We align our UDIS language philosophy to the four strands of our mission for the school while acknowledging that every teacher needs to be a language teacher to teach the language that is important to their discipline.
Language is at the heart of all student learning and is fundamental to our inquiry framework as it is a basic tool of inquiry, communication and understanding. Language is acquired over time and is the fundamental glue that holds the curriculum together. Each subject has its own specific language and vocabulary, which should be displayed in the class (should be displayed in more than one language to help develop mother tongue), and that can be learned.
Global citizenship is an integral part of the UDIS mission and we believe environmental stewardship is the responsibility of every global citizen. As a school, we support sustainability and foster this consciousness in our students as well as an awareness of the language associated with sustainability. It is therefore imperative that students are equipped with the language skills to achieve this.
Language is critical to developing and maintaining cultural identity and to learning about the culture of others. We believe that it is important for our learners to continue their language development in their MT as we believe this supports their development in English. We believe that by valuing and supporting the mother tongues in our school as best we can, that we are achieving our goal of intercultural awareness and understanding of other cultures.
Acknowledgement and recognition should be given to students when they succeed or make progress in language areas. Teachers can acknowledge students in the class, at assemblies or at other important functions that are appropriate. Inform the parents of child’s success or growth on a regular basis allowing the parents to get involved.
The full version of our language policy is available here: Language Policy (Updated 28 April, 2023)
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