Language education – the process and practice of teaching a second or foreign language – is primarily a branch of applied linguistics, but can be an interdisciplinary field. There are four main learning categories for language education: communicative competencies, proficiencies, cross-cultural experiences, and multiple literacies.
English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL), English as an additional language (EAL), English as a New Language (ENL), or English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The aspect in which ESL is taught is referred to as teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), teaching English as a second language (TESL) or teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). Technically, TEFL refers to English language teaching in a country where English is not the official language, TESL refers to teaching English to non-native English speakers in a native English-speaking country and TESOL covers both. In practice, however, each of these terms tends to be used more generically across the full field. TEFL is more widely used in the UK and TESL or TESOL in the US.
There are some 120 to 187 languages spoken in the Philippines, depending on the method of classification. Almost all are Malayo-Polynesian languages native to the archipelago. A number of Spanish-influenced creole varieties generally called Chavacano along with some local varieties of Chinese are also spoken in certain communities. The 1987 constitution designates Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog, as the national language and an official language along with English. Filipino is regulated by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and serves as a lingua franca used by Filipinos of various ethnolinguistic backgrounds.
The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) educational and research institution consisting of two separate entities which provide linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other federal agencies and numerous customers around the world. The Defense Language Institute is responsible for the Defense Language Program, and the bulk of the Defense Language Institute's activities involve educating DoD members in assigned languages, and international personnel in English. Other functions include planning, curriculum development, and research in second-language acquisition.
Language immersion, or simply immersion, is a technique used in bilingual language education in which two languages are used for instruction in a variety of topics, including math, science, or social studies. The languages used for instruction are referred to as the L1 and the L2 for each student, with L1 being the student's native language and L2 being the second language to be acquired through immersion programs and techniques. There are different types of language immersion that depend on the age of the students, the classtime spent in L2, the subjects that are taught, and the level of participation by the speakers of L1.
Utahloy International School Guangzhou (UISG) is a school with English-language class instruction in Baiyun District, Guangzhou. UISG serves students aged 2 to 19 from over 50 different countries. There are seven major native languages, including English, Chinese, Korean, French, Japanese, German, and Spanish. The school offers three types of programs: Primary Year, Middle Year, and Diploma. An average of 18 students per class, with a teacher-to-student ratio of 1 to 8.
A modern language is any human language that is currently in use as a native language. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication and dead classical languages such as Latin and Classical Chinese, which are studied for their cultural or linguistic value. SIL Ethnologue defines a living language as "one that has at least one speaker for whom it is their first language".
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Siu Ming Catholic Secondary School (天主教母佑會蕭明中學), founded in 1973, is a girls' secondary school in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong. It is administered under the Grant Code and using English as a medium of instruction, or being an "EMI school".
HESS International Educational Group is the single largest private provider of English education in Taiwan. Hess has an estimated 60,000 students enrolled. Founded in 1983 by Joseph Chu and Karen Hess, it has become a large business, with schools across the island. Hess also provides books and resources to other English schools across Asia to teach English as a foreign language, and has a chain of bookstores, which was founded in 1990. In addition to the ROC, Hess also has branches in Singapore, China, and South Korea as well as connections to Japan.
School Year Abroad (SYA) places American high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in one of three independently operated schools in Italy, France or Spain for a full academic year. From 1994–2020, SYA operated a campus in China. Students intensively learn the respective language of their country and live with a carefully selected host family. The program includes extensive cultural immersion, wherein select courses are taught in the native language, and requisite subjects such as math and English, are taught in English.
Dual language is a form of education in which students are taught literacy and content in two languages. Most dual language programs in the United States teach in English and Spanish, but programs increasingly use a partner language other than Spanish, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Hawaiian, Japanese, or Korean. Dual language programs use the partner language for at least half of the instructional day in the elementary years.
An English-medium education system is one that uses English as the primary medium of instruction—particularly where English is not the mother tongue of the students.
The Iran–America Society was founded in the 1950s in Tehran, Iran to promote understanding between the people of Iran and the people of the United States of America. The founding Chairman of the Board was Ralph E. Becket. David Nalle was one of its early directors. The Iran-American Society's office in Washington, DC arranged educational exchanges for Iranian students. The Society's cultural center in Tehran became a gathering place for Iranian students and intellectuals in the 1960s, who were drawn by the liberalizing influence of American culture on Iran. A second branch was founded in Isfahan a few years later as well as a third in Mashad. All three centers included English language schools. The Iran–America Society also had a branch in Shiraz. The society sponsored an exhibit of Iranian art and cultural artifacts which toured the United States in 1964.
Montrose School is an independent school for girls in grades 6–12 located in Medfield, Massachusetts, USA.
Hanyoung Foreign Language High School is a high school in South Korea. Located in southeast Seoul, South Korea, the medium-sized college preparatory school was founded in 1990.
ESSCA School of Management is a French grande école and business school. Historically based in Angers, it now has campuses in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Bordeaux, Cholet, Budapest and Shanghai.
The International Bilingual School, later International School of Los Angeles (ISLA), was an international bilingual day school in Palos Verdes Estates, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, serving students in Kindergarten through grade 9. It was founded by Tadao Hara. The school later relocated to nearby Torrance.
Liceo linguistico is a type of secondary school in Italy. It is designed to give students the skills to progress to any university or higher educational institution. Students can attend the liceo linguistico after successfully completing middle school.
École internationale de Montréal (Secondaire) is a public French-language high school located in Westmount, Quebec. It is a part of the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM).
Teaching English as a second language (TESL) or Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) are terms that refer to teaching English to students whose first language is not English. The terms TESL, TEFL, and TESOL distinguish between a class's location and student population. TEFL describes English language programs that occur in countries where English is not the primary language. TEFL programs may be taught at a language school or with a tutor. For some jobs, the minimum TEFL requirement is a 100-hour course; however, the 120-hour course is strongly recommended as it often yields higher-paying teaching positions. TESL and TESOL include English language programs that occur in English-speaking countries. Often, these classes serve populations who have immigrated there or whose families speak another language at home. TESOL is an umbrella term that includes TEFL and TESL programs and is a widely accepted term in the field of English language teaching. TEFL teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. Teaching English as a second language is regarded as an outdated term because students may speak more than one language before they study English. Students who are learning English in their home country, typically in a school, are EFL students. More generally, students learning English are referred to as ELLs.
