Facing Challenges on Implementing an Immersion Program in a Public High School
Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 11:15 AM–12:15 PM CDT
Lake Calhoun
Session Type
Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)
Immersion/Partner Language(s)
Spanish based on the experience, but it could apply to other language programs
Context/program model
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
Level
High School
Program Summary
Seattle’s Chief Sealth International High School has been running a Spanish immersion continuation program with advanced language and social studies classes since 2013. Teacher leaders and administrators who co-designed the program share the many challenges of developing a high school immersion model and how they can be overcome.
Abstract/Description for Paper, Discussion, and Laptop Poster presentations
Seattle’s Chief Sealth International High School has been running a Spanish immersion continuation program with advanced language and social studies classes since 2013. Teacher leaders and administrators who co-designed the program share the many challenges of developing a high school immersion model and how they can be overcome.
The Chief Sealth International Immersion Program offers students a unique combination of advanced AP and IB Spanish language courses along with four years of social studies courses taught in Spanish that include IB History of the Americas and IB 20th Century World History. Students enter a dual language immersion program in kindergarten and continue in an immersion continuation program in middle school before reaching Chief Sealth. The three schools work together to provide a streamlined k-12 immersion pathway.
Key concepts in this workshop will include:
· Seattle’s International Schools
· Structure of the program at Elementary and Middle School levels.
· Structure of the program at High School level.
· Core high school social studies classes taught in Spanish
· Benefits for the students: biliterate proficiency and the possibility of obtaining several college credits.
· Challenges faced so far. Some of them may be particular to Seattle’s reality while many are common to all immersion programs at the secondary level.
· Creating a pipeline of future immersion teachers through the high school program.
· Establishing a network of secondary immersion educators.
Lead Presenter/organizer
Pedro Lopez-Chaves, Chief Sealth International High School, Seattle Public Schools
Role/Title
Social Studies and Spanish High School Teacher
State (in US) or Country
WA
Co-Presenters
Michele Anciaux Aoki, Seattle Public Schools
Role/Title
International Education Administrator
State (in US) or Country
WA
Noah Zeichner, International Schools Leadership Team
Role/Title
Social Studies Teacher
State (in US) or Country
WA