Canadian International School, Bangalore (CISB) proudly celebrates its 30th year as one of India’s pioneering IB schools. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), a globally recognized standard of quality, CISB’s diploma is accepted by universities worldwide, ensuring students’ academic achievements are recognized throughout the world. With students from over 40 nationalities, CISB is a truly global learning environment. CISB has embedded research-based practices into classrooms, inspiring both teachers and students to explore innovative and effective ways of learning. Since joining the Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC) in 2023, the school has been engaged in action research projects aimed at enhancing learning.
In 2024, CISB embraced action research inspired by the MLRC Research Symposium in Vietnam, attended by a four-member team. With support from the leadership team, CISB developed a plan before the symposium and refined their research question during and after the event. Their middle school project focused on the impact of translanguaging on content teachers—a teaching approach that uses students’ home languages alongside English to deepen learning.
One key takeaway from the symposium was the importance of first measuring teacher impact, which ultimately drives student impact. A professional development (PD) session brought together 26 middle school teachers and specialists from subjects including English, Global Perspectives, Math, Music, Drama, Physical Education, and English as an Additional Language (EAL).
Key Findings from the Translanguaging PD Session:
- Varied experience: Some teachers were translanguaging experts, while others were just beginning.
- Clear benefits: Most already used translanguaging strategies and observed positive results.
- Barriers: The main challenge was lack of time, not lack of interest.
- High interest: 70% felt confident to try new translanguaging strategies; 75% wanted more training.
The impact of the PD session was soon visible through word walls and the use of translanguaging in small group activities. We look forward to continued application of these strategies by teachers and students.
Beyond middle school, positive results sparked interest in elementary and high school, leading to additional workshops and cross-division collaboration. Teachers saw how translanguaging benefits not only English learners but also fluent speakers, fostering deeper understanding and richer discussions. Some elementary teachers noted that a few parents prefer an English-only approach, highlighting the need to engage parents and communicate the benefits of translanguaging.
This project reflects CISB’s commitment to inclusive, research-driven education. By fostering multilingualism, empowering teachers, and collaboration across divisions, CISB continues to create a learning environment where every student thrives. Their work on translanguaging will continue across all three divisions, alongside new inclusive EAL action research projects that have commenced. CISB looks forward to sharing our findings with the global education community soon.
As part of the school’s professional development initiatives, professional exploration cohorts were introduced in 2025. Staff members were encouraged to join one of seven focus areas and engage in action research connected to their chosen topic and its current relevance within our school context. Two of these cohorts are focused on Inclusive EAL and Translanguaging, reflecting the school’s commitment to supporting diverse learners and multilingual practices. Each group has developed research questions and is collaboratively working on data collection and analysis to inform meaningful practice and improvement. As these groups continue to work on their action research, they use the MLRC Action Research Process Template to guide their research and documentation. The next phase for CISB will focus on implementing the action research plans and continuing to gather evidence from classroom practices. The goal is to arrive at meaningful results that can inform future instructional decisions, provide valuable input for school and programmatic improvement, encourage supportive teaching practices, and create a lasting impact on student learning.
The MLRC School Network is proud to partner with Canadian International School, Bangalore India and to support educators as they engage in action research. To learn more about action research with the MLRC, check out our Action Research page.
