UK school teach English as a foreign language

[Still Waters]

A comprehensive school where native English speakers are in a minority is to start teaching English as a foreign language to all of its pupils.

Teachers at City of Leeds School, a multi-ethnic secondary plan to teach English as a second language even to its British-born pupils in a radical attempt to improve standards at the 314-pupil secondary judged to 'require improvement' by Ofsted.

http://www.telegraph...l-in-Leeds.html

[MissJatti]

SO.... in an average class in this school has at least 5 different teachers,

1 for english

1 for urdu

1 for polish

1 for cantonese

and 1 for hmmm jimmycar

[spud the mackem]

I have to point out that "Yorkshire" English is nothing like the Queens English,spoken by the minority of Brits. How can you say that "Eeh baa gum lad put wood int'ole will thou"has any bearing on :- translation.."Would you please close the door"..I understand English but don't speak it as I speak Mackem.(A free course can be arranged) heh

[Mr.United_Nations]

Ahh Leeds, thats why

[RoofGardener]

There are schools in London where the teachers have to deal with 20+ different languages.

Your paying for this out of your taxes. It is all part of the wonderful benefits of multiculturalism and diversity, along with the re-introduction of Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Happy Days

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Wait ... a school where English is in the minority is treating the learning of English as a specialist subject?

Why the hell is this a problem?

You see, when you teach "English" you're actually teaching the form and function of a language that is already known, it's assumed that you've been speaking it for years and you've been exposed to it for years more and so forth. It's basically "explaining the rules you already know". However, teaching a language that is new to you requires an entirely different form of scaffolding and support and teaching style. First of all you have to go back to basics and literally build a word bank (you know how you talk to babies, "look Timmy a horse, can you say horse?" that's what you have to do when teaching a secondary language).

And "English lesson" is about the way the language operates. A lesson that teaches English is about what the language is.

Can you see the difference and why exactly a school might think both is important?

I've taught kids who have English as a second language (and more then one who was learning English as we were teaching). English lessons are virtually pointless for them, as they don't have a functional grasp of the language yet (I'm not talking about a grasp of the idiomatic English either, ie them not being able to grasp the quirks of how Australians use the language) they were lost when we started talking about "verbs" and "adverbs" and "narrative texts". they were still at the ""C" can "see" or "kuh"" stage of language.

[Arbenol]

The English kids in the class will probably have the most to learn. Especially in Leeds. Every language is a foreign one there. They tend to communicate with grunts - and punches.

[+and-then]

Wow... Britain doesn't sound remotely like the place I grew up thinking I knew about. Is it really that bad? It sounds like the country is committing cultural suicide.

[Likely Guy]

Wow... Britain doesn't sound remotely like the place I grew up thinking I knew about. Is it really that bad? It sounds like the country is committing cultural suicide.

More like a rebirth than suicide.

Edit: Didn't the sun never set on the Empire? You make your bed and you lay in it.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Likely Guy

[keithisco]

More like a rebirth than suicide.

Edit: Didn't the sun never set on the Empire? You make your bed and you lay in it.

I always considered the rebirth to have been the creation of the Commonwealth of Nations, on which the "sun never sets" (it is daylight on at least one member nation at any time of day).

The "suicide" (for the unique and diverse UK Culture) was the deliberate opening of the floodgates to unrestricted immigration back in the 1960's - and it continues today according to the Office of National Statistics. IMO

[spud the mackem]

Wow... Britain doesn't sound remotely like the place I grew up thinking I knew about. Is it really that bad? It sounds like the country is committing cultural suicide.

Everywhere you go these days has foreign people working in the shops,they are ok, but when you consider that we have 2 and a 1/2 million Brits out of work,it makes you wonder whether these people are working on half pay.We now have 7 city's that have more foreign people than original English and its growing by the day especially in the big city's.I guess Britain isn't English anymore.I was born here but in certain places I feel as though I'm in a foreign country.