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Language Policy

Our beliefs about the Language Program

Language is integral to exploring and sustaining personal development, cultural identity and

intercultural understanding.

Learning ones own culture and language is requisite to optimally understanding and enjoying the

language and culture of others.

Competence in language will enable students to: learn about themselves, their own and other

cultures, to communicate their thoughts and feelings, to participate in society, to make informed

decisions about personal and social issues, to analyse information and viewpoints and to use their

imagination. ( http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/k_6/english/index.php)

For international students and domestic students where English is not the mother-tongue, students

can gain proficiency in English and at the same time maintain fluency in their mother tongue. Our

aim is, therefore, additive bilingualism. Second language acquisition enhances cross cultural

understanding and the spirit of internationalism that flows from the beliefs in the Colleges Mission

Statement. Our College is committed to students developing a multi-lingual and multi-cultural

understanding during their P-12 journey. By so doing we believe that inter-cultural understanding

will be promoted.

The aim of the language program is to promote students capacity to use language to:

y Fulfil their everyday needsy Develop, maintain and express their own sense of identityy Establish and maintain relationships with othersy Organise their thoughts and learn about the worldy Reflect upon their experiences, thoughts and feelings and share these with othersy Obtain information to direct and advise othersy Make decisions and solve problems involving themselves and othersy Participate in recreational and imaginative activitiesy Appreciate and contribute towards their cultural heritages

Guiding Principles of the Language ProgramEffective teaching and learning of language is based on the beliefs that:

y All effective learning is based on an understanding of the characteristics of the learnery All individuals can learn language by using languagey Students need to see real purpose for their language learningy Language learning is shaped by real social and cultural contextsy A supportive and challenging classroom environment enhances language learning

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y Understanding of language is improved when the features of the language are made explicitto all users

y Opportunities for students and teachers to reflect critically on language development needto be provided

School Community

The school community is made up of students, teachers, parents and the wider community.

Students

Students at our College are represented by a wide range of personal and social backgrounds

including:

y A number of students from varied social and economic backgrounds including singlesupporting parents and double income earners

y A proportion of students with learning difficulties and some students identified as Gifted andTalented

y A proportion of students with English as their second languagey A number of students from interstate and overseas communitiesy Approximately equal numbers of male and female studentsy A variety of Christian denominations and other religions

To cater for this range of students we believe the life long process of learning language is best

developed through:

y Scaffolding and monitoring of learning experiencesy Recognition of individual learning styles and ratesy Provision of purposeful learning experiencesy Fostering of the learner profile attitudesy Recognition and valuing of prior learning experiencesy Valuing diversity of culture, intellectual and physical aspectsy Provision of an individual education plan at a classroom level for students identified as

having special needs

Staff

The staff are represented by a wide range of personal, social and cultural backgrounds including:

y Experienced teachers with both local, national and international experiencey Experienced teachers with backgrounds in both state and independent educationy Graduate teachersy Specialist teachersy Teachers with prior experience and training in the Primary Years or Diploma Program

Teachers assume a range of responsibilities and roles eg:

y Communicative interacting constructively with a wide range of children and adults withinand outside the school community

y Executive assuming responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluating programs

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y Professional development providing the best quality language programs for childreny Interpersonal providing a supportive and trusting environment

The school supports staff by:

y Providing opportunities for on-going professional developmenty Encouraging collaborative practices and cooperative interaction amongst staffy Acknowledging and utilising a range of expertise

Every teacher is a Language teacher and as such needs to provide opportunities for prior

understandings to be activated in order for background knowledge to be built; to scaffold meaning;

to extend language and to affirm identity. It is accepted and understood that new learning and

understanding is constructed upon previous experiences and conceptual understandings in a

developmental continuum.

Wider Community

Interaction though community involvement is a vital resource in the language learning development

of children. Student language learning is enhanced when parents and members of the wider

community are supportive of the learning process and involved in it. This school promotes

community awareness, involvement and support by promoting and utilising positive community

links. In particular, parents and teachers share the major responsibility for the education of their

children. Each has a knowledge of the child in a different environment that is beneficial when

shared. Parental involvement is enhanced by:

y Establishing open communication channels between school and home eg: newsletters,parent discussion forums

y Welcoming parents and community members as worthwhile resources in the learning

experiences

y Inviting parents and members of the local community to be experts and real-life audiencesfor a range of student experiences

An understanding and appreciation of the nature of our school community will determine the

selection, organisation and implementation of appropriate learning experiences being planned by

classroom teachers.

The Language Program

Terms of reference for students come under the following headings:

y Literacy - using contextual understanding (knowledge) and skill to manipulate language of aparticular subject or field and to be able to communicate using a variety of modes.

y English main language of instruction used at the Collegey Mother tongue may denote any of the following: - language learned first; the language

identified with as a native speaker; the language best known; the language most used.

y ESL English as a second language

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y LOTE Language other than English offered at the College include: Spanish, Japanese,Chinese, German.

y NESB non-English speaking background.The Language program consists of the following elements:

English Programy All students learn English as a discipline subject from Kindy to Year 12 and is the main

language of instruction at the College.

Languages Other than English Program

The College places importance on language development including mother-tongue, host country and

other languages

y Students study Spanish Years P-6y In the Middle Years( Years 7-9) students have the opportunity to study Japanese, Chinese

and Germanat a beginner Level,with Spanish continuing to be offered from Year 7-12.In Year

Ten students select a range of subjects of which Language study is highly recommend.

y Candidates of the IB Diploma have the opportunity to study either German, Japanese,Chinese or Spanish at a beginners (ab initio) or advanced level (B standard or higher), as

appropriate to their prior experience and future needs.

y German, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese, as QSA Senior Syllabus subjects,are offered fromYear 10 onwards for Senior students.

y Spanish is the language that students can choose to study for their P-12 learning journey.The language offerings are subject to review and are dependent upon suitable student enrolment in

the course.

English as a Second Language

y Support is available for students in the College through the Learning Enhancement Programpolicy guidelines and through parallel English classes for ESL students who have recently

transitioned from the international college.

MotherTongue

y Students are supported in the continued development of their mother tongue.y We encourage, support and provide opportunities for students to access learning

opportunities in their mother tongue.

We are committed to collaborative, regular reviews of this policy involving all stakeholders, so that it

is a true reflection of our College philosophy.