princeton international academy:
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The Golden Combination – Language-Immersion with Internationally-focused and Inquiry-based Curriculum Framework --——— Bonnie Liao, Ph.D. ( 廖冰） Lead Founder & Board Chair Princeton International Academy Charter School www.piacs.org --——— - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Golden Combination – Language-Immersion with
Internationally-focused and Inquiry-based Curriculum Framework
--———
Bonnie Liao, Ph.D. (廖冰）Lead Founder & Board Chair
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org--———
Principal, YingHua Language Schoolwww.yinghua.org
--———
Head of School, YingHua International Schoolwww.yhis.org
Princeton International Academy:
What is the Mission?To nurture and enable young people to acquire dual language
fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English within the International Baccalaureate curriculum framework.
To inspire and challenges its students to excel as inquisitive and compassionate young leaders through a rigorous, inquiry-based education program that fosters:
> Academic, college-access, and career development> Ethical, emotional, linguistic, and social/cultural development> Physical development
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Who are the founders?
A diverse group of parents, teachers and administrators with a common belief:We can and must prepare our children to enter a global economy with
new challenges and opportunities in the 21st Century.
Read the founders’ statements of interest at www.piacs.org
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
PIACS Curriculum: How do we get there?
Two Unique Features of the PIACS Curriculum
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
International Baccalaureate Program
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
85% of PIACS students will score Proficient or Advanced on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) Language Arts Literacy tests for every grade level that the tests are administered to PIACS students.
Researches show that immersion students may initially lag behind their counterparts in a monolingual setting on measures of English language proficiency. Longitudinal studies show that not only do immersion students catch up, but they also often surpass their monolingual peers both academically and linguistically. The nature of Mandarin Chinese also contributes to the initial lag of performance in English language arts literacy: Chinese is a tonal language with a logographic writing system, which is vastly different from a language such as English that is based on the Latin alphabet.
Source: DoE Approved PIACS Charter, Part 1 Sec 2 (available at www.piacs.org)
Academic Objectives: English Language Arts
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
95% of PIACS students will score Proficient or Advanced on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) Mathematics tests for every grade level that the tests are administered to PIACS students.
PIACS will employ the most successful methods of teaching mathematics, such as Singapore Math, to ensure that students achieve the highest possible international standards, while meeting and exceeding state standards .
Academic Objectives: Mathematics
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Source: DoE Approved PIACS Charter, Part 1 Sec 2 (available at www.piacs.org)
95% of students will demonstrate Chinese language acquisition with proficiency measured and documented throughout each year using norm-referenced assessment as the Early Language Learning Oral Proficiency Assessment (ELLOPA) (conducted in Chinese), the National Online Early Language Learning Assessment (NOELLA) (conducted in Chinese), language samples, storytelling/re-telling, observations, and teacher assessments..
Academic Objectives: Mandarin Language Arts
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Source: DoE Approved PIACS Charter, Part 1 Sec 2 (available at www.piacs.org)
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
What is “immersion”?
Immersion programs are the most effective type of world language program currently available in U.S. schools.
The target language is taught as a subject AND used as an instructional language.
Most effective type of Immersion Program: 90-10.
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
90-10 Immersion Model at PIACS:
Kindergarten - 100% MandarinGrade One - 90% Mandarin, 10% English (LA & reading)Grades Two and Three - 75% Mandarin, 25% EnglishGrades Four and Five - 50% Mandarin, 50% English
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Immersion vs. other language ProgramsImmersion
Tonal language with logographic writing system - best suited for early immersion
Simultaneous learning of culture and language
High level of fluency
Motivated
Non-immersion
Limited contact time (typically 30-50 min. per lesson, 1 – 3 times per week)
Taste of language and culture
Not functional or fluent after a few years
Motivation issue
Immersion has been proven to be the most effective in language acquisition.
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
Academic/Educational Benefits
Students achieve high level of functional proficiency in Chinese AND achieve academically at or above their non-immersion peers on standardized tests administered in English
Schooled through Chinese, students acquire the language skills as well as the content knowledge without needing to allocate additional instructional time at the expense of other subject areas
Effective model for third language children because it offers a learning environment that “levels the playing field”
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
Linguistic Benefits
Contrary to concerns about the negative effect on English language development, immersion students demonstrate enhanced levels of English language skills and of metalinguistic awareness (knowledge about language)
Bilingual students display greater facility in learning a third language than monolinguals
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
Cognitive Benefits
Research has shown that immersion students have greater cognitive flexibility and nonverbal problem-solving than their monolingual counterparts.
Socio-cultural Benefits
Immersion students develop higher levels of intercultural sensitivity and demonstrate greater openness to members of the target culture relative to non-immersion.
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
Two-way Immersion
This model integrates English-speaking students and Chinese-speaking students in an academically challenging learning environment so that they learn from and with each other.
For Chinese-speaking students, first language literacy and formal schooling through a child’s first language constitute key predictors of success in academic achievement and the development of academic English.
Becoming bilingual and bicultural in a heritage language promotes positive ethnic identity development.
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
What are our language teaching techniques?
Integrate language, content, and culturePromote continuous language growth and improve
accuracyMake information understandableCreate a rich language learning environmentCommunicate with the students clearly and effectivelyProvide opportunities to practice the language verballyProvide support for diverse learner needs
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Curriculum Framework at PIACSThe PIACS curriculum, following the IB
framework, addresses all nine NJ Core Content Curriculum Standards: English Language Arts LiteracyMathematicsScienceSocial StudiesWorld LanguagesVisual and Performing ArtsComprehensive Health and Physical EducationTechnology & 21st Century Life and Careers
Five components are emphasized within all content areas:
Princeton International Academy Charter School
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Curriculum Framework at PIACS
Five components are emphasized within all content areas:
ConceptsKnowledgeSkillsAttitudesAction
Princeton International Academy Charter School
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Comparisons with Traditional Curriculum- Character EducationOur Learner’s profile
InquirersThinkersCommunicatorsRisk takers Knowledgeable Reflective Well-balancedOpen-minded Caring Principled
Traditional Curriculum No systematic
guidelines
Teachers base character education on their own values
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Comparisons with Traditional Curriculum- Professional developmentOur Framework
Teachers have weekly planning meetings both by grade level and content area
Teachers of all subjects support and complement each other to deliver an integrated curriculum
Traditional schoolsTeachers are
independent (teaching behind closed doors).
Teachers of different grade levels and subjects do not regularly or systematically communicate with one another.
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Comparisons with Traditional Curriculum- Depth vs. width
Our FrameworkSix units of inquiry
Interconnectedness of knowledge (Example: unit on construction)
Inquiry process and tools, critical thinking skills (how conduct in-depth research on a given topic)
Relate projects to life outside the classroom/Perform community services related to new learning
Traditional Curriculum“Mile long and inch deep”
Knowledge segmentation
Lack of conceptual understanding and deep connection of knowledge
Test driven
Princeton International Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
SummaryPIACS will create a new option for public
eductionLanguage full immersionInternationally-focused inquiry-based
curriculum frameworkUnique combination