program, we will be transitioning from the use of Spanish to support the student's development of English and content learning, to 50% of instructional time in English and 50% in Spanish.
We will be employing an early-exit model with the younger students and with those who have previous knowledge of English, and a late-exit model with students who need a greater transitional period during which they can acquire the second language at a slower pace. Individual assessments of students will be essential to establish the need for one model or the other.
2022-23: Transitional Stage I (Sheltered approach)
STAFFING: One new English-speaking facilitator is hired (Saphia Tonazzini). In total, the school has 5 facilitators (2 use English full time, 1 uses English part-time, and 2 use Spanish full time).
Spanish-speaking facilitators are encouraged to improve their level of English in order to acquire C1 level.
CURRICULUM
Early Years: Alba uses Spanish and offers 3 activities per week in English. Saidhbh offers 4 activities per week in English. Some of Alba’s activities are co-taught with Saidhbh, and Saidhbh engages in the children’s self-directed activities, reads stories to them and makes casual conversation with them.
Lower Primary: Saidhbh offers at least 4 activities in English per week. Cora uses only Spanish.
Upper Primary (4th-5th grade): Paloma uses Spanish. Saphia offers activities in English and one weekly activity in French.
2023-24 Transitional Stage II (Sheltered Approach)
STAFFING: The number of English-speaking members of staff, and/or regular workshops by English-speaking experts, should be maintained or increased, especially for Upper Primary students.
CURRICULUM: Workshops by experts, when taught in Spanish, are carried out in co-teaching with an English speaking facilitator.
Minimum increase of 10% in relation to previous school year in English instruction.
2024-25 Transitional Stage III (Sheltered Approach)
STAFFING: The number of English-speaking members of staff, and/or regular workshops by English-speaking experts, should be maintained or increased for all groups.
CURRICULUM: Workshops by experts, when taught in Spanish, are carried out in co-teaching with an English speaking facilitator.
Minimum increase of 10% in relation to previous school year in English instruction.
2025-26 Stage IV (Dual immersion)
STAFFING: The number of English-speaking members of staff, and/or regular workshops by English-speaking experts, should be maintained or increased for all groups.
CURRICULUM: Workshops by experts, when taught in Spanish, are carried out in co-teaching with an English speaking facilitator.
Minimum increase of 10% in relation to previous school year in English instruction.
The following table is a summary of the above timeline:
Year
Preschool
Grades 1-4
Grade 5
Grade 6
2022-23
Language input of 50% English and 50% Spanish
40% approx. of activities in English and 60% in Spanish.
40% approx. of their activities in English and 60% in Spanish
2023-24
Language input of 50% English and 50% Spanish
40% approx. of activities in English and 60% in Spanish.
40% approx. of their activities in English and 60% in Spanish
40% approx. of their activities in English and 60% in Spanish
2024-25
Language input of 50% English and 50% Spanish
50% approx. of activities in English and 50% in Spanish.
50% approx. of their activities in English and 50% in Spanish
50% approx. of their activities in English and 50% in Spanish
2025-26
Language input of 50% English and 50% Spanish
English instruction is increased to 60-70% in all areas.
English instruction is increased to 60-70% in all areas.
English instruction is increased to 60-70% in all areas.
Resources
We aim to offer a print-rich environment in English for different levels of literacy, including books in dual languages that represent the best available and those that are the most linguistically and culturally appropriate for the school’s student population.
Bilingual books of many genres and a variety of types of materials (e.g., visual,
audiovisual, art) will be purchased to meet the goals of bilingualism and biliteracy.
Assessment and Accountability
Dual language programs require the use of multiple measures in both languages to assess students’ progress toward meeting bilingual and biliteracy goals along with the curricular and content-related goals. Assessment of DLLs must achieve the following:
demonstrate growth and gains over time
demonstrate mastery of skills and content
provide an authentic and concrete picture of students' capabilities
help students become self-reflective
provide concrete support for bringing about change
shift the focus from negative indicators to those of positive achievement
At Kaleide we aim to use informal assessments (also called authentic or alternative) to allow facilitators to track the ongoing progress of our students regularly and often. Ongoing assessments provide continual snapshots of where students are throughout the school year.
Portfolio assessments
We shall be using portfolios to assess student work throughout the entire year. Portfolios include information, sample work, and evaluations that serve as indicators for student performance. By documenting student performance over time, portfolios are a better way to crosscheck student progress than just one measure alone. Portfolios can include:
Samples of written student work, such as stories, completed forms, exercise sheets, and descriptions
Drawings representing student content knowledge and proficiencies
Tapes of oral work, such as role-playing, presentations, or an oral account of a trip
Facilitators’ descriptions of student accomplishments, such as performance on oral tasks
Checklists or summary sheets of tasks and performances
ELLs can have an active role in the portfolio process:
Students can select samples of their work and reflect on their own growth over time.
Facilitators can meet with ELLs to develop their goals and standards.
Together with students, facilitators can create their own rubrics.
Evidence of Implementation
In order to ensure that this Program is being adequately implemented to meet student, staff and community needs, we will:
Inform staff of their responsibilities related to language learning and with regards to monitoring and following up of students’ progress.
Supervise the pedagogical team’s activities and approach in relation to language learning.
Provide clear information to parents regarding the school’s Language Policy and our Bilingual Program (available on the school’s website).
Inform parents of their children’s language progress at pedagogical meetings, and seek their support.
Support facilitators in their continued professional development in language learning.
Evidence of implementation will take the form of:
Improvement in students’ language proficiency as evidenced by assessments and parents’ observations.
Increased understanding by parents of the learning process, and that of DLLs in particular.
Increased involvement of our staff in the implementation of this Program.
References
Supporting Bilingual Children
By Irene Fafalio
Creating an Effective Data Reporting System for ELLs
By Barbara Law, Mary Eckes
Language-Skill Complementarity: Returns to Immigrant Language Acquisition Eli Berman, Kevin Lang, and Erez Siniver NBER Working Paper No. 7737 June 2000 JEL No. C8
Cummins, J. (1986). Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 18-36.
Doherty, R.W., Hilberg, R.S., Pinal, A., & Tharp, R.G. (2003). Five standards and student
achievement. NABE Journal of Research and Practice 1, 1-24.
Levine, D.U. & Lezotte, L.W. (1995). Effective schools research. In J.A. Banks & C.A. Mcgee
Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (pp. 525-547). New York:
Macmillan.
Wenglinsky, H. (2000). How teaching matters: Bringing the classroom back into discussions of
teacher quality. Princeton, N.J.: Educational Testing Service.
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