Supporting pupils learning English as and additional language (EAL) - some general advice

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Supporting pupils learning English as an additional language (EAL) - some general advice

1. Find out as much as possible about the pupil’s previous education, including subjects studied, languages used and whether literate in first language.
2. Try to find out how the pupil’s language differs from English; for example, what script is used, Roman alphabet/another alphabet/ideographs?
3. Find out as much as possible about your pupil’s religious and cultural background. This will help you to anticipate possible difficulties over food, clothing, absences due to religious festivals, etc.
4. Don’t assume that your pupil will have the same skills or concepts as his/her English peers. Avoid hasty conclusions about the ability and potential of pupils who have come from a different educational system and who may have had their education interrupted by war, social upheaval or poverty.
5. A pupil learning English should not be treated as having learning difficulties. S/he will make better progress in a mixed ability or average to high ability group than with lower ability pupils, because there will probably be access to a fuller range of language models.
6. It is important to place the pupil in the year group that corresponds to his/her age rather than with younger children. Exceptionally, a late summer born child may be better placed in the year group below, and a year 11 age student may have increased chance of GCSE success if placed in year 10.
7. Make the pupil feel part of the group from the very start. Do not exclude the pupil. Find ways of including the pupil, for example, by inviting her/him to give out books or equipment or help clear up. Before the new arrival starts, encourage other pupils to welcome him/her.
8. Make sure the pupil knows your name and can say it easily, and that you and the other students in your class know the pupil’s name and can say it accurately.
9. If you have a newly arrived EAL beginner in an exam group, your main aim should be to help the pupil to learn English through the classroom activity rather than necessarily to pass an exam.
10. The pupil should sit where s/he can easily see the teacher and board. Remember that if you tell the class to gather around for a demonstration or to watch a video it is quite likely that the new pupil will be one of the last to come and may not be in a good position to see unless you intervene.
11. Make sure the pupil sits next to a sympathetic friend – not necessarily the same person throughout the day. If there is someone in the class who speaks the same language, then s/he should be encouraged to sit next to the newly arrived pupil and give mother-tongue support for the first few weeks.
12. Make sure the pupil has a legible copy of the timetable and understands it. Avoid abbreviations – subjects and teachers’ names should be written in full.
13. Visual clues, gesture and intonation all help to provide meaning. Use as much visual support as possible, for example, equipment, diagrams, maps, models, photographs, pictures etc. You can help the pupil learn the names of equipment of symbols essential to your subject by providing clearly labelled pictures or diagrams.
14. Teachers’ speech should be clear, give the pupil short, simple, clear instructions about what to do. Speak at normal speed and volume and with normal intonation.
15. Teachers’ writing should be clear, and the board should be clean. Superfluous marks can cause confusion to a pupil copying an unfamiliar script.
16. Pupils learning EAL should not have to share text books and worksheets as this creates extra reading difficulties for them. Nor should they be expected to decipher reduced size text, or unclear photocopies.
17. Collaborative group and pair work allows the bilingual learner to hear normal patterns of language, and to learn with peer support. Activity based learning is best for bilingual pupils, as it creates situations for meaningful talk. Download examples from www.collaborativelearning.org
18. Don’t worry if at first the pupil says very little and seems unwilling to participate. Do not assume that because the student does not respond orally s/he has not understood. Comprehension of language is almost always some way ahead of its production.
19. Do not insist on an oral response before the pupil is ready: s/he may need a few weeks/months of listening before feeling confident to speak. You can, of course, reasonably insist on the pupil answering the register and asking for things politely.
20. Pupils learning EAL often communicate more easily with their peers than with their teachers. They may say more than you think they can.
21. Try to be aware of cultural differences; for example, in Japanese and Chinese cultures it is rude for a child to make eye contact with an adult and to initiate conversation with the teacher; in Bangladesh the “thumbs up” sign is the equivalent to two fingers! Also, some children may have attended schools where very large class sizes make individual pupil-teacher contact impossible and where learning is based on copying what the teacher writes. The English education system and teaching styles may take some getting used to.
22. A bilingual dictionary in English and the first language will be a valuable aid to a child literate in his/her first language. Make sure s/he knows how to use it.
23. When the pupil has settled in try to encourage oral participation, even if it is only answering a yes/no question. Talking in pairs or small groups will be less threatening than in front of the whole class. The pupil should be given the chance to listen to other pupils’ questions and answers before being expected to produce anything similar.
24. Do not correct a pupil’s spoken language by telling her/him it is wrong, but provide a correct model in your response, as you might with a young child learning to talk. For example, if Abdul asks you for “one paper, please”, respond with something like “oh, you want another piece of paper, do you, Abdul, here’s another piece of paper.”
25. If it is possible to draw upon the pupil’s knowledge of the geography, history, language, religion, customs or cuisine of her/his own country, then do so. However, take care not to embarrass the pupil in front of the class; it is a good idea to talk to the pupil and find out if s/he would be prepared to share this knowledge with the group.
26. The DfES publication Access and Engagement: Teaching pupils learning EAL (ref. DfES 0654 2002) is a set of 11 booklets covering all subject areas. It advises KS3 teachers of strategies to help pupils learning EAL have better curriculum access. Also useful for KS4. Free from DfES Publications (tel. 0845 60 222 60)
27. The DfES has also published, as part of the Key Stage 3 National Strategy, a boxed set of CDs called Literacy across the Curriculum (DfES 0263-2004) which is extremely useful for teachers of all foundation subjects. Also a pack called Literacy and Learning (DfES 0651-2004 G) which contains separate booklets on literacy and learning in all subjects except English. Booklets can be ordered separately.

Useful websites

www.collaborativelearning.org has collaborative learning activities

www.primaryresources.co.uk/letters has standard letters for parents in a range of languages

www.enchantedlearning.com/languages has online picture dictionaries in a range of languages

www.blss.portsmouth.sch.uk has resources, advice and information

www.irespect.net has resources, advice and information

www.emas4success.org has resources, advice and information

www.emaonline.org.uk provides curriculum-focussed online support and resources

www.babelfish.altavista.com is a translation website good for single words and short phrases

www.smilemathematics.co.uk provides some good maths activities

www.sil.org/ethnologue provides detailed information on the world’s languages

www.leicester.gov.uk/mce has resources, advice and information

www.ealinhounslow.org.uk has resources, advice and information

www.qca.org.uk/6166.html the QCA Inclusion website

www.qca.org.uk/8476.html QCA Pathways to Learning for New Arrivals (very useful)

Maggie Dorsman

EMAS Team Leader

Tel: 01225 785673

email: maggie.dorsman@wiltshire.gov.uk

Last updated: 30 November 2009