Students applying to TISA who are non-native speakers of English may be candidates for the EAL programme. The aim of the programme is to equip incoming students with the conversational, social / cultural and academic language skills in order for them to integrate into the school as quickly as possible. The EAL programme is designed to enable students to:

• use English confidently and effectively as a means of communication
• develop the language skills required by each of the subjects in the curriculum
• develop a critical approach to study, including strategies for dealing with unfamiliar texts and language
• help students feel comfortable, confident and eager to learn in a healthy learning environment

Structure of the Programme 

EAL English - Language through literature

EAL Language - Language analysis 

Students arriving at TISA at Phase 1 (beginner) to Phase 3 (intermediate) level are enrolled in both EAL English and EAL Language classes. Once students reach Phase 4 (upper intermediate), they are exited from EAL Language classes and are given the opportunity to take a Foreign Language. Students continue EAL English classes until they reach an upper Phase 5 (advanced) level after which they exit the EAL programme completely and enter Mainstream English classes.

In addition, students in the EAL programme receive in-class support in Humanities, Science and Mathematics classes.

The rate at which students acquire English varies tremendously depending on a range of factors such as motivation and personality. The programme aims to equip these pupils with the skills in English to enable them to function to their potential in an English medium school. We aim to do this by:

• Providing instruction at three levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced
• Offering a programme of communicative language learning, which includes teaching of core language skills (i.e. grammatical structures and vocabulary) and generic language skills (i.e. reading for information, report writing, oral presentations)
• Integrating the content area concepts and Global Contexts into the programme
• Collaborating with mainstream teachers in the planning of the school wide programme
• Differentiating materials to suit abilities