1. An Introduction to Teaching Children English as an Additional Language (EAL) 2. An Introduction to the Programme 3. The Programme 4. Tips on Inclusion 5. Resources 6. Appendices 7. Glossary 8. Bibliography
Caroline Scott has experience in teaching 7--11 year old EAL children in London, Thailand and Egypt predominantly within the context of the National Curriculum. She has a wealth of knowledge to share on the young EAL learner.
'This is a very useful resource that has a place in every school.
It is thorough and easy to use for either a trained TA or
class-teacher. Most importantly it will set children with EAL on
the road to success.' - Headteacher, Tower Hamlets'We have used
Caroline's approach to teaching English as an additional language
for some years now and it has been particulary successful with
newly arrived pupils at Key Stage 2 who are early stage learners of
English.' 'This programme is a carefully structured, step by step
approach, with assessment built in. So the course effectively
supports non expert teachers and teaching assistant to use these
materials to teach early stage learners of EAL and develop
knowledge and understanding of the language development needs of
these pupils' 'Schools in Tower Hamlets who have used Caroline's
programme have reported good progress for their pupils' - Tower
Hamlets Ethnic Minority Achievement Service
Dr Lyn DawesDavid Fulton author (Talk Box) Please give your name
and position and/or your involvement with education. Where are you
based? Do you have experience teaching children with English as an
additional (or second) language? Dr Lyn Dawes, Senior Lecturer,
School of Education, University of Northampton Have taught children
aged 3–11 years since 1972; many with EAL. Now teaching education
students. What phrase do you prefer: ‘English as an additional
language’ or ‘English as a second language’? Why? Do they mean
essentially the same thing to you?English as an additional language
– better describes the condition. Sometimes bilingual children
speak two languages equally often so ‘second’ isn’t quite the right
term; and if they are to live and be independent in the UK, English
cannot really be a second language but must be additional. What do
you think of the title of this book? Do you think it would attract
the attention of teachers who have children with English as an
additional language in their classroom? Can you suggest an
alternative title or key words/phrases that you think should go in
the title?It’s clear and a good summary. Subtitle could emphasise
that this is involving, oral, teacher-led and incremental. In your
experience, are there a lot of teachers who have children with EAL
in their classrooms?Yes. Sometimes the majority; sometimes one or
two, and sometimes a range of home languages. There is a great need
to support these teachers and children. They do not have bilingual
TAs with them all the time. What do you think of the structure of
this book? Is there anything crucial missing? Anything that you
think should be included?It’s straightforward and includes
important elements such as assessment and evaluation. It
concentrates on language for learning, and literacy. I think it
could have a chapter or section on talk in (eg) mathematics,
science, PE etc. Science or Maths for example – many EAL children
may be adept in these areas but unable to express their thinking.
Teachers would appreciate help with sample resources showing how to
get children talking, and using unfamiliar technical vocabulary
‘addition’ ‘subtraction’ ‘gravity’ etc) in a supportive context.
They could then extrapolate from this to other cross curricular
lessons. Please look at the example unit provided. As a teacher,
what do you think of this unit? Would you be able to follow it? Do
you like or dislike the structure of the information in it? Is it
missing anything or is there anything unnecessary in it? What do
you think of the writer’s instructions in the Activity section? If
you think it needs improving, how would you improve it?It’s
practical and well expressed. The activities here start at the very
beginning and skills and confidence are built up slowly and
carefully, with a strong focus on what language is useful. It seems
thorough. What I like about this approach is the way children
become one another’s talk resource. It will get them talking to one
another with teacher support, and this can help establish good
social relationships in other contexts. There is a strong emphasis
on sharing and collaboration. I think it would be terrific if this
work (ie the talk groups using this programme in class) included
native English speakers as ‘discourse guides’. There are those
children in class who may not shine in other areas but can speak
English, and would be proud to offer help to EAL classmates. Again
this will feed into better social relationships. The programme is
based on games which is a very good idea. It also respects and
celebrates the child’s home language and culture which is
profoundly important. I have been send a brief extract mainly
written in table form but I imagine that the resources would
benefit from graphics and clear layout. Perhaps the book could
offer web resources and links for teachers to discuss successes and
problems. Are you aware of other books that have the same approach
as this one in the market?I have looked in the University Library
and can find nothing similar. It is the idea of a structured
programme which the teacher can use that is the unique feature.
Helping language development of EAL children is often the province
of TAs, who are of course excellent, but teachers like to teach
such development too if they can. This resource will show how that
can be organised and proceed. Do you think this book would help
teachers help their students progress in English? If so, why? (What
are the best features of the book?) If not, why not? (What are the
weakest aspects of the book?)Yes! Because it is all done through
talk and social learning. The more this is promoted, the better.
Best features: teacher led, practical, oral, seems clearly written.
Weaker aspects – I may be wrong but seems confined to ‘English’ and
needs to offer resources for talk across the curriculum I think. If
possible. Or at least, pointers for teachers devising and making
own resources like the ones in the book. Please make any other
comments you would like to make.I would like to see this book if it
is published. I think it looks like a winner and would like to use
it with children I know. Not just EAL kids would benefit, but those
who do not have a rich language experience at home – and there are
lots of them.Maija Leimanis-WyattPrimary teacher formerly based in
London now based in New York City My name is Maija Leimanis-Wyatt
and I currently teach third grade, (8-9 year olds) at the Dwight
International School in New York. For six years I worked at a
large, multicultural primary school in Brent, North London,
teaching Years 3 to 6. The school had a 95% population of children
with English as an additional language. The majority of children
were of Indian or Pakistani origin, but the school also had a small
intake of Somalian refugees. At my current school also, I have
encountered children with English as an additional language. At
present, the school has children from Japan and Spain who have very
little English. From my experience of teaching in England, the most
familiar terminology is ‘English as an additional language’ - EAL.
However, in American schools, the terminology ‘English as a second
language’ - ESL is commonly used. I think that teachers know they
refer to the same thing and do not generally put stock into whether
the word ‘additional’ or ‘second’ is used. However, I prefer EAL as
often the child has more than two languages and so English is not
necessarily their second. I like the title of the book. I
particularly like the use of the word ‘programme’ as opposed to a
word like ‘guide’ as it suggests that the book provides teachers
with an actual scheme of work that is going to be practical. I
think the title would definitely attract the desired audience.
Although the book is aimed at EAL staff as well as class teachers,
I think its main selling point is that it provides guidance for
class teachers. Most resources already on the market are aimed at
EAL staff. For this reason, a subtitle may be needed to
specifically attract the attention of class teachers. Perhaps a
mention that it supports the integration of children with EAL into
the classroom. In my experience, the majority of teachers
experience children with EAL in their classrooms. Regardless of the
geographical location of the school, more and more children with
EAL are appearing in more and more schools. Even schools within
small towns in England that would once have been mono-cultural are
now subject to influxes of immigrants from various countries,
changing the ethnic diversity of the school. Regarding the
structure of the book, it is hard to say without knowing the
contents in more detail, but wouldn’t it be more logical to switch
chapters 2 and 3 around? Personally, if I were to use this book, I
would want to be familiar with the whole content before looking at
the available resources. The resources would not fully make sense
to me until I had read all of the units. I do not wish to appear
overly negative, but I do not feel able to comment further on the
structure of the book because other than the sample chapter, the
proposal does not elaborate on the content outline. It all sounds
interesting, and from the author’s background, it is evident that
she knows her subject, but from this proposal, it is not possible
to understand what is included in the section of each chapter. For
example, from the Introduction, I have no idea what a ‘Placement
Test’ is or what is meant specifically by ‘Child Assessment’. Also,
how are ‘Reading’ and ‘Phonics’ dealt with? My point here is that a
short description of each chapter component would be extremely
useful in reviewing this proposal. The sample unit is clear and
easy to follow. I like the way it is split into the four sections,
making the information as easy to scan, as it is to read in detail.
If the table could sit landscape, rather than portrait on the page,
the Activities column could be larger and therefore take up less
space. I like the way the author explains the activities in detail,
stage by stage. This is helpful if the teacher wants to follow them
exactly. As I expressed previously, before being able to fully
comment on the content of this sample unit, it would be helpful to
have a brief description of the other ten units in order to see how
the teaching progresses. The content of Unit 1 is obviously the
most basic of all the units. This type of information is what most
teachers would automatically consider when teaching an EAL learner.
I would like to see how the author aims to develop from this to
more complex language patterns. In this unit, phrases are being
taught rote. My concern would be how to teach grammatical
structures so that the learner has a true understanding of what
they are saying. Is this something that the author deals with in a
later unit? I am not aware of any other books that have the same
approach as this one and feel that there is definitely a market for
it. Because the proposal does not give an outline of the content of
the 10-week programme, I am unable to offer an opinion as to
whether or not it would help a student progress in English. When I
read the author’s reason as to why she is writing the book, I was
in complete agreement and felt excited that somebody was finally
recognising this extremely difficult, common situation and dealing
with it. However, after studying the proposal, I still have my
initial, main concern: As a teacher trying to integrate the EAL
learner into the classroom, my biggest problem is how to develop
the English of this student whilst continuing with the regular
curriculum for the remainder of the children. This is what I was
hoping this book would address. The sample unit however, sets out
whole-class lessons that are geared around the EAL learner. Where
would I find time to slot these lessons into my timetable without
compromising the curriculum that I should be teaching? Liz Haslam
and Yvonne Wilkin David Fulton authors (Teaching English as an
additional language) We both feel that we are not able to comment
on 'Teaching EAL' because the working practices it describes are
very different from our work here in Tameside. The author is
concerned with writing an alternative curriculum for groups of new
arrivals withdrawn from class together. In the schools we work
with, beginners arrive one by one, at any time of the year and do
not form a cohesive group. We are aware that the kind of withdrawal
situation described in 'Teaching EAL' has happened in Blackburn,
but we do not feel we have enough experience of this kind of work
to evaluate someone's contribution. Nor do we advise schools in our
area to work in this way.I do want to answer question 2 of the
review sheet as I think it is important to contribute to a shared
understanding of these issues. The differences between EAL and ESL,
as we see them in Tameside are very significant. I believe most
workers in this field share these definitions: English as a Second
Language could be described as a subject. It was taught some years
ago, through withdrawal, in English schools to pupils who spoke
other languages at home, but who were making their home in England
and being educated in English schools. It was also taught in
English-medium schools overseas. It draws its techniques, in part,
from the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (a subject
pupils abroad study, the way our children learn French or Spanish)
and in part from ordinary English teaching. It is heavily
influenced by the social and academic needs of immigrants, so it
covers language needed to cope in social situations and in some
lessons. English as an Additional Language is a process some pupils
go through. It is the process of operating in more than one
language while at the same time being part of a class and a school
and being educated through the National Curriculum. Pupils learning
through EAL may be beginners or they may be very fluent in social
English. They can be any age. Teachers of English as an Additional
Language supervise the process, make the process easier and help
other teachers to educate these pupils. Their work uses techniques
from many sources, including ESL, the Inclusion agenda, and
research into Teaching and Learning Styles.
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