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Language development ensures that all students have access and are exposed to an additional language, which is a central tenet of an IB education and will increase their understanding of the wider world. Students are encouraged to begin or extend the study of a language other than their best language that suits their needs, background and context. It develops students in the areas of oral, visual and written linguistic and communicative abilities.
A minimum of 50 hours is expected to be devoted to language development. Language development can take any one of the following 2 options:
IBDP Language Course
Students may choose to study one of the IB language courses currently offered at Blair. The only restriction to this that it must not be one of the two IBDP programme courses used to meet the CP requirements. This language course must be in addition to that but, on a positive note,does not require final assessment of ability, simply evidence of participation,progress and completion of this portfolio.
At Blair we offer IBDP language courses in Spanish and French.
Duolingo
This is a (free) online program that was recommended to us by the language teachers. Our one stipulation is that students must select a language that is not one they have already taken. The good thing about this program is that it monitors student performance and provides a print out of their progress. Teachers can also monitor progress in a virtual-classroom environment.
THE LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO
THE LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO
All IB Career-related Programme (CP) students are required to maintain and complete a language portfolio. The language portfolio demonstrates your ability, engagement and evidence of language development, a component of the CP core. It is used to chart your progress in developing language skills and intercultural experiences while providing an opportunity for you to develop reflective practice.
REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS
For each Reflection, students must answer the following questions. All entries MUST be written in complete sentences with proper detail and grammar. This reflection journal must be posted in your portfolio.
Questions to be addressed in all Language Development Reflection entries:
a. What activities did you complete? Please be specific and include independent and class assignments.
b. Did you find additional resources to use? If so, please explain their relevance to your language development.
c. What are you learning about yourself through language development?
d. Discuss ways the new information learned impacts you as a student or you in your future career.
e. What challenges have you faced thus far and how did you overcome them?
f. How are you feeling about your progress towards the language development goals you set in the fall?
g. Upload a minimum of two pieces of Language Development evidence.
h. Reflect on the similarities and differences between the language that you are studying and any other that you have learnt or your mother-tongue (eg word order, tenses, adjectival agreements, gender).
i. What strategies have you used to help you to learn vocabulary?
j. What have you learnt about the culture of this language?
Examples of evidence include: any apps used, websites, class assignments, videos or audio files of you completing language development, screen shots of online learning experiences, certificates of language completion activities outside of school, and letters of acknowledgement. Ask if you’re not sure!
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