What the Front-Load?: Learning Language Through Complex Tasks

Abstract

How do we engage new Canadians / English Language Learners in complex tasks? For the last 20 years English Language Learning pedagogy has emphasized the development of basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) through “front loading” with low level, prescribed, rote activities. At Connaught School we know that our students, regardless of their English language proficiency, are capable of successfully developing interpersonal and academic language through complex tasks. We discuss a classroom project that exemplifies a deep exploration of curriculum through robotics to support the language development of a diverse population of English Language Learners and new Canadians.