EAL: A snapshot of resources

EAL: A snapshot of resources Strategies: Buddy Systems Interviewing students Key words Visual cues Assessment Group C: Jacqui Ryan Victoria Seth Nick Peter

Language is not always clear cut There are complexities, mannerisms, idioms; all of which impact understanding. LEARNING is affected. You will now be ‘put in the shoes’ of EAL students in the classroom.

نرحب سبع سنوات لمعرفة ما تشكل وجبة صحية المستوى الرابع: تحديد وتسمية الأطعمة في صحنك تصميم لوحة الغذائية التي تبين العناصر اللازمة لتناول وجبة صحية

KQ: How did your groups’ resources make you feel as a learner? Explaining your learning episode Group 2 Group 1 Use of visual cues No visual cues Buddy System Lack of task clarity Key words Resources were given Prior knowledge Poor questioning Level descriptors

Buddying The use of a buddy helps students to feel comfortable in the classroom and not overwhelmed. Evidence: Strategies

Advantages

Vygotsky’s ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (1978) describes how the learner can only perform new functions and activities with assistance to master new skills. A buddy can provide this help non-intrusively. Krashan’s (1988) theory of ‘’input hypothesis’ is similar to Vygotsky’s ‘zone of proximal development’. This looks at language being gained by the learner if it is one stage ahead of their current linguistic level. A buddy can assist with this by explaining what is required in a lesson.

Bruner (1978) looks at scaffolding which uses interaction again to help a student achieve. Buddies can provide this support if it is done constructively to help achieve a specific goal.

References • Bruner, J. (1978) The role of dialogue in language acquisition in A. Sinclair, R.J. Jarvelle, and W.J.M. Levelt (eds.) The Child’s Concept of Language. New York: Springer-Verlag • Krashen, S. D. (1988) Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. Prentice-Hall International • Vygotsky, L. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Student Voice Evidence: Strategies KQ: What is it we want to hear from students that will help improve their learning outcomes? Why use Student Voice? In depth understanding of learnersand needs compared to school data Improves relationship with our learners Shares a global perspective across the whole school Engages EAL students in having an active role in their learning. Develops personal independence

Keywords Evidence: Strategies Keywords are words which are central to a child’s understanding of atopic or subject. This could be words for objects (things), verbs (actions) and also more abstract concepts and processes (words which describe size, weight, position, emotion, time etc.)

Many studiesindicate that there is a strong, positive, reciprocal relationship between word knowledge and reading comprehension (Baumann, Kame’enui, & Ash, 2003; National Reading Panel, 2000; RAND Reading Study Group, 2002). Vocabulary knowledge enables students to comprehend what they read, and the act of reading itself provides the opportunity for students to encounter and learn new words. …So the more words students know, the more likely they are to learn new words easily (Shefelbine, 1990)

Strategies for teaching/using keywords or key vocabulary include:

References Baumann, J. F., Kame’enui, E. J., & Ash, G. E. (2003). Research on vocabulary instruction: Voltaire Redux. In D. L. J. Flood, J. R. Squire, & J. M. Jensen (Eds.), Handbook of research on teachingthe English language arts (2nd ed., pp. 752–785). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching childrento read: An evidence- based assessment of the scientific researchliterature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. RAND Reading Study Group. (2002). Reading for understanding: Toward a research and development program in reading comprehension. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Shefelbine, J. (1990). Student factors related to variability in learning word meanings from context. Journal of ReadingBehaviour, 22, 71–97.

Visual Cues Evidence: Strategies The use of visual cues has been well documented. These cues aim to create a Universal language. Learning Objective Writing task Success Criteria

WAL: about how plants use light for food WAL: about what is in a healthymeal WAL: ce qui est dans un repassain Task: Fill in the gaps on the ‘leaf structure’ sheet Task: Design an ‘eatwell plate’ Tâche: Conception d'une ‘plaque saine’ Level 5: will be able toexplainwhy leaves are green Level 5: will be able toexplainwhy they have chosen foods for their healthy meal Niveau 5: sera en mesure d'expliquerpourquoi ils ont choisi les aliments pour leur repas sain

Plass et al. (1998) have suggested that the linkage of audio to visual stimulus is particularly effective in terms of retention. The students were able to select appropriate key words in their additional language and therefore learn Omaggio (1979) further contributed that comprehension in ESL students is more likely when linking ‘chanting patterns’ with pictorial ideas.

However, these strategies are not solely helpful to EAL students. EAL percentages: -Inner London 49.1% -Buckinghamshire 12.3%. (NALDIC, 2012). Vaid and Frenck-Mestre (2002) discovered that the position of text and images due to visual field was important in billingual learners. VF VF Right- Picture recognition Left- language

A leaf is where photosynthesis happens The learner should have access to text on the right hand side Images should be placed on the left hand side of the screen

References Plass, J.L., Chun, D. M. & Mayer, R.E. (1998) Supporting visual and verbal learning preferences in a second-language multimedia learning environment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(1), 25-36. Omaggio, A. C. (1979) Pictures and Second Language Comprehension: Do They Help? Foreign Language Annals, 12(2), 107-116. Vaid, J. & Frenck-Mestre, C. (2002). Do orthographic cues aid language identification? A laterality study with French- English bilinguals. Brain and Language, 82, 47-53.

Assessment (Success criteria) Evidence: Strategies From our recent visit to Hendon School….. Over 50% of the pupils have English as their 2nd language, yet the school out-performs many schools in the area. KQ: How has this happened?

Initial Assessment is crucial. Some strategies are……….. • Upon entry to the school in year 7 each pupil sits a test : Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. • The test results determine if they need any extra support. • If so, EAL pupils are graded 1-3 to determine how much support they will receive inside/outside of the classroom. • Advanced Bilingual (ABL) buddy. Induction for ‘New to English’ students is run for a whole term • Differentiated Lesson Plans.

My placement at Queens’ School: A year 7 student recently arrived from Spain with Zero English skills. I find that ICT lends itself very well to EAL. Let me demonstrate ………

Here is a Spanish demonstration of a software package called Dreamweaver, used to create websites.This is how I must have sounded to her ……JUST FOLLOW THE CURSOR !! tucomprendes ?

BUT - I had no idea whether she fully understood.UNTIL - I developed a self assessment tool for understanding. Using my evidence I created a self assessment sheet • Using a self assessment sheet leads to: • Language independence • Instant visual feedback on the students’ understanding. • Inter-cultural symbols • Learning Objectives are simply copied from the board. • = Perfect!!

The EAL resource kit is also readily available online. There are a huge amount of strategies that can be used. We have chosen some that are easy to implement and have proven effectiveness.

Open for question and answer

EAL: A snapshot of resources