EAL in Primary National Curriculum Subjects

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Aims of the session By the end of this session we hope you will;  have explored the role of the primary teacher in relation to supporting learners of EAL  have extended your knowledge and understanding of EAL acquisition  have considered how to support learners within the primary curriculum.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary TDA professional standards for QTS  Q19 ‘ Know how to make effective personalised provision for those they teach, including those for whom English is an additional language or who have special educational needs or disabilities, and how to take practical account of diversity and promote equality and inclusion in their teaching.’

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Teachers’ Standards 2012  Standard 5 'Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils‘  ‘Have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them'.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Role of the primary teacher  Task 1 What makes a welcoming school?  Imagine you are a new pupil in an unfamiliar school. What would help you to settle in?  Discuss in pairs.  Share with another pair and compile an audit.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary  Task 2 What information is essential/helpful?  What does a teacher need to know about a new arrival to make decisions about his/her needs?  What additional information might be helpful?  Discuss and list

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Language  Language is all around us, we hear and see language in the home, in the media, in the street, as well as in the school environment. Language forms the essence of thought…….It forms the basis of learning in all curriculum areas. (Conteh 2006:2)

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary  Task 3 What is our language repertoire?  In pairs talk about your own language(s). Do you change the way you speak with different groups? Do you sometimes use slang or local dialect and at other times speak ‘posh’? Have you ever been aware of changing your accent? Do you understand more than one language? Are there members of your family who speak more than one language? Do you use more than one language and if so with whom and for what purposes? Can you read and write all the languages you speak?

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary  Task 4 What are the languages of our area?  There are regional differences in the languages most widely spoken. Many LAs and most schools collect information about local languages.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Grouping Remember that;  Bilingual learners are not necessarily of low ability  They need to hear good models of English being used for learning  They need cognitively demanding activities  A peer mentor or buddy may be supportive

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Assessment  There may be different reasons for assessment and this will affect the methods used, for example: ReasonMethod To plan appropriate language support Collect samples of written and spoken English in a variety of contexts

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Assessment  Task 5 Reasons for assessment  In pairs compile a list of reasons why you may wish to assess pupils.  Compare your list with another pair and in a group of four decide which methods of assessment would be most suitable for each objective.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary

Social and cultural processes Guidance illustrates the importance of;  A familiar environment  Valuing and building on children’s existing knowledge and experience  Respect for cultural traditions  Sensitive selection of texts and artefacts from a range of sources  Recognition of cultural variety and change

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Awareness of the culture of the school  Task 6 School routines  Make some notes about the first twenty minutes or half an hour of the school day in the school in which you had your most recent practice. Try to include as much detail as possible;  Where did pupils and parents wait at the start of the day?  Was there a time before which they were not allowed on school premises?  What did they do if it was wet?  How was the start of the day signalled?  Were pupils required to line up and if so in what way?  How did they enter the school and with which adults, if any?  What did they do with outdoor clothing?  How did they enter the classroom and what did they do immediately on entry?  Now compare your account with a partner from a different school and try to explain the differences between the two schools and the reasons behind the routines.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Cognitive and academic development  The National Curriculum suggests that teachers of pupils learning English as an additional language should; Use accessible texts and materials Use accessible texts and materials Provide support by using ICT or video or audio materials, dictionaries and translators, readers and amanuenses Provide support by using ICT or video or audio materials, dictionaries and translators, readers and amanuenses Use home or first languages Use home or first languages  (DfEE, 1999)

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Cummins’ quadrant A B D C Cognitively undemanding Cognitively demanding Context embedded Context reduced

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary  Beginning with context-embedded activities and gradually moving, with talk and action, towards less embedded activities means that children are never left without support, and at the same time are being encourage to move to the new knowledge with is the object of the activity  Conteh, 2006

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Language development Talk is central to learning. Teachers need to be aware of the language that learning is likely to entail.  What spoken language demands there will be  What pupils will need to listen to  What texts pupils will be reading  What genres will be introduced  What aspect of grammar the tasks will entail  What specific vocabulary will be required

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Task 6 What language might pupils need to understand and use? TopicActivities Language functions Language structures Vocabulary Persuasive writing Write a letter to the council about a local issue Reasoning arguing, explaining If.. then, when…happens …follows Sir, yours sincerely, because

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary Conclusion  Planning needs to take into account a number of dimensions in order to ensure that pupils who are learning English as an additional language have access to the curriculum and develop their language skills simultaneously.

©NALDIC ITE Support Materials EAL in National Curriculum subjects - Primary A planning framework What do learners bring to the task? What does the task demand? What support needs to be planned? Socio- cultural Cognitive Linguistic