Core Knowledge Hits the Alps

Along the shores of beautiful Lake Lugano, Switzerland, locals and expatriates alike have embraced a solid, sequenced curriculum thanks to The American School in Switzerland (TASIS). Teachers there face challenges — and reap rewards — similar to their counterparts in the United States. They have also learned valuable lessons about teaching Core Knowledge to ESL students and in classrooms with highly diverse student populations. The following article was submitted by the TASIS staff. Visit switzerland.tasis.com.

The American School in Switzerland (TASIS), the oldest college-preparatory boarding school in Europe, is nestled on the Collina d’Oro (Hill of Gold) in the Swiss Alps. TASIS existed for nearly fifty years without extending its offerings to the elementary level. This changed in September, 2005, when the TASIS Elementary Day School opened its doors, offering both local and expatriate families an opportunity to educate their children in English with a concrete, well-developed curriculum at its nucleus.

The first year of a school is always an exciting challenge. Fortunately, the excellent group of teachers who opened the school enthusiastically embraced the rigorous Core Knowledge curriculum and the parents were very supportive of the teachers and the instructional program. Most importantly, in the first year of the TASIS Elementary School, the children learned in a warm, supportive environment. They also benefit from the wide range of facilities of the larger TASIS campus, home to more than three hundred resident students and teachers.

This year the school added a Pre-Kindergarten and an Italian Language section in which 80 percent of the instruction is given in Italian, posing unique challenges for a young school. Local law mandates that families resident in the canton of Ticino for more than six years must send their children to school where the instruction is at least 80 percent in Italian. Students in the Italian Section follow a curriculum that mirrors that of Italian public schools and bears some similarities to the Core Knowledge curriculum in its rigorous coverage of key topics.

Core Knowledge complements the TASIS Middle and Upper School curriculum with its emphasis on the milestones of Western civilization. The Sequence is a new concept for local parents, though most have been pleased with the strength of the program and the concepts their children are grasping at a young age. Expatriate parents are often more familiar with the ideas behind the curriculum, which gives them confidence in knowing that — thanks to solid background knowledge — their children will be able to make an easy transition to a new school and community when the time comes. Kindergarten teacher Jesse Latter, a fifth-year Core Knowledge teacher, says, “Parents seem to love it, especially the literature component.”

The character of the curriculum, however, presents a unique set of challenges for classroom teachers. The elementary school boasts students from over twenty countries with twelve different first languages, the two most common being English and Italian. With content- and vocabulary-rich integrated study at its core, students without a solid knowledge of English can face difficulty when trying to grasp both new words and new concepts. “It takes a very flexible teacher who is willing to put multiple intelligence theories into play for every lesson,” says Alexandra Roosenburg, a sixth grade teacher. “That’s how you reach all your students. If you’re willing to jump around, sing, do art, whatever, they’ll get it in some capacity.” For example, Roosenburg’s class recently spent a month studying Ancient Greece. Activities included drawing the various types of columns, acting out important historical events, creating timelines to help facilitate understanding of the order of events, eating foods similar to ancient Greek delicacies, and staging an Olympics in full costume.

Roosenburg believes that if children are pushed and challenged, they will rise to the occasion and exceed expectations. “The curriculum is overall at a higher level than what students receive in a regular classroom. We do what we can with a majority of ‘English as a Second Language’ students, which means we have to be selective with the components we cover, but the result is exciting. They love learning.”

Latter agrees. “Most curriculums don't go into the sciences and history at the kindergarten level, which is actually an ideal time to teach them, as they pick up on everything.” Latter recently planted bean seeds with her class, and they nurtured the seeds into plants, which taught them about parts of the plant and basic photosynthesis. “Using visual aids and concrete examples allows my ESL children to understand as well as the native English speakers,” she adds.

Adapting the Core Knowledge Sequence to the ESL classroom will continue to be challenging and exciting for those involved in the school. Patrick O’Brien, Head of TASIS Elementary, believes that the long term benefits to students’ learning will exceed the parents’ expectations for a high quality private school education in Switzerland. “As this school continues to grow, the challenge will be to attract and retain teachers who are committed to teaching Core Knowledge and building a strong professional learning community that is able to adapt to the changing needs of a mobile, culturally and linguistically diverse international school community. As TASIS Elementary School continues to grow in the years to come we will honor the rich history and traditions of TASIS and create new chapters and traditions to celebrate in the future.”

TASIS has teacher openings now posted at http://coreknowledge.org/CK/schools/jobs.htm.

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