Strategies and Ideas

EAL Learners

Strategies and Ideas

Guidance and Advice

Peta Ullmann

Language Acquisition

Acquiring full mastery of a new language takes a long time. In the early stages, pupils quickly develop basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and may, in some situations, appear superficially fluent in the language. However, beyond the beginner stage, students then have to go on to acquire cognitive academic language proficiency skills in the language (CALP) in order to achieve well within the education system. Moving from BICS to CALP takes a longer period of time and research indicates that it can take most pupils between 5-8 years to acquire academic proficiency in English.

We know that pupils’ acquisition of an additional language is greatly enhanced by exposure to the language in use in everyday settings, both formal and informal. For students from homes where English is not the primary means of communication, it is the school situation and its various contexts which can develop pupils’ skills from basic conversational competence to academic proficiency in the language providing that attention is given to their specific needs and that their needs are not confused with pupils with learning difficulties.

We know from research that using more than one language is cognitively beneficial and that across the World, using more than one language is the norm.

Within the classroom, the extent to which the teacher is able to give attention to individual EAL learners’ needs is of course important: but equally valuable is the planning of interaction with other students especially when lessons are organised in ways which require purposeful work (particularly talk) in small groups. At first, the capacity of EAL learners to participate in such groups will be limited, but the evidence from studies of EAL students working in this way suggest that they are likely to be learning a great deal from the different kinds of models of spoken and written English they encounter.

What can I do for a beginner in my class?

Try to discover whether the student has studied the material previously. Though some students newly arrived from overseas may have had little education in their countries of origin, many of the students coming into Essex schools will have experienced formal education – though not in English – to equivalent levels. It is at least possible that they may already be familiar with some of the subject matter you are presenting. Bear in mind also that some pupils may be gifted and talented but that their level of English may mask their skills and aptitude.

It may be some time before it becomes clear whether this is the case or not. It takes courage and confidence to speak (especially to a teacher) in a new language, and children differ in their readiness to commit themselves to utterances which they fear may be ridiculed or unduly corrected. This means that their progress in the language may be difficult to gauge when they are in the early stages of EAL acquisition and to repeat, that their particular skills and abilities will not be immediately obvious.

It is important to consider the seating arrangements for EAL learners. If the lesson is one in which much of the teaching will consist of teacher exposition to the whole class, it could be helpful for the students to sit near the front. (You may have pressing reasons for allocating such seats to other students, of course, but such a position will give you clear indications as to whether you are communicating, and it will give great opportunity for the student to hear without distraction, and to ‘read’ other cues to meaning such as gesture, illustrations and demonstrations.)

If your lessons follow a predictable format, this can also be helpful, as EAL students can then adopt the routine, knowing what is expected of them. In itself, this may help then to develop the confidence which is an essential preliminary to active participation You will though need to be consistent and clear in your use of instructional language and you should be prepared to repeat key instructions either demonstrating what is expected yourself or directing your new learners to observe the actions of their peers..

Working with English Language Learners:

All children bring unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the classroom. EAL students' diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds can offer many resources for the entire classroom including:

·  Information - about other countries and their cultures, customs, and resources;

·  New perspectives - about the world, about society, about beliefs; and

·  Opportunities - for exposure to other languages, for sharing ways of thinking and doing things that might otherwise be taken for granted.

Understanding Cultural Differences

Differences in language and culture are often subtle but affect students' classroom participation in several ways. Understanding these will help you to respond in ways that will help both EAL and other students to learn.

Cultural differences can mean different rules for classroom behaviour

Students from other cultures can have different views of how to be a student or to "do schooling." For example, though you may want students to participate in class by asking questions and joining in discussions, some students may not feel comfortable participating because, in their culture, it is considered disrespectful to ask questions of a teacher.

Cultural differences can affect students' understanding of content

New knowledge is built on the basis of what is already known by an individual. For example, in the area of reading, research points out that it is a constructive process that involves building meaning not only from the words on the page but also from one's related background knowledge. Often, school texts assume a common experience that, in fact, is not shared by all students: EAL students may not fully understand these texts and, consequently, will be less likely to remember the content material. Students whose experience is not in the mainstream culture, therefore, will often need additional explanation and examples to draw the connection between new material and their existing knowledge bases. This is especially true of texts which present Anglo-centric situations and where knowledge of English customs and history is important to support the understanding of particular texts.

Cultural differences can affect interactions with others

Culturally different ways of showing interest, respect and appreciation can be misinterpreted. For example, if a student does not look at the teacher when the teacher is speaking, it may be interpreted as the student's lack of attention or as a show of disrespect. However, in the student's culture the expectation may be just the opposite, that is, to show respect a student should not look directly at the teacher. The way in which praise is given can also be different. For some cultural groups, praise to an individual student is not given publicly. Instead, a quiet word of praise to the student is more appropriate. Teachers need to be sensitive to student reactions and try to respect these, while also helping students to understand the cultural differences too.

Understanding Additional Language Learning

·  EAL students have specific needs but this should not be confused with pupils who have learning difficulties

·  When new, pupils need time to tune in and to learn a range of everyday forms of the new language

·  Fluency on the playground does not necessarily mean proficiency in the classroom

·  Children learn an additional language across various contexts and need to listen to good models of spoken language

·  Silence is normal in the early stages of EAL acquisition

·  Errors can indicate progress as well as indicating areas for further development

Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom

Valuing the diverse resources that EAL students bring to the classroom and being sensitive to their unique needs can serve to build a teaching environment that can benefit all students. Current education research and reform focus on increasing student participation in the learning process and on basing learning on the real-life needs of students. An active learning-teaching model for EAL students includes elements that address the special language-related needs and cultural differences of students who are learning English. There are five key teaching elements to active learning for EAL students.

·  The classroom should be predictable and accepting of all students.

All students are able to focus on and enjoy learning more when the school and classroom make them feel safe-comfortable with themselves and with their surroundings. Teachers can increase comfort levels through structured classroom rules and activity patterns, explicit expectations, and genuine care and concern for each student.

·  Teaching activities should maximize opportunities for language use. Opportunities for substantive, sustained dialogue are critical to challenging students' abilities to communicate ideas, formulate questions, and use language for higher order thinking. Each student, at his or her own level of proficiency, should have opportunities to communicate meaningfully in this way.

·  Learning tasks should involve students as active participants.

Students contribute and learn more effectively when they are able to play a role in structuring their own learning, when tasks are oriented toward discovery of concepts and answers to questions, and when the content is both meaningful and challenging.

·  Learning interactions should provide support for student understanding. Teachers should ensure that students understand the concepts and materials being presented. For EAL students this includes providing support for the students' understanding of teaching presented in English.

·  Learning content should utilise student diversity.

Incorporating diversity into the classroom provides EAL students with social support, offers all students opportunities to recognize and validate different cultural perspectives, and provides all students information on other cultures and exposure to other languages. Also, examples and information relevant to EAL students' backgrounds assist them in understanding content.

Create an Accepting and Predictable Environment

A supportive environment is built by the teacher on several grounds:

·  There is acceptance, interest, and understanding of different cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and customs.

·  Explicit information on what is expected of students is provided and is reinforced through clearly structured daily patterns and class activities.

These provide important social and practical bases for all students, especially EAL students. When students are freed of the need to interpret expectations and figure out task structures, they can concentrate on and take risks in learning.

Provide a clear acceptance of each student

Treat EAL students as individuals and as equal members of the class:

·  Recognise and be aware of cultural differences; however, don't assume that, because a student comes from a particular language or cultural group, s/he shares all the beliefs or customs of that group.

·  Understand that singling out students as spokespersons for a culture may make them uncomfortable.

·  Show acceptance by making the environment more accessible to EAL students. One way is to place signs in the student's language and in English to identify areas in the classroom (e.g., "class library," "science materials," "quiet work centre") and around the building (e.g., "office," "cafeteria"). Such multilingual signs make families as well as students feel more welcome in the school.

·  Ensure that you know their preferred name and can pronounce their name correctly. Watch out for incorrect versions of their name being used by other students and colleagues.

Make classroom activities structured and predictable

Give students a clear understanding of how tasks proceed. For example:

·  If students are to work in co-operative groups, begin by describing how they are to work together. Make lists of student roles and group responsibilities, and explain and discuss these. Keep the basic structure for cooperative group work consistent. In this way, students will know what is expected of them, even though the specific content or tasks will change.

·  Ensure that students have a clear sense of their daily schedules, even if they vary from day to day. Students will be less able to focus on learning when they are concerned about where they should be or what they should be doing. When a change in routine is needed, give as much advance notice as possible.

Let students know what is expected of them

For all students, a clear, shared understanding of the rules for participating in the class, acceptable behaviour during and after completing specific class activities, and general expectations for student behaviour are important. For EAL students who are often struggling with cultural differences as well as language, it is even more important to:

·  explain or demonstrate expectations about classroom rules and behaviours (e.g., provide specific information on how to gain the teacher's attention, how use of a particular activity centre is shared); and

·  Assist students whose cultural definitions of being a student differ from class expectations (e.g., describe the types of activities that the class will do, how to ask questions within these different activities, or when and how it is acceptable to interrupt the teacher or to move about the classroom).

Have high expectations

An environment in which students feel comfortable and accepted is also one where all students feel that their participation is valued and that it is likely to lead to success. Positive, high expectations for performance are important for EAL students within any classroom. They, as much as English proficient students, need to develop content knowledge and the higher order thinking skills that will be required of them as they progress into further training or employment. There must be opportunities provided for EAL students to work with challenging tasks with good quality contextual support such as practical activities, visual material, diagrammatic material, demonstration and reference to their own prior experience. EAL students should be included, for example, in co-operative working groups and given responsibilities that allow them to contribute to the group goal.

High expectations for EAL students are important not only within the classroom but within the school. The context of the school must be one in which all students are viewed as highly capable and able to take on challenging work successfully.

Placement in lower sets and groups simply on the basis of their level in English should be avoided as it will have a negative impact on their rate of progress.