children of the world arriving at our school doors esl students photos courtesy of immigrant...
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Children of the world arriving at our school doors
ESL Students
Photos courtesy of Immigrant Services Society of B.C. Publication “Faces of Refugees”
Key Role of School DistrictsKey Role of School Districts
To help immigrant and refugee students develop the fundamental skills and knowledge required to be productive and participating citizens
School Boards that serve the large majority of immigrant children and youth face a wide range of issues
1. Changing Demographics1. Changing Demographics
15 years ago, most of immigrant children came from Hong Kong, Philippines or Taiwan
Most of these learners had previous schooling prior to their arrival in Canada
In last 10 years, the mix and countries of origin are very different
Less English skills, little or no formal schooling, older arriving students, refugee claimants
2. School Readiness2. School Readiness Families need support in preparing their
children to start school Children in immigrant families have little
exposure to English in the home Children born in Canada, but will have little or no
English language skills when they enter Kindergarten Families do not have experience with any education
system Don’t know their children should be in school
3. Refugees3. Refugees Mainly in large urban districts
Coming from refugee camps, where they may have lived for years
Little or no schooling in home language
Special education needs and often, a multiplicity of learning challenges
Marked increase in # of students with autism, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy or other behavioural or medical conditions
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
4. Older Age Students4. Older Age Students Students who are 16 years of age or older at time of arrival
Many have very low entry-level English language skills – below grade 3
Students believe that major emphasis on English language development is unnecessary or insurmountable
Those hoping to head for post-secondary face major challenges in acquiring the academic language skills required
5. Settlement Services5. Settlement Services Significant issues that school districts have to respond to that are not within the
parameters of education funding
School Districts have not been recognized in public policy as one of the key ‘front-line settlement service providers’
The school is the most readily-accessible social agency as they encounter challenges in adapting to life in Canada
Turn to the school for assistance and support
6. Teacher Training6. Teacher Training Teacher training programs with no courses specifically focused
on ESL
New or experienced teachers struggling to respond effectively to level of diversity and varied language proficiency
Teaching English as an additional language, not a second language requires a new pedagogy for student success
British Columbia (BCSTA)British Columbia (BCSTA)PROVINCE METRO
Total student population
655,704 256,424
39.1%
Home Language
not English
140,503 106,641
75.89%
ESL 63,727 46,308
72.66%
Aboriginal 60,982 9055
14.85%
Special Needs 58,576 25,056
42.77%
BCSTA ESL FORUMBCSTA ESL FORUM 182 delegates representing over 40 school
districts from around the province
School trustees, district staff, school based administrators, teachers, parents, government officials and elected officials
Presentations by experts, practitioners and youth, as well as discussion groups
BCSTA ESL FORUM cont . . .BCSTA ESL FORUM cont . . .
GOALS OF THE FORUM: To develop a consensus on the nature and
extent of ESL issues
To strengthen the public school system’s role in and capacity for integrating new immigrant and refugee students into Canadian society
To increase the understanding and importance of ESL
BCSTA ESL FORUM cont . . .BCSTA ESL FORUM cont . . .
Direct credit for ESL course work
Create a unique coding system for refugee students to enable ‘targeted’ funding
More flexible time limit for ESL support or school departure
Ensure pre-service and in-service ESL training for all teachers
Explicit recognition by provincial and federal governments of ESL as an important issue for schools and school districts
BCSTA AGM MOTIONSBCSTA AGM MOTIONS That BCSTA urge the Ministry of
Education to provide immediate funding (from the date of their arrival at the school district) for refugees and refugee claimant students that recognizes their multi-entry dates into the provincial public school system, and enables school districts to effectively support their complex learning needs.
BCSTA AGM MOTIONSBCSTA AGM MOTIONS That BCSTA urge the federal
government to allocate to school districts sufficient settlement funding to provide for the delivery of appropriate English or French language courses and related services to immigrant and refugee adults following their arrival in Canada.
BCSTA AGM MOTIONSBCSTA AGM MOTIONS That BCSTA request the Ministry of
Education to develop a standardized test for ESL students to provide an efficient and objective assessment tool to measure English language proficiency.
Settlement Workers in SchoolsSettlement Workers in Schools
11 districts with the most ESL students
Settlement needs assessment
Provide newcomer families with settlement orientation, information and referrals to agencies
Participate in the school reception and orientation process for newcomer students and their families
Orient staff about settlement related issues
Refugee Settlement in GVRDRefugee Settlement in GVRD
Afghanistan 440 Cameroon 3 Cuba 3 Indonesia 45 Rwanda 12 Togo 3
Angola 2 China 1 Eritrea 40 Iran 94 Sierra Leone 28 Uganda 9
Azerbaijan 4 Columbia 37 Ethiopia 54 Iraq 11 Somalia 36 Uzbekistan 8
Burundi 20 Congo 26 Guyana 3 Liberia 61 Sudan 114 Zambia 3
September 2006 Primary Language in the home
Languages spoken by more than 200 students
Burnaby School District
JAPANESE AFGHAN
CROATIAN MACEDONIAN
POLISH SWAHELI
PASHTU / DARI AFRIKAANS
ROMANIAN SLOVAK
SERBO-CROATIAN TELUGU
OTHER AFRICAN TUTCHONE
GUJARATI CREOLE
PORTUGUESE ICELANDIC
ITALIAN FARSAI
ALBANIAN GITKSAN
URDU CAMBODIAN
FRENCH SIGNING
TAMIL CREE
HUNGARIAN DUTCH
KURDISH NORWEGIAN
BENGALI PAKISTANI
GREEK INDO IRANIAN
OTHER LANGUAGES MALAYALAM
YUGOSLAVIAN NEPALI
GERMAN SWEDISH
MALAY-BAHASA MARHATHI
BULGARIAN BOSNIEN
TURKISH FINNISH
ETHIOPIAN / AMARTIC HEBREW
OTHER ASIATIC IRISH
FAEROESE KACHI
THAI KONKAN
UKRAINIAN KWAKW'ALA
SINHALESE LITHUANIAN
DANISH OTHER ATHPASKAN
PERSIAN / FARSAI OTHER GERMANIC
CZECH SLOVENIAN
ARMENIAN LAOTIAN
Other Languages:
Parent & Family Literacy CentresParent & Family Literacy Centres
First Burnaby centre opened in November ‘04
Provide early literacy skills to pre-school children as well as their parent/caregiver
Centres are effective because they enhance the children’s readiness to learn while improving their English-language skills and social skills
Help the adults adjust to English, the community and the school system
Refugee classesRefugee classes Small number of students (8-10) Use elementary level trained teachers ‘pre’ ESL levels Very basic level numeracy skills Job readiness skills Work experience opportunities
Youth in TransitionYouth in Transition Funding by Canucks Family Education Centre Five sessions, 2½ hours For entire family – adults, teens, children Activities, conversation (translators), dinner
Continued Challenges/IssuesContinued Challenges/Issues
Funding – Federal equity for Immigrants
Quebec $3,800Ontario $3,400B.C. $1,006
– Provincial funding upon arrival for refugee students
Adult language classes accessibility
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