Which particular mistakes are EAL learners likely to make?
Within text:
- Prepositions, verb agreements and endings.
- Idiomatic use of verbs such as 'do', ' make' , etc. (e.g. make a cake / a friend).
- Use of modal verbs, especially in science ( show hypothetical/ conditional meanings)
At whole text level:
- ·Lack of content ( e.g. rephrasing ideas, giving examples, adding relevant information )
- ·Failure to use paragraphing to organise content.
- ·Lack of sub content/development of ideas at more detailed level.
- ·Frequent difficulties using source materials to generate ideas.
- ·Little variety in sentence types.
How can teachers help EAL learners improve?
- Teach how to use and develop ideas from source materials ( identifying key ideas and vocabulary, changing genre and register.etc)
- Teach the difference between general and specific vocabulary – give details and examples. Successful writers can move between general and specific levels.
- Practise writing extended texts under timed conditions; analyse results with the student and suggest improvements, then redo the exercise. This is not the same as writing several short texts.
- Teach how to organise ideas into paragraphs, using graphic organisers – could be done in first language if necessary at this stage. Highlight the difference between the main and supplementary topics. Organise ideas into a logical sequence.
- Provide the opportunity to talk through ideas extensively before committing to paper.
- Explicitly teach aspects of grammar and give corrective feedback on specific errors; if there are many errors, focus on one or two aspects and target with all teachers for short time. Over generalisation of grammatical rules (e.g. I drinked) is common. Teach common irregular forms. Show how to increase complexity of writing by, for example, expanding phrases into clauses, writing longer noun phrases
(e.g. I talked to the boy .... I talked briefly to the tall boy who lives in my street.) - Teach how to expand vocabulary bank through use of a Thesaurus.
- Provide a bank of clauses that show a link between ideas
(e.g. after listing the reasons.., in agreeing to this..,by joining in sport...) - Provide a bank of signposting phrases, with examples of their use.
(e.g. another point is…. some people think…. others disagree..) - Give examples of the sort of writing required, highlighting successful aspects.
Contact Details (LiveLink)
Multiple Contacts:
eMail: emas@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01225 785673
Out of hours:
Fax: 01225 785699
Postal Address:
Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS)
Wiltshire
Council
5 Ascot Court
Whitehorse Business Park
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14
0XA
In Person:
DX:
Last updated: 30 November 2009