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IssuesPupil DiversityAs a result of the diversity existing in the classroom, there are groups of pupils who, for various reasons, will reach the foundation, intermediate and proficiency levels at different times and not necessarily at the grade levels mentioned in the section Description of Terms. Therefore, the implementation of the curriculum for these pupils is different and requires special attention.These populations include:
Recommendations to Schools for Implementing the CurriculumThe following are recommendations to schools for implementing the curriculum. The recommendations are divided into three categories: school policy, appropriate instructional resources and scheduling.School Policy: Language Programs The planning to initiate a school English language program in the early grades should take into account the need for pupils to master basic language and literacy skills in Hebrew (or Arabic and Hebrew) before studying English. The availability of suitable teaching staff and materials also needs to be taken into consideration. English Language programs should be developed for all three levels of schools serving the same pupil population in that area to ensure a smooth transition from elementary to junior high school and from junior high school to high school. Therefore, teachers at these three school levels need to coordinate their language programs. Hiring Teachers and Staff Development Teachers are required to be certified English teachers by the Ministry of Education. Teachers should be encouraged to participate in in-service teacher development courses, offered by the English Inspectorate, universities, teacher training colleges, and teacher centers. They should also be encouraged to be members of professional development organizations, such as the English Teachers' Association in Israel (ETAI). Staff meetings should be held regularly within the teachers' time schedule so that teachers can plan instruction and assessment together, coordinate language programs, develop appropriate teaching materials and discuss relevant issues regarding the teaching of English. It is recommended that there be an English teachers' resource room with professional literature, computers and additional resource materials. Curriculum Integration Teachers need to find ways of integrating the use of English with other curriculum areas. English teachers, together with teachers of other subjects, such as science and history, may seek ways to coordinate their lessons and develop learning and assessment materials that are interdisciplinary. English teachers should also seek ways of cooperation with teachers of the other languages taught at the school. Reporting Pupils' Progress The curriculum, with its multiple domains and benchmarks, will require alternative methods of reporting pupils' progress. For the subject of English, the pupil's report card should reflect the pupil's performance in the four domains of language learning. Appropriate Instructional Resources: Technological Media In every school there should be at least one classroom allocated exclusively to English teaching, equipped with the following technological media:
Printed Material It is important that each English classroom provide a print-rich environment by having:
Scheduling: Timetabling of English Lessons Hours for English studies should be spread out during the week. Hours for Remedial Instruction In addition to regular English studies, hours should be allotted for remedial instruction, by specially trained English teachers, for pupils who have difficulties learning English. Timetabling of Staff Meetings English staff meetings should be regularly scheduled in the timetable throughout the school year. Scheduling Extra-Curricular Activities in English Schools should encourage extra-curricular activities in English, such as drama groups, writing a newspaper, chorus, debating. A Personal NoteWriting a new national curriculum has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging tasks facing this committee. In designing this document, we had to learn about and apply changes in theory and practice of foreign language learning, teaching and assessment, while taking into account the complexity of a heterogeneous population and the constraints of the Israeli educational system. The curriculum set out in this document underwent many changes in concept and detail before this final version was written. As a result of comprehensive and extended discussions with our colleagues, we feel confident that our decision to base the curriculum on principles and standards is a good one. English educators, both at the local and national levels, will now have the responsibility to make certain that pupils are given equal opportunities to meet these standards. This final version of the curriculum, the result of four years' work, takes into account a large number of comments by teachers and teacher educators, researchers, inspectors and material developers. Even so, it cannot capture all the complexities of language teaching and learning. We expect current benchmarks to be refined and new ones added as teachers implement this curriculum in their classrooms, and as the needs of their pupils change. We have completed our mission of writing the curriculum. The English teaching profession is embarking on the exciting task of implementing it. The standards for teaching English as a foreign language have now been set; it is now up to schools and teachers, parents and communities to enable all pupils to achieve them. We believe strongly that this curriculum will contribute to the teaching and learning of English in the Israeli educational system. As we wrote in the Introduction, we confidently leave it to the English teaching community to add the creative imagination that will bring the teaching and learning of English alive. Bibliography
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