Transcript Slide 1

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 School
www.yinghua.org
--———
Head of School, YingHua International School
www.yhis.org
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
Princeton International Academy:
www.piacs.org
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
Academic Objectives: English Language Arts
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)
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Academic Objectives: Mathematics
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 .
Source: DoE Approved PIACS Charter, Part 1 Sec 2 (available at www.piacs.org)
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Academic Objectives: Mandarin Language Arts
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..
Source: DoE Approved PIACS Charter, Part 1 Sec 2 (available at www.piacs.org)
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
www.piacs.org
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
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
www.piacs.org
90-10 Immersion Model at PIACS:
 Kindergarten - 100% Mandarin
 Grade One - 90% Mandarin, 10% English (LA & reading)
 Grades Two and Three - 75% Mandarin, 25% English
 Grades Four and Five - 50% Mandarin, 50% English
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Immersion vs. other language Programs
 Immersion
 Tonal language with logographic
writing system - best suited for
early immersion
 Simultaneous learning of culture
 Non-immersion
 Limited contact time (typically
30-50 min. per lesson, 1 – 3
times per week)
 Taste of language and culture
and language
 Not functional or fluent after a
 High level of fluency
 Motivated
few years
 Motivation issue
 Immersion has been proven to be the most effective in language
acquisition.
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
www.piacs.org
 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
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
www.piacs.org
 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
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
www.piacs.org
 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
Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion
www.piacs.org
 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 culture
 Promote continuous language growth and improve
accuracy
 Make information understandable
 Create a rich language learning environment
 Communicate with the students clearly and effectively
 Provide opportunities to practice the language verbally
 Provide support for diverse learner needs
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Curriculum Framework at PIACS
 The PIACS curriculum, following the IB framework,
addresses all nine NJ Core Content Curriculum
Standards:
 English Language Arts Literacy
 Mathematics
 Science
 Social Studies
 World Languages
 Visual and Performing Arts
 Comprehensive Health and Physical Education
 Technology & 21st Century Life and Careers
 Five components are emphasized within all content areas:
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Curriculum Framework at PIACS
 Five components are emphasized within all content
areas:





Concepts
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Action
Princeton International
Academy Charter School
www.piacs.org
Comparisons with Traditional Curriculum
- Character Education
 Our Learner’s profile
 Inquirers
 Thinkers
 Communicators
 Risk takers
 Knowledgeable
 Reflective
 Well-balanced
 Open-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 development
 Our Framework
 Teachers have weekly
planning meetings both
by grade level and content
area
 Traditional schools
 Teachers are independent
(teaching behind closed
doors).
 Teachers of different
 Teachers of all subjects
support and complement
each other to deliver an
integrated curriculum
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 Framework
 Six units of inquiry
 Interconnectedness of knowledge
 Traditional Curriculum
 “Mile long and inch deep”
 Knowledge segmentation
(Example: unit on construction)
 Inquiry process and tools, critical
thinking skills (how conduct indepth research on a given topic)
 Relate projects to life outside the
classroom/Perform community
services related to new learning
 Lack of conceptual
understanding and deep
connection of knowledge
 Test driven
Summary
 PIACS will create a new option for public eduction
 Language full immersion
 Internationally-focused inquiry-based curriculum
framework
 Unique combination