English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
Cocos Islands District High School (CIDHS) welcomes students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Our Context
CIDHS has a unique context for teaching and learning; an isolated environment, split campus, and one predominant cultural group. The unique context of Cocos Keeling Islands consists of two inhabited islands, West Island and Home Island. The school consists of two campuses; Home Island Campus which caters almost exclusively for K-6 Cocos/Malay students and West Island Campus which caters to both Home Island and West Island Year 7-10 students and West Island K-6 students. Home Island Campus students and staff are predominantly Muslim and therefore are involved in religious activities such as Ramadan each year and celebrations such as Hari Raya.
Our EAL/D students are supported through evidence-based programs that are delivered through best-practice EAL/D strategies. We monitor our students using the EAL/D progress map to ensure they are progressing in their acquisition of Standard Australian English (SAE). By improving their understanding and use of SAE language, we give our students a better understanding of the curriculum.
Our program aims to:
- develop the student’s ability to socialise and learn effectively in SAE in a wide range of situations
- develop the student’s ability to listen, speak, read and write in SAE across all learning areas
- build on each student’s linguistic and cultural identity to strengthen their confidence and motivation
- develop intercultural perspectives across all learning areas and within the school community
The school recognises that EAL/D learners bring to their learning a range of linguistic and cultural understandings and skills which are significant contributors to their English language and curriculum learning. We value the home language and acknowledge our student’s as very talented in their abilities to learn SAE and be bi-lingual.
EAL/D learning at Cocos Islands District High School (CIDHS) is a multidimensional process involving:
- learning a new language and understanding a new culture in both social and academic contexts
- learning to operate at increasing levels of cognitive and academic sophistication within the new language
It is a privilege to be able to support all students at CIDHS in the acquisition and growth of language learning in SAE.
