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The big day has arrived, the new uniform is looking smart, and now our 'senior' Primary school learners are about to become important 'junior' Secondary school students. For most of us, this is a memorable experience and, therefore, very significant. However, whilst some learners approach this milestone with great excitement and enthusiasm, others are nervous and anxious.
How can we make this transition as smooth as possible? As with all successful teaching and learning, we need to 'know our learners'. This requires effective communication. It involves teachers, students and parents. Raising awareness of students' strengths, interests and prior learning via conversations between the feeder school and the receiving school is the starting point. A report by the New Zealand Ministry of Education recommends that, "Schools have structured, frequent and collegial communication... to ensure that students experience continuity in their learning".
Communicating academic information and data is straightforward – but wider considerations around individual students’ psychological, physical, cultural and linguistic backgrounds will make all the difference to the transitioning process.
A report evaluating the nature of transitioning recommends a school-wide approach to pastoral and academic care. It notes that transitions constantly occur – when moving between year levels and subject areas, as well as when changing schools – so we need to acknowledge that transitions are not just something to deal with at the beginning or end of a year. Instead, we need to consider regular adaptation. That might mean navigating a series of ongoing small changes for learners, whilst always maintaining a clear sense of continuity and direction.
Transitioning to Secondary school occurs at a time when students are grappling with questions of identity and belonging. It is therefore essential that we factor in early opportunities for them to share about themselves and their aspirations, their values and fears. From a student’s perspective, they want to be ‘known’, so investing time in providing opportunities for them to express their values, strengths, interests and learning challenges is mutually beneficial to both learners and teachers. This can be promoted by teachers also sharing about themselves.
What does this look like in practical terms? A few ideas include
In short, students need to be able to connect their new learning with their prior knowledge and experiences through positive transitions. This requires teachers to be knowledgeable about each learner, taking an inclusive approach where all cultural and linguistic diversity is valued, thus ensuring that learners feel accepted.
References:
Ministry of Education. Transitions: //nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-resources/NZC-Online-blog/Transitions (02/12/2014)
Education Review Office: Evaluation at a Glance: Transitions from Primary to Secondary School (November 2012)
Bibliography:
Education Review Office. Evaluation at a Glance: Transitions from Primary to Secondary School (November 2012)
Ministry of Education. Interview: Staff from Mt Roskill Primary School, Auckland, NZ Smooth Transitions for students with special educational needs. (Published on 22 Aug 2014)
Ministry of Education. The New Zealand Curriculum: //nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum
Ministry of Education. Transitions: //nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-resources/NZC-Online-blog/Transitions (02/12/2014)
It is Friday morning; the Head teacher comes to tell you that on Monday morning you will have a new student arriving who does not speak much English. How can you give a successful welcome for that student given the time frame?
What tools are there if you have a sixth sense that something is not quite right?
At what point does a teacher start to question whether an EAL student’s lack of progress is due to English Language Development (ELD) issues or due to specific learning differences (SpLD).
These questions come up again and again. Learning English as an Additional Language is not a learning difficulty, however 20% of EAL students will follow the norm of having specific learning differences (Chapter 1, SFR24/2012, GovUK). Therefore, there is a possibility that an EAL student has SpLDs.
While it can be argued that EAL learners have an entitlement to experience a full and varied curriculum through complete class immersion and no withdrawal, some would argue that learners benefit from being withdrawn for time limited support to help them develop their English language in order to assist them in accessing the curriculum (NALDIC, FAQ Podcast, 2017).
If learners are unable to access the lesson content, they can feel frustrated and a sense of failure. Learners need to feel confident and successful.