When we see a student learning English as their second, third, or even fourth language, do we see this student as having an advantage, a strength that can be leveraged, or a concern that unless fixed will have a harmful effect on their learning at EARJ?

Language is how we make meaning of the world. Language allows us to inquire and holds a crucial role in our learning process. How we use language changes constantly, especially in a globally connected world.

Our language might change depending on who we are talking to or what we are talking about. It might change from sending an email versus a WhatsApp message. We might use two or three different languages within one single day, and even within those languages change how we are communicating depending on who we are communicating with.

Basically, language is flexible. It is a fluid act that when used as an action or verb, we call it languaging. For our students, they are languaging to make meaning from lessons as they continue to make meaning of the world. If they speak multiple languages, languaging can become a more unique asset or a strength in making meaning.

Language and culture are intimately intertwined, allowing students to bring into our classrooms diverse cultures filled with enriching perspectives. When students call upon their multiple languages, even if they are not all fluent, they can make greater connections. We call this translanguaging.

Translanguaging allows students to make more meaningful and diverse connections to content by utilizing all of their languages. When encouraged and celebrated openly, they can begin to share this enrichment with the entire class, where English Language Learners are thoughtfully included, and all students can deepen meaning.

For any student, bilingualism or multilingualism can be either subtractive or additive. “English only” can lead to diversity restricting, monolingual or monocultural meanings, and diminished learning outcomes. Instead of English only, what could we gain from English plus, where translanguaging is valued, encouraged, and celebrated?

Cody Alton
Director of Student Support Services

It’s been just over two weeks since our students have transitioned back to campus in two new models of learning at EARJ. In the weeks, days and hours up to our return, the adults in the EARJ community had a lot on their minds.

The teaching teams worked furiously to finalize lesson planning, new classroom arrangements, and technology set-up to be sure that students at home and school would feel part of the classroom family. The physical spaces were ready, desks neatly spaced and materials separated and organized.

EARJ parents coordinated transportation, work schedules and set up home learning routines in alignment with a new kind of school day. They carefully talked to their kids about what school would look like: masks, hand washing and social distancing.

I’m certain every adult in our community worried about how the children would respond and adapt to this new school life, with such a different kind of day with so many protocols and procedures. I know I wasn’t the only one with anxious late night questions running through my mind: Will the kids be alright? Will they understand why their teachers can’t hug them? Will they be scared with all the rules and empty space? Will they be able to learn in the same way?

On the first day of school, I knew we were ready. The amount of work and preparation for that first moment is difficult to put into words, but I can honestly say that it was all worth it the minute the gates opened and the school was once again filled with children. Every member of our community knew that this was the product of months of preparation, waiting, uncertainty, and a great deal of perseverance through challenge.

I held my breath as the first students opened their car doors to temperature checks and masked adults. I was met by each student with a different form of expression: smiles from behind the masks, cheers, dancing, jumping, and elbow bumps! Their joy was contagious!

I looked over as a new Preschool student was walking up, ready to meet her teacher in person for the very first time. She had a bright backpack on and a huge bow in her hair. She was the perfect picture of many years of back to school first days in my memory.  She looked small, but full of confidence, as she walked carefully past masked adults, through the temperature check, and sanitized her hands; she looked like every excited three-year-old on the first day of school.

She was ready to say good-bye to her mom and head off to her classroom for the very first time. The minute she saw Ms. Angela in the waiting area, she stopped and exclaimed, “I know you!”. Her eyes were wide and a huge smile beamed as she looked up at her new teacher.

“I know you, too, Valentina! I’m so happy to see you here at school!” Ms. Angela replied.

Valentina was staring up at her teacher with a face full of excitement, promise, and hope. “I know you! You’re my teacher… from the TV!”

The adults could not contain their smiles and laughs; all those days of teaching through a screen were worth it – they were recognized and meaningful, even for the youngest in our school. It took Valentina’s perspective to remind us of that!

And that’s exactly how the first week went; the adults worried about a million little things and waited to see how the students would respond to change. The children… they just came back to school with renewed excitement and energy, filled with happiness. They danced behind their desks during music class and discussed books over webcams with their classmates. They learned to walk the hallways socially distanced, using games and songs and pumped hand sanitizer as they entered the classroom.

The children have been incredible in their resilience, their ability to adapt, their understanding of change, and their joy in learning together.

As we look ahead to what will undoubtedly be a school year unlike any other, we know that the EARJ community will need to continue to work together as educators, families, and students to navigate the opportunities and challenges of online and in-person learning.  When things get difficult, I’ll keep looking for perspective from our preschoolers.

Kirstin White
Barra Lower School Principal

Following one of my recent grade-level parent meetings, a parent asked me how teachers have changed their instructional approach due to Distance Learning.

This struck me as both a simple and yet very complex question, which drew my mind back more than 20 years, when I was working on implementing significant program changes in a large school district in Washington state as part of the overall trend in school reform. At the time, we focused on differentiating between first-order and second-order changes. Many schools in the United States had a history of reforming schools without improving schools.

First-order changes were made, but second-order changes did not necessarily occur. For example, schools would focus on reducing class size (a first-order change), with the hope that this would lead to greater differentiation and higher student achievement (a second-order change). Another example was a shift to longer 90-minute teaching blocks (another first-order change), in order to create collaborative ownership of learning (a second-order change).

Fast forward to our current situation in 2020 and the Distance Learning program we have in place. Is this a first-order change or a second-order change? It is initially a first-order change, required within the context of a pandemic that forced campuses to close. It is a strategy that has been put in place to ensure students can continue to access learning and teachers can continue to provide instruction.

But is the Distance Learning program leading to second-order change or an expanded philosophy of teaching and learning? My initial response would be “not necessarily”. All of us have been so focused on adapting to the nuts and bolts of Distance Learning, using Google Meet or Zoom, having cameras on and microphones muted, educating ourselves on tech options out there or online curriculum, recording lessons on Seesaw, etc., that we have had little time to pause and reflect.

However, educators and researchers around the world are beginning to engage in a collective reflection about this new context of learning, and one summary of this reflection is captured in the introduction to a recent publication, entitled The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: “Distance Learning is not an accelerator. It’s also not negative. That means the setting isn’t the deciding factor,” or, in other words, “What we do matters, not the medium for doing it”.

At EARJ, the expectation for teachers, regardless of the medium, is that they are able to differentiate for students, create purposeful engagement, with high quality planning, and meaningful use of educational technology. This expectation has not changed due to distance learning. Teachers and students, alike, however, have had to blaze new trails in working together online, offline, through email, chats, and posts, regardless of grade level.

In many ways, learning has changed more than teaching through the distance format. This experience has highlighted the importance of the attributes of the IB Learner Profile (details at this link) that we want to develop in all of our students. For example, engaging in inquiry, which includes knowing “how to learn independently and with others,” or communicating, which includes expressing “ourselves confidently, creatively, in more than one language, and in many ways,” or being risk-takers, who “work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies and are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change”.

EARJ students have been compelled through distance learning to develop these attributes in order to learn in this context, and, for many, they are beginning to lead the way to finding their path!

Howard De Leeuw
Gávea Upper School Principal