Multilingual School

Imagine a school focused on producing truly multilingual citizens.

How it challenges traditional assumptions

In this school each student will choose 1–2 additional languages to become proficient in by graduation. In pursuit of proficiency, each student will spend significant time in a country where the languages they choose are spoken primarily as a requirement for graduation. The summer would probably be the most advantageous time pursue the “study abroad” requirement but students could do this at anytime they choose.

The School Year

• In order for students to pursue multilingualism, a year round model will be implemented. In the summer, students could travel abroad or continue at home campus progressing through core curriculum.

The School Day/Daily Schedule

• The first half of day might look a lot like a traditional school with students going through a core curriculum of math, science, humanities, and electives. A key difference is in this school model would be all student spend the second half of their day in language acquisition modalities. This might be direct instruction in foundational concepts of their chosen language, utilizing language acquisition technology ( think rosetta stone, duolingo), or core subject instruction in their chosen language. I could see kids skypeing with a student in another country practicing their conversational skills, or in a writing class practicing grammatical skills.

Class Size

• No really intentional design elements besides my default preference for class size is to be small, or at least make for a manageable student-to-teacher ration. My ideas about classroom configuration and teacher arrangement might impact this.

Classroom Configuration and other considerations

• As a rule each teacher in this school would be at least bilingual.
• All instructional materials would be available in multiple languages or readily translated with technology

Groupings by Age and Grade

• The school could employ a competency based model that would allow for mixed age groupings
• Major languages would each have a cohort where students who are studying the same languages would regularly meet with each other, take classes together, and complete the language residency together.