Bilingual Teaching (English version)

Datei: Mission Statement (English)

VIENNA BILINGUAL SCHOOLING

In the fast-changing world of globalisation, proficiency in English is no longer just an advantage; it is a social and cultural necessity. The objective of our VBS Initiative is to provide language proficiency at its three levels: personal, social and cultural.

As a participant in the Initiative Vienna Bilingual Schooling since 1998, our school has been in the process of building up a strong European and international dimension. From the first form, subjects across the curriculum are taught in two languages – German and English. Co-operation between the Austrian subject teachers and fully qualified Native Speaker Teachers seeks to ensure a balanced input in both languages of instruction.

To take part in the Bilingual Initiative students are interviewed in an “orientation talk” in which the standard of their linguistic flexibility is determined. Additionally, the headmistress speaks personally to each candidate in the week of application. Students in the bilingual classes must show a willingness to work and demonstrate a potential that can be nurtured in the atmosphere of “partial immersion” techniques employed in bilingual teaching.

While paying due consideration to the characteristics of their English language background, students should be given the confidence to think, communicate and respond in the classroom. In society, individuals interact mainly through language, and social literacy equips them with the language skills necessary to participate at a social level in various roles. Cultural literacy allows students to evaluate their responses to language and literary style and to develop a critical awareness of all language use.

Our general aim is to contribute towards the development of all aspects of the individual, in particular, to reinforce and develop the knowledge of English acquired at primary level, to foster the use and exploration of English and to extend and deepen skills at all four levels with an integrated programme of speaking and listening, reading and writing.

Teachers are free to design and plan their own programmes to suit the ability level of the students. At the same time every youngster should be challenged to achieve the highest possible standard with due regard to aptitude and ability.

Opportunities for cross-curricular work may be exploited as appropriate and feasible for those teachers involved in collective planning to emphasise the European dimension of a UNESCO
school and Austria's membership of the European Union.