theASPect TEACHING & LEARNING AT ASP FEBRUARY 2011
The American School of Paris is a
highly diverse, vibrant and
family oriented community. Our mission is
inspire every student to achieve personal and academic excellence as engaged, global citizens, by ensuring a challenging, student-centered program with a compassionate and cutting-edge environment.
to
Inside this ASPect 02 04 06 07 08 09 10 11
Our thinking for a new time Crossing the magic line Cultural exchange and expo Theatrical exchange . Discovering language from another time Living a language Did you know? ASP’s Extension Program Learning English as an Additional Language Athletes’ African adventure
02 SCHOOL NEWS
Our Thinking for a New Time All of us must be concerned. ASP’s challenge is to ensure the gap is closing between the 21st century world your child knows and how they learn at school. ASP is taking the crucial step of looking forward and of doing all possible not to be restricted by “what we know” and “what we are currently able to do.” We’re planning the school of the future because hitting the replay button for curriculum and teaching is not going to work in preparing young people for 2020 and beyond. We invite you, along with teachers, students staff, board members and administrators to join our active research and development and implementation of innovative ideas. With a DRAFT future-driven mission statement, objectives for defining our highest priorities as we seek to transform our school and strategies that define the “how”, we are now poised to write very specific action steps. The mission, objectives and strategies define the terrain – the action plans for each strategy provide the roadmap. We are convening action planning teams– one for each strategy – and you are invited to add your ideas and insights as well as write actionable steps to ensure implementation of each strategy so we achieve our objectives and enliven our new mission. Each of the six action teams will begin meeting in February and complete work by May Day.
Please call or email Mark Ulfers, Head of School (01-41-12-82-65) (mulfers@asparis.fr) if you want to serve on one of our action plan writing teams. Our goal is to complete the research and writing within four meetings with a bit of homework assigned too! So far we’ve had over 250 teachers, staff, students, board members and parents involved with setting our school’s future blueprint. Our goal is to firmly establish our long-term plan and to have it approved by our Board of Trustees in June 2011. Then we get going. We’re on our way to engaging in the essential work of closing the gap between the traditions of schooling and the information age where our students already claim citizenship. Let’s work on this together. All Good Wishes,
Lis Seeley President of the Board of Trustees
ACTION TEAM
THEME
21 Century Curriculum
Rigorous, Relevant and Assessed Written Curriculum
Technology for Learning
Technology as a Tool For Teaching and Learning
Learning World Languages
French and Other Language Learning Programs
Highest Standards for Teaching
Teachers and Staff Learning and Professional Review
Personalizing and Individualizing Student Learning
Tailoring Teaching and Learning for Each Student
Global Citizens and Leaders
Global Citizenship and Leadership
st
Mark E. Ulfers Head of School
SCHOOL NEWS 03
The American School of Paris is a
highly diverse, vibrant and
family oriented community. Our mission is
inspire every student to achieve personal and academic excellence as engaged, global citizens, by ensuring a challenging, student-centered program with a compassionate and cutting-edge environment. to
OBJECTIVES
•
Each student will set and achieve challenging educational goals related to academics, aspirations and personal interests. All students will meet or exceed appropriate performance standards and proficiency levels in English and French, and we will increase the percentage of students learning additional languages. Every student will understand and consistently demonstrate the character attributes to be a contributing global citizen and responsible leader. All students will demonstrate increasing proficiency in such interdisciplinary skills as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, digital literacy and creativity.
• • •
STRATEGIES
• We will develop, implement and communicate a rigorous, relevant, assessed K-12 curriculum, specifically designed to achieve academic excellence and aligned to our mission and objectives.
•
We will fully exploit the benefits of technology to best achieve our mission and objectives. We will develop and implement long-term plans to secure our finances, facilities and campus necessary to fulfill our mission. We will develop, implement and assess an expanded French and additional language-learning programs. We will develop and support faculty, administration and staff to continuously improve professional performance and maximize student learning. We will design a system to support students in setting and achieving educational goals related to academics, aspirations, and personal interests. We will identify, model, reinforce and recognize the character attributes, which enable every student to be a contributing global citizen and responsible leader.
• • • • •
We are interested in your thoughts about the DRAFT strategic plan framework above. Join the forum on http://poodle.asparis.fr/poodle or send us an email: board@asparis.fr or mulfers@asparis.fr
theASPect February 2011
04 FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING
Crossing the magic line Language learning in Lower School Learning French in Lower School is to enter a world where stories and fairy tales reign, a world where a form of sign language accompanies every phrase at the beginning level, and a world where the children themselves insist that you speak French.
“Et maintenant tu traverses la ligne magique…” From the first day in Kindergarten at the age of 4-years-old, our Lower School students know that when they cross the magic line into their French classroom, no English is allowed, but also that language becomes an adventure. The French team in the Lower School is proud of their program, and rightly so, as what they have built, and are still building, is a unique program that is garnering interest from teaching colleagues from other schools. Lower School French Team Coordinator Jean-Pierre Heussaff explained: “Five years ago I saw a video clip in which a first grader who had never learned French before was reading French in his first year of learning and I couldn’t believe it!” And so ASP discovered a pioneering program – the Accelerated Integrated Method – devised by Canadian educator Wendy Maxwell. AIM uses hand gestures to teach high frequency words which allow children to learn vocabulary and grammar with astonishing speed for some, and to eventually correct themselves through the sophisticated form of hand signing. LS French Teacher Nadine Bertoglio said: “Once the children get to a certain level, we can correct their grammar without interrupting them while they are talking. For example, by just moving our finger like this (bends her index finger down) we as the teacher can correct the use of a verb in the infinitive and the child will correct themselves as they talk.”
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING 05
In the first year of learning (more than 100 hours for each student), the students will learn at least 350 high frequency words and the accompanying hand gestures, which will increase to 750 in their second year of learning – a level which corresponds to the fundamental French vocabulary. And of course the teachers were the first to have to learn! Teacher Veronique Baudin said: “It was a very big undertaking for us at the start – and we are still always learning. We practice every day. We have a DVD data base where we can discover new words and we also check constantly with each other that our signing is the same so that there is always consistency. But it is also true that it has become so integrated into our teaching that we do it naturally.” In the beginning, all words and phrases are spoken and signed by the students and the teachers. As the students become more comfortable with those high frequency words and phrases the signing is mainly used to introduce new ideas for the next level of acquisition – the introduction of new vocabulary or for grammatical correction. Jean-Pierre said: “There are more than 2,500 words that can be signed using AIM, but we only took from the AIM method what could improve our teaching and the children’s learning, not the entire program.” And as Jean-Pierre is quick to point out, the ‘gestures’ adopted from AIM are only one element to the Lower School French program. He said: “The real heart of the program is the stories. The ‘gestures’ give the children access to the language, but it is the storytelling
classes and field trips and the learning in French supports those units, tailored to the proficiency. For example, with Monet in 4th Grade, our beginners would focus on vocabulary with colors, but our francophone students would explore the art movement of Impressionism.” Combining language acquisition with cross-curricular activities is just one of the areas that the team is constantly reviewing and updating. And this month the six-strong team spent two full days to start recording their curriculum in order that they can more formally audit what they are doing in their quest for continual improvement.
Jean-Pierre said: “We are always looking at what works, what doesn’t work, what can we try, what can we learn? And our next step is to audit what we have and start to develop a sensitive, continuous, formalized evaluation and assessment in order that we can continue to maximize learning for our students.” which brings the learning alive and captures their imagination. It is the stories and theatrical pieces that make the French program so successful.” Every unit at every language proficiency level in every grade has a story at the center of the learning, many of them refined and honed over the years in a never ending process of evaluation and improvement for the program. In addition, from the beginners through to francophone classes, the students are also introduced to the richness of our host country culture in French – from art and architecture through to traditions, customs and cuisine. Nadine gave an example: “In 3rd Grade the students study Van Gogh, in 4th Grade it is Monet and in 5th Grade Picasso. These are units which cross disciplines with the homeroom, the art
theASPect February 2011
06 FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING
Cultural exchange and expo! Sharing cultural traditions was the stepping stone for both the French exchange program and a special international student exhibition in Middle School this year.
For several years, students from all levels in grades 6 through 8 have been involved with a student exchange program with a neighboring College Yves Du Manoir - in Vaucresson. And this year it was the turn for the Grade 6 Beginners and the Grade 7 Intermediate 2 classes. Grade 7 Teacher Lara Bailly explained: “The idea this year was to swap and celebrate cultural traditions. So our students went to celebrate Thanksgiving at the college which the French students had prepared for us, and this month we invited them to ASP and we prepared a Galette des Rois. The cultural traditions were the highlights of the visits but the students also participated in small groups with their counterparts in science, English, social studies, Math, French and EAL lessons. “We also allowed the students plenty of time for more informal interaction with a tour of the campus in French and English and finishing the day with basketball and handball games. It is important that they all get to practice both their French and English with native speakers and discover the differences and similarities in their lives, both at school and out of it. There are moments when the less involved we are as teachers the more the students gain from the experience.” For the beginners in Grade 6, the exchange was necessarily more structured. Teacher Valerie Jackson explained: “We focused on the school day and the students made presentations using posters that they had previously prepared in class detailing subjects, timetables, classrooms and teachers. They learned vocabulary and everyone could formulate a descriptive phrase or ask a question about school life. They were asked to make observations about and comparisons between the French and American schooldays. In November last year the students came to ASP and this month our students visited them, also participating in regular classes but in a more observational way.” A difference that many students noticed was the inventive and involved way that students are encouraged to explore their subjects at ASP, exemplified by an exhibition hosted by the Grade 6 Advanced French Class for what could have been
a dry grammar unit learning the ‘passé compose’, but which became a rich celebration of ASP’s international cultures and fascinating exploration of immigration and what it means to be a citizen. Teacher Valerie Jackson said: “I noticed that in a class of 16 students we had 12 different nationalities, and so all the children prepared exhibits about their home countries but using the grammar they had been learning for descriptions, comparisons and talking about the past.” Sixth Grade Student Freddy Ludtke explains… in French! “Le 18 novembre nous avons fait une exposition de nos pays. Les 7th Francophones, et les 8th Beginners sont tous venus nous voir. C’était comme un musée! Il y avait des expositions sur les États-Unis, l’Espagne, la Corée, le Japon, le Mexique, la Belgique, l’Argentine, et le Canada. Nous avons fait des présentations Powerpoint et des posters pour parler de nos pays. Aussi, on a ajouté le passé composé, l’imparfait, les directions et l’utilisation de qui, que et où. C’est tout ce qu’on a travaillé pendant le trimestre. Nous avions un peu peur mais, après quelques minutes c’était très amusant. ”
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING 07
Theatrical exchange In Upper School a French exchange with a local French Lycée has inspired ASP students to launch a mini Franco-English drama festival. Building on an idea that started last year, more than 35 intermediate French students are currently writing and rehearsing original theatrical pieces which they will perform to students from the Lycée in Marly Le Roi this Spring. In addition, students from the Lycée Louis De Broglie are creating their own original pieces in English which they will in return perform to our students when they come together. This month the students from ASP visited the Lycée to set their plans in motion. Upper School French teacher Mima Fayad said: “This was a chance for our students to visit a French High School and to start working together in groups. It was a fun way to discover a little more about each other’s cultures and above all practice their languages (French for us and English for them) with native speakers.” The students exchanged objects – a piece of music, an item of clothing, a picture etc – and then each group is tasked to build a play using these objects in a straightforward or creative way with the students writing their story, creating the play, assigning roles and rehearsing, all in French.
Ms Fayad said: “This is quite a challenging project and it will be exciting to see the results with the different approaches that come from the students who range in age from Grade 9 through Grade 12.”
Discovering Language from Another Time By Virginia Larner Upper School English Department At the end of last year, thirty-two Upper School students and teachers attended a sold-out performance of Julius Caesar in English at the Theatre Gerard Philipe in Saint-Denis. The American Repertory Theater of Cambridge, MA set the play’s dramatic action in the US of the 1960’s with its iconic images, period dress and innovative rendering of the language through various media: projected television screens, haunting musical pieces, pauses lengthening into gestured silences, and controlled articulation of lines. As many of our students feel that reading Shakespeare is already an adventure in translating a “foreign language”, actually watching a live performance on stage renders this daunting task more accessible and even enjoyable when such language is not reduced to mere recitation. So, the ART set to words the fear of tyranny and revolt in an ancient time, calling on contemporary technology with its panoply of visual arts to do so. This multi-layered approach to language seemed to broaden student reflection on the use and abuse of power during the dizzying eras of imperial Rome, the Sputnik challenge to US hegemony, and global unrest today. Reactions to this three-hour Shakespearean production were immediate. Senior Hayley Howard was delighted with
“the inspiring acting, creative sets, and jazz music” while 11th grader Chris Carjuzza enjoyed the game of power Julius Caesar himself engaged in with an admiring Roman crowd, was intrigued by the close relationship between Brutus and servant Lucius that centered on food and sleep, but deplored the trendy, hip stage sets. Twelfth graders Beatrice Verez and Danielle Iwata applauded the original use of sign language and hand gestures that indicated in their own way both closeness and distance. In addition, the main actors held a Q and A with the audience after the performance and ASP was active in this exchange as one of our seniors started the session with a pertinent question about the creative role of jazz and blues as a backdrop to the dramatic scenes. In answer, director Arthur Nauzyciel evoked his vision of seeing music as another form of language, indissociable from the poetic text. His answer led to an animated discussion about the cast’s use of silence and gesture as equally potent linguistic signs. One student later confided that learning Shakespeare is like learning a foreign language you already knew as a child, but have forgotten. When you see one of his plays on stage, he said, the beauty and force of its mysterious lines bring you back to the excitement and awe you felt when you could express emotions of love, anger, and fear with newly-found words and gestures.
theASPect February 2011
08 FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING
Living a language
Learning in the field
Every year Upper School Spanish program founder Claudine Delalande takes students from ASP’s advanced Spanish classes to Spain. She said: “It is an invaluable way of reinforcing their learning and although short, the immersive aspect of being surrounded by Spanish is extremely important in bringing language learning alive. The trips to Madrid or Barcelona are art orientated and before leaving, students learn about Spanish painting and architecture in the context of some aspects of Spanish history. This year we studied some paintings of the most famous Spanish artists like El Greco, Velazquez, Goya and Picasso. “Also, a part of this academic trip is to observe and participate in the Spanish way of life. We use public transportation, walk through the city, go shopping and the local guides we use speak only in Spanish. It reinforces their confidence in comprehension as much as giving them an opportunity to practice.” This year 18 students visited Madrid and Toledo during the Thanksgiving break.
by Anna Bradley Webb and Chloe Dorgan
(Grade 11) Upon arrival in Madrid, we took multiple metro lines to get to our hostel, just in time to enjoy a traditional Spanish breakfast of tostadas (toasted bread with jam) and consume some much-needed caffeine. After settling in, we left the hotel and walked to the Palacio Real, where our tour guide, Javier, gave us a tour, providing Spanish explanations of the various rooms and decorations of the home of many previous monarchs. We enjoyed the panoramic view of the terrace of the Palace, and after lunch, we walked to the Museo del Prado. Although at this point staying awake had become a struggle, we were engaged both by the art and by Javier’s explanations about Bosh, Velazquez and Goya. After our tour of the museum, we had free time to explore the city, in which some students shopped at the Spanish department store El Corte Ingles, while others had far too much chocolate con churros,
“The Spanish course at ASP has been one of my biggest sources of growth. I started in Spanish 1, clumsily stumbling over verb tenses and now I am in Spanish 5, actively debating in class.” Chloe Dorgan a traditional Spanish desert of deep-fried dough and thick hot chocolate, and lost their appetites for dinner. Dinner was a threecourse meal at the Museo del Jamon (the Museum of Ham), including the traditional paella, with shrimp and sausage. The next day, we explored the beautiful Atocha station or the botanical gardens before taking the train to Toledo, Spain’s former capital. Our guide gave us a tour of this beautiful, medieval town where there were few tourists, and we saw the cathedral, synagogue,
and other historical monuments. We also saw one of the most famous Greco’s painting “El entierro del Conde de Orgaz”. We learned about its intricate religious and cultural history. That evening, we ate at a traditional tapas restaurant, where we were offered a variety of Spanish dishes. Saturday, we made the most of our last day in Madrid. We walked to the Museo de la Reina Sofia, the modern art museum of Madrid. We had a tour centered around Picasso’s famous Guernica, his piece in protest of the Spanish Civil War, and saw other pieces on this subject. We spent our last few hours before going to the airport having lunch, and no one was ready to leave Madrid when we got back on the plane to Paris.
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING 09
Did you know?
ASP’s Extension Program By Laurence Feniou Founder-Director of ASP Extension
For the last 16 years, the Extension Program has been part of ASP’s life. We are thrilled to share with our students a wonderful educational journey: “Learning English the American way”. Our goal is to promote a total language immersion. Learning another language involves a variety of skills: mental flexibility, creativity, problem-solving and reasoning. It also allows students to understand a culture on its own terms.
In the Extension Program we teach English as a Foreign Language to a wide French-speaking community that includes French citizens and expats who live in the Paris area and whose children attend French or bilingual schools. 48 nationalities are represented. We offer language courses to children, young adults and professionals throughout the year, during school breaks and over the summer. Our classroom approach is theme-based and relates to American culture and traditions. Extension students are taught to use English naturally and spontaneously and are encouraged to explore creative ways of learning through artwork, film-making, theatre, and music.
A range of interactive projects are designed to encourage selfconfidence and curiosity for learning. The main goal for all teachers is to create a group spirit, to promote independence and responsibility, to develop group and partner skills, and to provide an informal and pleasurable but effective and interesting learning experience. In short, this program goes beyond language acquisition. We are fortunate to be able to enjoy ASP’s wonderful facilities. ASP is committed to a future of strong language learning both within and outside of its gates. Our students are fully immersed in an American-style setting and get a unique educational experience. ASP EXTENSION AT A GLANCE… • The Extension Program is a division of ASP with an enrollment of 2000 students annually. • It welcomes 350 students on Wednesdays, 230 on Saturdays, 350 during school breaks and 800 for summer camp. • A core faculty of 22 teachers are joined by 55 more during the summer camp. • 30% of our families come from a multicultural family.
theASPect February 2011
10 FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING
Learning English as an Additional Language
When we think of language learning we automatically think of our French and Spanish programs, but as an international school, every year we welcome many students who do not speak a word of English. Language learning at ASP for more than 50 students in Lower and Middle School this year alone started with learning English. The EAL team (Sarita Cole, Carole Rowlands, Linda Franco, Barbara Trudeau and Ana Wier) ensures that all those students can make the
transition and become fully integrated into mainstream academic life within two years. Students are taught English for social and academic purposes. EAL specialists Sarita Cole and Carole Rowlands explain: “Academic language – the language of a subject matter – is fundamentally different from conversational language. Students can take up to three years to achieve the social language level of their peers and 5 to 7 years to achieve academic language proficiency. As students progress through the grades they encounter far more low frequency words, complex syntax and abstract expressions that are often only heard in an academic context. EAL students must continually gain more language proficiency each year than their native speaking peers.” The students in the Lower School EAL program are taught during the language arts periods in their schedules and so, importantly, do not miss any other subjects. In Middle School, EAL classes are during English and Social Studies. The team will often pre-teach upcoming subjects to give the students a head start with vocabulary in order that they can participate with their classmates and not feel ‘lost’. In addition, teachers join the current students in their mainstream classes to accompany them in some subjects whilst still supporting exited students for a further two years. Enjoy this report by Barbara Trudeau illustrating the inter-disciplinary nature of the Lower School EAL program, where language meets math and art.
THE STORY OF A CUBE ENCOUNTER By Barbara Trudeau and Grade 5 EAL students
The Momentum project exhibiting in The Cube at the end of last year by Jonathan Saiz was a perfect moment for a cross-curricular discovery by fifth graders in the EAL program. The students were studying volume in their math classes, and producing effective writing in their EAL classes. We followed the project through its various stages and watched, measured, interviewed, and conjectured. We were pleased to have the opportunity to experience a learning project which appealed to our class’s multiple learning styles!
“On a November day, our class took a trip to the big cube. I was excited to visit the artist who built the cube.” Bennet
“We estimated the height of the cube but we all got it wrong except me.” Zaccharie
“We got so interested in the cube that we wanted to know what were the length, width and height.” Paloma
“The cube was painted with waves and could feel the waves and could smell the paint. The sky was gray; it was awesome.” Alex
“In length it was 2.5 meters, in height 2.5 meters, in width 2.5 meters. We went up to see the cube from the top; it was open.” Mikkael
“Jonathan, the artist told us that his goal was to make us feel the waves and somehow we did!” Bennett
“We saw a towering cube with black paint.” Alex
“Also Ms Trudeau asked if it was a cube or a rectangular prism. The artist said it was a rectangular prism. The day after we came with our rulers to measure the volume and when we saw the cube it was painted with waves.” Victor
SPORTS NEWS 11
ATHLETES’ AFRICAN ADVENTURE This year’s basketball season will be one to remember for ASP’s athletes even before they arrive at the end of season ISST tournament. The Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams have been invited to the International School of Kenya during the February break for a tournament in which not only will they play students from the international school, but also several local teams. It will give them a chance to spend a week building on their strengths and focusing on their game just before the International Schools Sports Tournaments, hosted at ASP for the Girls and at ACS Cobham for the Boys (March 9-12). The Girls are enjoying a spectacular season with only one loss after playing weekend games against seven opposing teams; Brussels (St.John’s), The Hague (ASH and BSN), Amsterdam (ISA and Antwerp), ISH and ACS Cobham International School. And after a slow start, the Boys have picked up a winning streak over the last two weeks and have a 9/5 win/loss record. And the Kenya trip will not just be about game tactics on the court, but also provide the teams with valuable off-court team building activities such as rock climbing and kayaking in addition to the cultural experience of playing with local Kenyan teams. The 21 students and their three coaches (John Kim, Barbara Hoegen and Keith Holman) will spend three days in the Nairobi National Park and Upper School teacher John Kim has been impressed with the students’ engagement: “They are really keen to maximize the inter cultural aspect of the trip and are also researching ways in which they might participate in some volunteer activities.” Athletic Director Han Hoegen said: “We trust that the Kenya trip will have a positive effect on both teams through team building as well as a new cultural learning experience with this great and exciting opportunity the International School of Kenya is giving us by inviting the Varsity basketball teams.”
theASPect February 2011
Get ready for the Bollywood Gala A Celebration to Benefit ASP!
Come and experience the glamour and energy of Bollywood! Champagne reception, music & entertainment, dance, gourmet cuisine, plus unique auction items benefiting the school, will all be part of this exciting event. With the beautiful Pré Catelan as our backdrop, plus the vibrant colors, sights, sounds, and exotic fragrances of India, we’re planning a spectacular evening which you won’t want to miss! You should have received an invite via e-mail, but if not, visit the GALA section of our website to buy tickets or to take advantage of sponsorship opportunities. All proceeds from the ASP 2011 Bollywood GALA will benefit the 2010-2011 Excellence Fund. Reserve soon to avoid disappointment! Questions? Contact Michael McNeill: mmcneill@asparis.fr
23