A training course for SCITT Trainees

EAL learners in your classroom:how to do the best for and get the best from your EAL pupils

Who is EAL?

A pupil is defined as EAL if their first language is not English.

The first language is not English if they were exposed to

another language during early development and continue to

be exposed to that language in the home or in the community.

If a child was exposed to more than one language (which may

include English) during early development the language other

than English is recorded as first language, irrespective of the

child’s proficiency in English.

Why focus on EAL?

Every teacher must:

• ‘adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils.’

• ‘have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with English as an additional language; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.’

DfE, 2013

The number of students with EAL has doubled

since 1997

FACT

The Equality Act 2010

∗ ‘Welcome and value the cultural, linguistic and educational experiences that pupils with EAL bring to the school.’

∗ ‘Implement school-wide strategies to ensure that EAL pupils are supported in accessing the curriculum.’

∗ ‘Help EAL pupils to become confident and fluent in Englishto be able to fulfill their academic potential.’

It doesn’t just happen!

“Learning to use spoken and written English for

academic purposes is a long term process; exposure

is no guarantee for attainment.”

(Cameron, 2003; Bailey & Huang, 2011)

What Ofsted look for

∗ Children and learners for whom English is an additional language

∗ Children and learners from minority ethnic groups∗ Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and learners∗ Disabled children and learners and those who have special

educational needs∗ The highest and lowest attaining children and learners∗ Disadvantaged children and learners∗ Children and learners of different religions and beliefs

“Inspection tests the school’s … response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all children and learners to make progress

and fulfill their potential.”

National Curriculum 2014

And not only Ofsted

“should plan teachingopportunities to help pupils develop their English and providethe support pupils

need to take part in all subjects.”

“Teachers should develop pupils’

spoken language, reading, writing

and vocabulary as integral aspects of

the teaching of every subject.”

“Teachers must take account of the

needs of pupils whose first

language is notEnglish.”

What does it feel like to be new to a language?

A young boy talks about his experience of being new to English

Activity

You are going to be given some instructions in another

language, twice.

Each time try to follow the instructions!

How much did you understand the first time,

then the second time?

What helped you to understand?

How did you feel? How did you cope?

What strategies did you use to try and understand?

What did you do? Was your behaviour altered?

What helped?

New EAL Arrivals

Multiple Identities

He is from Iran

He speaks Farsi and some Arabic

He is a refugee

He is a Y5 child in an English school He is a Muslim

He has 4 brothers and 2 sisters

He cares for his younger brother and sister

He has 2 English friends

His oldest brother is still in Iran He likes

football

Meet Ali

New EAL Arrivals

∗ How do they feel ?

∗ What strategies might they use to fit in?

∗ What might help?

∗ What happens in your school?

Now a little theory of

language acquisition …

Acquiring a new language

Building on prior knowledge

Adapted from Jim Cummins

• Speak succinctly, slowly and with gestures or visuals

• Make sure your instructions and explanations are clear

• Use scaffolding for speaking and writing

• EALS “All about Me” and Primary starter pack

• Use school communication fans, Communicate in Print mats, topic words

• Do a * 15 minutes a day ‘early days’ vocabulary slot

• Allow time to listen and absorb language –no hurry to speak!

• Ensure they are with a friend at playtimes

• Use games, songs and stories

• Incorporate collaborative activities into your lessons

• Make the most of the pupils’ bilingual skills – use translanguaging techniques

• Use dictogloss with more advanced learners

Strategies for EAL pupils: Good for EAL, Good for All?

Translanguaging dictogloss

You are going to read a short text about

translanguaging 3 times

1. The first time note down as much as you can

2. The second time listen again and write some

more that you didn’t catch the first time

3. Compare your texts with a partner and construct

a final text

4. Listen once more and make any final changes

What do you think of dictogloss? Could you use it?

What is translanguaging?

Translanguaging refers to the language practices of bilingual people. If you’ve ever been present in the home of a bilingual family, you will notice that many language practices are used. Sometimes the children are speaking one language, and the parents another, even to each other! Often both languages are used to include friends and family members who may not speak one language or the other, and to engage all. What is taking place in this bilingual family, their flexible use of their linguistic resources to make meaning of their lives and their complex worlds, is what we call translanguaging.

Could we use translanguaging in the classroom?

Now let’s see some translanguaging in action

An example of scaffolding - Graphic organisers

Graphic organisers include:

• tables

• grids

• flow diagrams

• Venn diagrams

• bar charts

• pictograms

• ladder diagrams

• pie charts

• time lines

• pyramids

• cycles

• KWL charts

Venn diagram

market stalls lots of cars horses and carts

people growing food big shops churches

lots of people blocks of flats

Medieval town Modern British city

Both

had …

There was/ were

You could see …

has/have …

There is/ are

You can see …

Both Medieval

towns and

modern British

cities have …

Medieval towns

had/ were whereas

modern British

cities have/are …

Flow diagram

First

Next

After that

Then

Finally

pot soil bean stick label

cut

write

plant

add

fill

Barrier games are information gap activities where pupils have different sets of information to exchange or share. The barrier can be a book, for example. Let’s try one!

Join into pairs A and B and set up a barrier between you

An example of collaborative activities-Barrier games

If you have lego:

A: make a lego model, then explain it to your partner so s/he can make the same model

B: listen carefully and make the model

If you have a weather chart:

A explain to B what pictures you have in which positionsB draw the same pictures in the correct places

Swap roles

Compare your versions and discuss the similarities and differences.What language did you use at each stage of the activity?

In groups of four, discuss:

1. How would you use barrier games with the age group you teach?

2. How could you differentiate barrier games to support differing levels of language proficiency?

Barrier games

A collaborative activity -Ranking e.g. Diamond 9

An example of scaffolding -Substitution tablesSubstitution tables are like writing frames but with more structure

water.

will melt inWe think

candles

butter

ice

cheese

chocolat

e

cold

cool

warm

hot

boilin

g

Topics, Planning and Differentiation

Ideas for activities instead of

writing

SortingMatchingDrawingNamingCopyingSequencingLabellingRole playPractical activitiesListeningUsing a computer and/or ipad

Why Visuals?They…

∗ Facilitate access to linguistically demanding tasks

∗ Support the development of cognitive (BICS) and academic (CALP) language

∗ Can help students clarify their thinking

∗ Support learners in understanding that ideas can be organised in various ways

∗ Steps in a procedure, a sequence of events, or attributes of a shape or object can be represented in visual form

∗ Support reporting back

Word banks and Topic Vocabulary

Substitution Tables

∗ Think about an activity/ topic area that has happened recently or is coming up.

∗ A group are struggling to think of sentences to write. Can you create a substitution table on a white board

to help them?

Activity

∗ Vocabulary knowledge may be inconsistent.

∗ Use of tenses may be inconsistent.

∗ Pronouns, prepositions, articles, question words, plurals

∗ Children may be unfamiliar with various writing styles.

∗ Children need more “thinking” time

∗ Children may write as they speak – phonics may not work!

Common EAL “gaps”

∗ Keep things short and clear

∗ It’s exhausting learning new language

∗ Tiredness and frustration could lead to anxiety and outbursts

∗ Over emphasize gestures and expressions

∗ Use visuals. Promote home language.

∗ Don’t make them talk – they will when they are ready

∗ Have high expectations

∗ Praise small steps

And finally, remember…

1. SEE ALSO…

∗ NALDIC https://naldic.org.uk

∗ Collaborative Learning www.collaborativelearning.org

∗ British Council EAL Nexus https://eal.britishcouncil.org

Thank you!

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