At YCIS Chongqing we welcome students from all over the world. We have a firm commitment to supporting student first language whilst at the same time nurturing their mastery of English. Our EAL(English as an Additional Language) programme is specifically aimed at students beginning their English language acquisition journey. English and Chinese are two of the most important world languages and through promoting our students’ mastery of English and openness to world cultures we aim to provide our graduates with the skills and awareness to be successful across the globe. Our language programme aims to produce students who are not only competent in English but students who feel comfortable entering the global community equipped with the language skills and confidence they need to develop into truly international citizens.

Much of our teaching methodology is based on the work on modern linguistic theorists and the research they have conducted based on case studies from across the globe. This includes the traditional Grammar-Translation approach, popular across many Eastern countries and proven to help develop students’ understanding of the key grammatical structures that form the foundation of a language. We also focus on more traditionally Western approaches to language acquisition such as the Communicative Approach particularly popular in many Western countries focusing more on the practical use of language in conversation and real-life situations.

As an international school language teaching is deeply connected with our goal of cultivating internationally minded students with a global outlook. Tolerance and respect for others is one of the core philosophies of YCIS and the IB. In our classrooms, we encourage students to communicate and understand each other’s culture background, we also support students to develop cultural understanding of other world language communities and to develop a positive attitude to people from a variety of backgrounds.

AAs well as incorporating a number of traditional teaching strategies aimed at developing a strong foundation of language competency for our students, we also provide them with the opportunity to take part in a number of practical oral activities. In lower secondary, drama activities are integrated into the EAL curriculum allowing students the opportunity to improve their speaking competency and develop their confidence. In upper secondary, students take part in a variety of oral presentations and formal debate pushing them to use English to express their ideas coherently and develop their language competency in both formal and informal situations. Further to this, all YCIS students are required to engage with world literature throughout their education which offering language learners at all levels an introduction to the works of internationally renowned authors.

“Adam Duckworth is an experienced EAL teacher from the UK with more than eleven years of teaching experience including six years in international schools in China. He has dedicated most of his teaching career to teaching students who speak English as a second language both in China and in the UK. He also has experience teaching History. Currently he is reading for his Maters in Applied Linguistics and working hard to apply research from his studies into his class teaching in order to improve the quality of education for YCIS Chongqing students.”