How the AIM Transforms the Second Language Education
Focus
1. Oral competence
Shift from a curriculum that focuses on
learning the mechanics of a language to one
that supports a more communicative
approach.
✏ Embed language structures so they are
taught in context.
✏ Emphasize the development of listening
and speaking skills, by giving students more
“safe” opportunities to speak and interact in
the target language, and gain confidence in
their language ability. When learning by listening,
the student’s attention is on the ideas
and messages conveyed, whereas when
learning by speaking, the student’s attention
is on conveying ideas and messages to another
person or persons.
✏ Make language meaningful and relevant by
providing opportunities for students to hear
themselves and their peers speak the second
language.
The Aim
The AIM places great emphasis on the development
of communicative language skills and helps
students attain higher levels of fluency than previously
seen in foreign language programs
✏ Each word is associated with a gesture - the word/
meaning connection is immediate. Syntax and grammar
concepts are also taught through gestures.
✏ The Pared-down language regularizes the verb
stem so that we teach across rather than through
verbs, this making acquisition easier, increasing
the number of words acquired within the limited
time frame that the language program allows. Other
aspects to the pared-down language including clustering,
opposites, prioritizing words with wide scope
and cognates also promotes accelerative language
learning
✏ As the teacher gestures students produce the
language so that each word is deeply embedded in
context. This scaffolds the eventual success with students’
own spontaneous fluency development.
!With these ‘safe’ opportunities to speak and high
emphasis placed on oral language, confidence builds
as the shy students and those that need more support
receive it from their powers. The strong participatory
students speak at all times as well
✏ AIM techniques allow all students to speak the
whole class time – the teacher gestures and students
speak in while-class work and the students work
cooperatively and discuss orally all partner/group
written language activities.
✏ The dramatic, gestural, literacy-based, musical
components reflect learning styles and needs of students
with different intelligences (auditory, musical,
kinesthetic, visual, linguistic, math-logic and spatial)
✏ From the beginning, interaction in the target
language only is the ‘rule’ and students are provided
time each day to transfer skills learned and practiced
with the teachers to communicate spontaneously
during partner/group work time. The second language
is constantly used in meaningful, authentic
contexts.
Focus
2. Authentic Learning
✏ Link classroom language learning to the
real world through the use of
authentic/functional second language materials.
✏ Contextualize language learning to ensure
that it appears as authentic as possible.
! Recreate the classroom experiences offered
to students to tap into their real-life experiences
and interests.
The Aim
The AIM ensures systematic introduction of functional,
high-frequency words based on research.
These words are used in meaningful interactions,
as we would see in a first language or immersion
program
✏ Contextualization is of primary importance in
the AIM – words are systematically placed in a variety
of contexts, both structured (the play, language
manipulation activities, creative stories, games) and
unstructured (teachers’ TLSE and spontaneous discussions)
✏The extensively used AIM technique, Teacher-led
self expression ensures that students are guided and
supported through the production of authentic language
use in concrete, meaningful situations as they
occur
✏ GM and TLSE also ensure that in a natural, supportive
and unobtrusive way, students are also
supported in their refinement of language skills, as
would occur naturally when parents correct their
child’s error in process.
✏ Students gain confidence and competence so that
very early in their acquisition of the language, they
are able to develop a rudimentary fluency - the foundation
for future success
✏ In this content-based approach, every classroom
situation, whether literacy-based, musical, choreography,
theatre or creative drama provides a deeply
context-embedded opportunity for authentic and
meaningful experiences through a content-based approach
where students learn more than the language
alone as they would in real-life or in immersion
Focus
3. Flexible grouping
✏ Encounter a less passive and a more positive
and active experience in language learning
in the classroom through various grouping
situations that encourage interactive and
social talk. It is critical that students have
ample opportunities to be involved “socially”
in language use through flexible grouping opportunities.
The Aim
The AIM ensures a highly active, participatory experience
where students speak for the entire class and
have ample opportunities to be involved socially
through flexible grouping with a high emphasis on
cooperative learning
✏ Students are actively involved in language acquisition
from the first hour of the first class and from
then on as the teacher gestures for them to practise
guided speaking skills.
✏ As all students are working on the same context in
the whole-class activities, flexible and varied grouping
for partner group activities is possible and encouraged
e.g. the student works with a certain group
to rehearse the play, a variety of different partners
when engaging in oral story retelling, a different
partner for creative writing (story extension) another
partner for any of the numerous scaffolded language
manipulation activities
Focus
4. Inclusive classroom environment
✏ Adopt inclusive instructional practices and
strategies in foreign language classrooms. The
classroom environment must be a rich one ---
supportive, safe, and positive --- to encourage
risk-taking.
✏ Enable the learner to gain oral competency
and use this skill with confidence within academically
and socially related situations.
✏ Provide multiple opportunities to speak
and participate in the target language. Tolerate
language errors!
The Aim
The AIM contains explicit strategies to ensure that
students experience a rich, supportive safe and
positive learning environment
✏ Extensive modeling of activities for partner/group
work occurs allows students to feel supported as new
concepts are presented and practiced. Discussions
among the whole class occur and the teacher may
provide feedback to check for comprehension.
✏ Teacher supports students with gestural cues
✏ The whole class speaks together to support all
students
✏ The richness of the AIM: students experience
multiple opportunities to speak an participate in the
Classroom. Activities are divided into ten-minute
chunks to maximize learning of skills in:
dramatic arts, literacy skills, editing,
creative writing, choreography, public speaking/performance,
singing and others
Meeting the needs of students of all learning styles
and multiple intelligences is of primary importance
in the design of the program.
✏ Daily partner/group work time occurs so that
students have opportunities for leadership, peer assistance
and self and peer evaluation all in the target
language.
✏ In partner/group activities students are requested
to interact orally in the target language as they work
through the written activities so that a sense of security
and risk taking is possible
1. peer mentoring/assistance/teaching
2. development of oral language skills in tandem
with written – never silence!
3. Interactions in the target language about the
activity extend far beyond the simple activity
itself. Students learn to ask/respond to
questions, provide explanations
✏ The target language is the only acceptable language
in the classroom and strategies such as GM
help teachers to ensure that students are gently assisted
toward this goal and to constantly improving
upon their language skills
Focus
5. Literacy skills
Highlight the importance of applying and
integrating literacy skills from first language
learning to the second language. It is imperative
that students are enabled to transfer
their pre-existing English literacy skills to the
foreign language learning context.
✏ Integrate and support literacy skills and
strategies learned in the student’s first language
in the second language classroom with
a specific interest and emphasis in the teaching
of oral language. Research shows that in
order for students to achieve literacy success,
they must possess a strong oral language
base.
The Aim
The AIM teaches language skills through a Balanced
Literacy approach, modified and adapted to a second
language learning environment
✏ Strong focus on the oral language skills development
as students learn to read and write.
✏ Integrate Literacy skills from the L1 - Balanced
Literacy and the AIM
1. Read aloud (introduction/modeling of the play,
raps, songs, stories)
2. Shared reading (play, songs, raps, whole-class
story retelling and creative writing, all language
manipulation activities – AIM ensures that these
all occur within the ZPD for maximum success.)
3. Guided reading (La lecture AIM, AIM Balanced
Literacy Packs and AIM Cultural Literacy Packs)
4. Write aloud, Shared writing and Guided writing
(Story retelling, story extension, writing a rap,
journal writing, Décris l’image, Les gens en
action !, writing of Fairy Tales etc.)
✏ The editing process is modeled extensively
through applied grammar activities and error analysis
and with AIM’s three stage inductive approach to
the teaching of grammar
Focus
6. Value Language Learning
Ensure that the target language remains, at
all times, the language of
instruction in the classroom.
✏ Create opportunities for language learning
experiences outside the classroom.
✏ Reinforce the value of learning another
language. What students believe
and understand about why they are studying
the language will determine their degree of
success in learning the second language.
The Aim
The AIM strategies and techniques ensure that
students appreciate the value of foreign language
learning and that the target language only rule is
respected by teacher and students
✏ Gestures allow the teacher to pass directly to
meaning, both to teach words, grammar syntax without
explanation and from an inductive perspective,
without ever reverting to the L1.
✏ The AIM’s scaffolded, holarchical approach ensures
that students are not only taught, but learn and
learn to use the words in effective communication
✏ Pleasant repetition allows sufficient processing for
words to be acquired
✏ The fact that students learn to speak so early in
their learning process ensures constant motivation
to improve and realization of success, pride in their
developing language skills.
✏The entry routines and card system make explicit
this expectation – students affirm and self-evaluate
each day. Both intrinsic motivation as well as teacher
recognition/praise for efforts are fundamental aspects
to the success of the program
Focus
7. Self and peer assessments
Encourage students to reflect on their own
development as language learners and
those of others in relation to them. Students
demonstrate learning in a variety of ways. It
is vital to provide a variety of ways to assess
learning. No single assessment can do it all.
Students require opportunities to say, do, and
write in order to demonstrate what they have
learned.
The Aim
Throughout the program students reflect upon
what they have learned and what their peers have
learned
✏ self: each student talks about and completes self
assessment, present to parents
✏ peer: view play and dance performances, listen to
stories read, projects, creative improvisational drama
and ask questions as well as provide written feedback
and read stories to five others who comment
✏ performances are filmed and used as the basis for
class discussion, analysis, learning and improvement
✏ AIM euros system – students analyse other’s spontaneous
oral errors
Focus
8. Technology
Identify different applications of technology
as teaching tools to support learning in the
target language. Different technologies afford
novel ways for students to practice, revisit
and perfect their work. Although students
may not excel initially in speaking, this familiar
support will provide the necessary scaffolding
needed to assimilate knowledge in
additional ways.
The Aim
Due to the high emphasis on language production
and development of creative thinking (speaking and
listening) skills, AIM students are encouraged to
support their learning through the use of technology
✏ Students are encouraged to publish their stories
and to be contributing authors to a library of books in
the target langauge. Their works may be published on
using computer software and illustrations
✏ All end-of kit performances are filmed and students
may take an active role in the filming and post
production (editing) of the materials
✏ Students produce their own raps and these may be
filmed
✏ AIM support materials appear on DVD so that students
have opportunities for a multimedia approach
to learning every aspect of the program
✏ AIM resources on SMARTboard provide optional
ways for students to receive pleasant repetition in a
variety of formats.
✏ At the junior-high level internet research projects
and differentiated activities that include the use of
technology are included
Focus
9. Language Learning Strategies
Embed Language Learning Strategies in all 5
strands (listening, speaking, reading, writing
and cultural literacy) to provide students
with the tools to become better learners and
improve achievement.
✏ Use a variety of teaching strategies to ensure
positive results for students
The Aim
The AIM strategies and techniques were developed
to ensure that students maximize their potential
and achieve the highest possible level of fluency
within the shortest period of time
✏ The AIM’s active, multimodal approach to teaching
whereby students embed vocabulary, syntax
and grammar concepts simultaneously in a variety
of ways (kinesthetically, auditorially and visually)
ensures that all students, regardless of gender, socioeconomic
level or aptitude, maximize their language
learning potential
✏The AIM is created on the premise that it is only
by developing strong oral language skills that students
can develop equally strong written language
skills and that maintaining this balance is of utmost
importance throughout the program. As a result, we
see evidence of this in students speaking and writing
abilities
Focus
10. Cultural Literacy
Promote cultural literacy. Effective communication
is more than language proficiency, it
is also cultural competence and it fosters empathy
and respect toward different cultures
(including one’s own).
✏ Emphasize the interdependence of language
and culture.
✏ Encourage an understanding and awareness
that we are all connected with similarities
and differences.
✏ Cultivate an appreciation for another language
to ensure the beginning of a life-long
appreciation of its culture.
The Aim
The AIM’s cultural Literacy packs align directly with
the expectations of the new guidelines. There are
two packs per grade, covering all aspects.
✏ The AIM’s multimodal approach extends into the
Cultural Literacy Packs. These are scaffiolded in language
difficulty and deal with the concepts found in
the new Ontario guidelines.
✏ Authentic materials, songs, dances, folk tales, festivals,
geography and personal stories help students
raise student awareness and appreciation of Francophone
culture around the world
✏ The love of the language naturally grows as it becomes
part of the student – who s/he is and how s/he
communicates
Innovations_Programme.pdf