What is the difference between ESL and EFL?
At Frankfurt International School we have an ESL (English as a second language) programme because English is the language of instruction for all lessons. Students at our school are exposed to English all day in what they hear and read; they must also speak and write English in all their lessons. In such situations a large amount of grammar and vocabulary is acquired naturally in regular classes such as science or drama. Students learning EFL (English as a foreign language) may have one lesson of English per day, but the rest of their lessons are in their native language – e.g. a German student learning English at a German school. The acquistion of English takes place only in the single English lesson. In an ESL situation such as ours it is vital that all teachers regard themselves not only as teachers of their subject but also as teachers of language. An ESL student s language development is influenced considerably by the language learning experiences that he or she has in the mainstre
