In order to expand our knowledge and understanding of how to teach EAL students we went to a large multi-cultural school in quite a deprived area of Rotherham. For me, this was particularly useful as my current school also has a high percentage of EAL students and pupil premium which I currently do not feel fully equipped to cater for. One of the most eye-opening aspects of the day was when a member of staff came in and read us a simple story in Urdu before asking us questions (also in Urdu) about the text. This really highlighted how EAL children who have no understanding of English feel on a day to day basis; I was unable to decipher the difference between when she introduced herself, the story itself and the questions and felt completely lost and useless. It also made me feel guilty that there are students in my school and even class that may be feeling the exact same way every day and yet I have not been able to cater to their needs. It emphasised to me how hard it is for these children to remain focused and what I had previously perceived as negative behaviour was in fact a result of not understanding what was happening or what was expected of them. As my current school does not have any bilingual teaching assistants to aid these children it was important for me to pick up as many strategies as possible such as pre-teaching important words before a lesson, writing words in ways that children can recognise and using visual aids as this will allow children to make some kind of connection with the text and lesson (TS5: Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively). I currently use the method of talking pairs in class however do tend to group EAL children with other EAL children, especially if they speak the same language as I feel that they could help and support each other. This course however highlighted how having mixed ability groups and even placing EAL children with HA students with English as a first language can help. This is due to the fact that English is modelled more for EAL students and as a result they become more familiar with it and more likely to start using it themselves rather than staying in their comfort zone and relying on their first language (TS5: Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development). Other methods to aid EAL children at school can be: Teachers, other students and interventions can be used to address any misunderstandings The use of WAGOLLs and scaffolded work can have a positive impact on children’s understanding and in creating their own work Encourage children to have a go and that it is OK to make mistakes and find work hard Use leading questions Use concrete and visual resources Provide sentence starters to encourage children to verbally partake in lessons Use games to encourage both educational and social skills Have differentiated work based on children’s confidence and ability levels (children to choose their own difficulty level) Use clear and precise instructions and expectations Make use of and give children first hand experiences to relate to (TS2: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn and how this impacts on teaching) (TS5: Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively). After observing a few different lessons I found the ‘No Hands Up’ policy particularly effective as it prevented the same children from answering all of the questions and encouraged shy students to take part. This policy was also accompanied with the idea of being able to pass a question on if a child found answering the question difficult. Adding to this I also found the method of ‘Talk for Write’ useful as it allowed children to connect with their work and therefore it became more meaningful to them (TS5: Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively). One of the most important things that I will take away from today is not to exclude children from activities or assume they are LA due to having English as an additional language. Planning activities that are of a low cognitive ability may result in children switching off and as a result of this their learning will be impeded. Instead they should be provided with stretch and challenge and if they struggle then techniques like those already mentioned should be put into place as well as same day interventions, instant feedback and even providing children the chance to orally rehearse what they want to say (TS2: Be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes). Following on from this, I am now more aware of BICS (basic interpersonal communicational skills) and CALP (cognitive and academic language proficiency). EAL children can often be judged on how well they can hold a conversation and may seem really proficient in English and their academic studies as a result of this however teachers will have to strive to get them using cognitive and academic language as they will not be able to pick this up on their own (TS5: Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development). Throughout the day it became apparent that there was a big focus on building children’s confidence and language development was aimed at all of the children. EAL children were encouraged to talk in their own language and there was a high emphasis on it being the child’s right to have their own language and culture which I wholly agree with. This was also shown in the school’s community spirit and the children were encouraged to learn from each other (Part Two: Showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others) (Part Two: Not undermining fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs). As a result of this session I will ensure that I use a variety of different strategies in order to aid the EAL children in my lessons in both their understanding and applying this to their work. One of the most effective ways of doing this to provide them with first hand experiences (where possible) as well as pre-teaching and providing appropriate concrete and visual resources depending on the lesson (TS2: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn and how this impacts on teaching) (TS5: Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively). I will also ensure that I stop grouping my EAL children together as they can learn a lot and progress at a faster rate by socialising and working with children who have a good concept of English. Adding to this I will not assume their academic ability based on how well they can speak English and now recognise that providing them with a low cognitive activity can actually cause them to switch off and display what can be perceived as negative behaviours. In order to overcome this I will aim to provide suitable stretch and challenge as well as offering a range of challenging activities that children can choose from depending on their confidence level (TS2: Be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes)(TS5: Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development). Ultimately I will strive to build children’s confidence by making my classroom a safe environment. I will encourage pupils that it is OK to make mistakes and to find work hard as well as celebrating the different cultures that EAL children bring as we can all learn from these different experiences and benefits the children by preparing them to live in a multicultural society. Focused next steps to impact on your progress or the progress of the children in your care: Encourage EAL students to work in mixed ability groups Provide more concrete and visual resources that are appropriate to specific lessons Carry out same day interventions, immediate feedback and provide the opportunity for oral rehearsal. All Stories