English for Integrated Studies Project
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This article is written like a personal reflection or essay and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (December 2007) |
English for Integrated Studies (EIS) is a model of bilingual education in which students learn core subjects (Mathematics, Science and Computer) in English. Students will learn to understand more English through their basic knowledge and literacy of core subjects which are integrated into the new curriculum. Basic literacy of Mathematical symbols and the Science learning skills (observation, comparison, classification, transferring and inferring as Observing Knowlegde Model(OK model)) lead to better comprehension of the second language. Online computer and software resources allow students self-direction in learning. With the use of English as a medium of instruction, the fluency of both teachers and students in English as a second language will be accelerated.
EIS is not only teaching the students about the concepts of the lessons, not only letting them learn and understand the content of the subjects, but more so training the teachers on how to utilize their basic learning experiences and teaching skills to be use in teaching English content textbooks following the EIS model.
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[edit] Why EIS is different from other bilingual schools in Thailand
Unlike other bilingual programs, which usually teach the core subject twice (parallel immersion), EIS teaches the core subjects only once. The subject content is taught using English as the medium of instruction, using the students' basic learning from their previous years of study. The students will understand the lessons through their basic knowledge and from their mother tongue. This will be done through the use of teaching aids or devises, e.g. pictures, drawings, improvised materials, and different facts about things that are found in the immediate surroundings. The students will fully understand the lesson by challenging them to find the Thai meaning of the English words. In this case, students will learn how to learn by themselves. The students can ask questions using their mother tongue, but they will be answered using English language. Through asking and answering questions, students can gain more comprehension.
[edit] EIS: Workplace learning of Non-English speaking Thai teachers
EIS utilizes non-English speaking Thai teachers to teach the core subjects. These teachers undergo thorough on-the-job-training. This training will be done while the teachers are having their actual classes. On-the-job-training is effective because the teachers "learn more through experience.” The teachers can also learn how to understand and talk in English through their basic knowledge and by utilizing the indigenous resources that are found in the vicinity. Results have demonstrated that non-English speaking Thai teachers and students simultaneously learn the second language using the basic skills that they garnered during their previous years. The learning method is a ladder type (or "scaffolding") wherein the learners will learn by going in upward motion using previous steps in order to go upward.
On-the-job-training will be done through step-to-step basis. First, the teachers will undergo a workshop seminar, led by a highly experienced trainer. The workshop seminar guides the non-English speaking teachers through the different strategies to be used during the actual classes, through the lesson-planning process, etc. Second, the trainer helps the trainees during pre-lesson preparation, while classes are going on. In the pre-lesson preparation, the trainees are instructed on the appropriate words to be used during the class discussions and on preparation of necessary materials (teaching aids) to be used. Through these processes the non-English speaking teacher is speaking English in front of others. Later she/he can teach the subject alone, using English as the medium of instruction.
[edit] Usage of EIS for less-privileged children
EIS was specifically designed to help less-privileged children learn English with minimal expense. While bilingual academies offer a good learning environment to many students, the schools tend to demand a large amount of money for the students’ tuition fees, putting them out of reach of most Thai families. More than two- thirds(2/3)of Thais come from low-income households and cannot afford to send their children to bilingual schools in order for them to learn the second language. EIS therefore provides bilingual educational opportunities to students who otherwise could never afford it.
[edit] EIS as a recommended model for improved bilingual education in Thailand
Can we afford to see the almost three-fourths (3/4) of our country’s young generations remain economically stagnant as they are today? We know the necessity of acquiring or learning a second language in order to compete in a developing society. In order for them to reach their goals to strive for a greener future, young non-English speaking students must not be isolated in foreign language classrooms. If the key to upward mobility is learning English, there must be a change in Thailand's classroom instruction methods.
EIS offers a promising program to help less-privileged students acquire knowledge in English. They can now learn the second language with less expense. The pathway for their greener future is now open. Through EIS they can acquire and learn the second language perfectly the same as the more privileged students do.
EIS was first introduced in Makudmuang Rachawittayalai School, but sad to know that it does not prosper because of the change of administrator, and due to the negative perceptions and attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of English language.Secondly, Makudmuang Rachawittayalai School was already an English bilingual school for a long period of time. Therefore, for this reason, most teachers as will as most parents have a wrong concept of the EIS. They thought that it is just a redundancy of the English program.
Surapong Ngamsom is the researcher and initiator of EIS. He then initiated the program at Sunthonphu Pittaya Secondary School (SPSS), a school for poor and less-privileged children located in Rayong Province, Thailand. While the initial reaction from the school’s community was somewhat negative, Surapong’s initiative and commitment to maintaining a positive attitude prevailed, and the teachers and students soon came to accept the program after experiencing effective results.
As proof, after one term of on-the-job training, teachers who were before non-English speaking teachers began using English as the medium of instruction in their classrooms. At first it was not easy for either the trainers or the trainees. It is not easy for the two persons to talk to each other with two totally different languages in which both cannot understand each other’s language. The feeling of difficulty lasts only for a couple of weeks, then the on-the-job-training runs smoothly and gains a positive result. The keys to success are the willingness to learn, receptivity, cooperativeness, willingness to adopt changes, and resourcefulness of teachers and students.
The positive result is not only visible for the teachers but more so to the students and their parents. The students can now interact freely during class discussions using English as a medium.
The EIS results
After two years of implementing the EIS approach in the content areas of Mathematics, Sciences, Computer, and English subjects on the New Basic Thai Curriculum 2001 at SPSS and five Primary Schools, of Rayong Province.(see ref. [1] &[2])Thailand, Surapong notes a drastic effect on the minds and attitudes of students and teachers. It has changes their point of view towards the use of English language in their daily activities. These effects resulted in a positive outlook on the part of the parents and of the school’s general community. Through the implementation of EIS, students and teachers can now use English in both communicating and studying any subject’s contents. Teachers now apply the EIS approach in daily interactions with their students. As a result, there is a great improvement in teachers’ English skills on the job and in their attitudes and perceptions.
Surapong’s EIS approach employs four key concepts:
1. Learners are able to learn the second language effectively using a combination of their mother tongue, symbolic language, and concepts found in their immediate environment.
2. If the instructor arranges to have the learners practice reading and writing English language by using skills from science (observation, comparison, classification, transferring, and inferring), it will lead to increased abilities in writing and reading comprehension in the second language.
3. If the instructor arranges to have the learners practice and use their manipulative way in analyzing and solving mathematical problems in English, it will promote and increase the learners’ ability to learn and understand the second language.
4. If the instructors use English sufficiently during classroom interactions, it will increase the learners’ ability to think in English, which will lead to more rapid comprehension of the second language.'
If all schools were to adopt EIS, there would be an increased benefit to less-privileged students. By improving their learning in English, they would be empowered to take advantage of opportunities for upward mobility in the global economy.
References:
• [1]Ngamsom,Surapong.(2006).A New Model for Bilingual Education; English for Integrated Studies Curriculum, A Case Study at SPSS.
• [2]Ngamsom,Surapong.(2007).Effectiveness of English for Integrated Study Model for Rayong Municipality Primary School in Rayong Province, Thailand •
[edit] See also
- Bilingualism in Canada
- Bilingual Education Act
- Lau v. Nichols
- English language learning and teaching
- National Association for Bilingual Education
- Bilingual education
- Workplace Learning of Non-English Speaking Thai Teachers in teaching Bilingual Education.
- Improving the Effectiveness of On-the-Job-Training (OJT): English for Integrated Studies (EIS) training as a Model
- [[Improving the Effectiveness of Bilingual Education in Basic Education Curriculum Applying Sufficiency Economy Philosophy;English for Integrated Studies(EIS)Model as a Case Study]]
