TENBY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

2 Lintang Lembah Permai 1, Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Penang Tel: 04-892 7777 Fax: 04-8998826

September 2012 Dear . Thank you for your interest in the TESMC course (Teaching ESL Students in Mainstream Classrooms). As a group, Tenby is committed to developing standards in Learning and Teaching through growing and supporting teachers so that they can make a positive impact within the school they practice in and with their classes. In order to support our teachers to improve standards in Learning and Teaching, we need to invest in our staff through providing a range of professional development opportunities from whole school and group professional development sessions to focused programmes, like Teaching ESL Students in Mainstream Classrooms. The TESMC course is highly regarded in the international school community as well as in Australia and England. It is an established course which models effective teaching and learning through workshop style sessions; it explains the process of language acquisition; it supports the ideas introduced in the modules through academic reading and activities to be carried out after each module. As most of our students have English as an Additional Language, it would enable all teaching staff in our schools to develop their understanding and confidence to support language development through pedagogy and practice across the curriculum. TESMC was delivered to a selection of Primary and Secondary teachers at TIS Penang last academic and it was received very positively by all participants; the school is now intending to roll the course out to all staff over a period of time with the aim of developing all teachers in the ability and understanding to support language development across the curriculum. It has been proposed that the course is also made available to teaching staff at other Tenby schools, beginning with Ipoh and SEP this academic year. The course supports teachers in developing their understanding of how to develop the language skills of their students through pedagogy and also through learning about how English works and supporting the reading and writing process through identification of genre of texts. A more detailed description of the course and the benefits of participating have been noted on the attached pages for your reference. All sessions will take place in XXXXX and refreshments will be provided. Please be prompt so that we can start and finish on time, especially since the modules are long, everyone will appreciate it if we can finish sessions promptly and leave on time. The school recognizes your commitment to your professional development in volunteering to participate in the course. This is a high quality programme which is recognised internationally and will most definitely enrich your practice in the classroom as well as your understanding of learning and language acquisition. I look forward to beginning the course with colleagues from Tenby, Ipoh. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at the address noted below. Yours sincerely,

Indu Bedi Director of Learning and Teaching Tenby Penang Inder.bedi@tenby.edu.my

Overview of TESMC
Course Title Teaching EAL Students in the Mainstream Classroom (TESMC) Aims of the Course Develop teachers awareness of the need and how to take into account linguistic and cultural diversity of students in their classes; Develop teachers understanding of central role that language plays in learning; Develop strategies to address language needs of students; Provide opportunities for teachers to reflect critically on the teaching; Promote whole school approaches to learning and needs of EAL students.

Why should teachers do the TESMC course? EAL teachers alone cannot meet needs of all EAL students in our schools; Teachers need to understand that all teachers are responsible for developing language skills of all EAL learners; The course provides practical strategies to support teachers in developing linguistic skills of their students across the curriculum; The content of the course is wide ranging, comprehensive, and academically rigorous; The course is highly interactive with hands on activities to make the material and concepts explored accessible; The Between Module Activities mean participants trial activities and further embed their learning from each module through their own practice; The Readings ensure participants develop a deep understanding of language and learning theories.

Commitment Required by Participants

Teachers are expected to attend all 9 Modules and complete all Between Module Activities and Readings; this means 25 hours contact time and an additional 2-3 hours per module to complete activities and reading. Please note, the sessions vary in length and participants are expected to complete all sessions in their entirety. Outcomes TESMC is an internationally recognised professional development programme and on successful completion of the modules participants receive a certificate. Furthermore, the course will develop the practice of all participants through providing access to academic material on language acquisition and the learning process. Participants will also be given opportunities to gather evidence from their own classes and reflect on their own practice. Completion of the programme will give participants personal satisfaction and professional recognition as evidence of their on-going professional development. Dates The course will be delivered on a fortnightly basis (in the main- occasionally however, there are longer gaps between modules due to holidays etc..) Ipoh: September 2012 to February 2013 (exact dates noted below)
DATE MODUL TITLE AND CONTENT E NUMBE R TIME(LENGTH)

Thursday 20th September 2012

Thursday 4th October 2012

Thursday 18th October 2012 or Friday 19th October 2012 (TBC) Thursday 1st November 2012

ESL students and learning in a second language ESL students: Who are they and what affects their learning? Learning in and through an additional language Language and learning and the role of scaffolding Language, text and context A functional model of language Scaffolding and a teaching and learning cycle Oral language: How the task shapes the talk Developing understandings of oral language across the register continuum Oral language tasks Using oral language: Interpreting and producing oral texts

2.15 5.15pm (3 hours)

2.15 4.45 pm (2.5 hours)

2.15 5.15 pm(3 hours)

2.15 4.45 pm (2.5 hours)

Thursday 22nd November 2012

Thursday 6th December 2012

Thursday 10th January 2012

Thursday 31st January 2012 Thursday 7th February 2012

Oral language: Talk as performance Assessment of oral language Supporting ESL students listening to talk as performance texts Working with written and visual texts Different ways of making meaning Exploring genre Genres across the curriculum Working with written and visual texts at the text level Looking at language at the text level Supporting ESL students with reading Linking back to the teaching and learning cycle Developing knowledge about language Moving along the register continuum Focusing on the nominal group Moving to highly written texts through nominalisation Matching the register Dictogloss Assessing written texts How accessible are the texts we use? Assessment of written language Programming and whole-school models of support for ESL students Programming and whole-school framework for supporting ESL students.

2.15- 4.45 (3 hours)

2.15 5.15 pm(3 hours)

2.15 5.15 pm(3 hours)

2.15 4.45 pm(2.5 hours) 2.15- - 4.45 pm(2.5 hours)

Support Beyond the Modules TIS Penang have organised my timetable so that I will be available on a fortnightly basis, sometimes via Skype/ alternative video link and sometimes physically in the school where I will be delivering TESMC; this will mean I will be able to provide support in planning and evaluating the use of strategies from the course. I will also be available via email to discuss questions arising from the readings (inder.bedi@tenby.edu.my).

If you have any further questions regarding the course please feel free to get in touch via email.