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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?
It almost goes without saying that the more information and communication that a class teacher is given prior to a new student arriving in school, the more successful the start. To have a whole school plan in place for new arrivals, especially for students who do not speak English, is gold dust. Chapter 3 in ‘Teaching English as an Additional Language 5-11: A Whole School Resource’ by Caroline Scott sets out a framework for a school to set up such a plan and will be referenced in this article. In my experience, the more prepared a school is and the more information that is shared, the smoother the transition for a new arrival into the school.
However, a good induction programme takes time to prepare, in the meanwhile, what are the practical things a teacher can do, with limited time, to prepare for a successful welcome?
Preparing the Classroom
Preparing the Class Students
First game - Empathy Card Game
Empathy cards have been designed with purpose of building a bridge between the known and the unknown and encouraging students to empathise with the experience of a new arrival in the class.
There are 10 cards. The cards with a yellow heading are designed to encourage students to make connections between their own experiences and that of the new arrival. The cards with an orange heading are designed to encourage the students to start to think of practical ways to help a new arrival settle in, linked to their own experiences. The Empathy Game can be played independently or in conjunction with the game ‘Changing Shoes’.
Preparing the School
Broadcast to the staff that there is a new student who does not speak English arriving and share his/her name, language, class they are in and who their break buddy and adult mentor are. Remember to broadcast this information beyond class teachers to include break and lunchtime staff, specialist teachers and TA’s.
This is a good start to preparing for a new arrival.
About the Author
Jessica Tweedie has experience of working as a manager and setting up systems that work for the EAL learner and has ensured that she continues to be a practicing EAL teacher. She actively explores new ideas and methods to enable students to access the curriculum - in both pull out and push-in lessons and always working in partnership with mainstream colleagues.
New to English can be supported in many different ways. Here's one school's approach:
Assessment
All learning is based on assessment. Children arrive and sit a baseline assessment. After analysis of result children are provided with appropriate provision. Interim progress reports on progression in EAL, phonics and writing are reviewed every half term.
Beginners
Beginner EAL Learning Intervention (EAL Intervention)
Many of us have been in a situation where we want to communicate with someone who does not speak the same language. We resort to wild gestures, attempts to say unfamiliar words, grammar seems insignificant and feelings of frustration soar. Some basic vocabulary becomes our lifeline.
An additional adult can be very effective in supporting teachers with EAL learners in the classroom. An additional adult may be a teaching assistant, learning support assistant or just a regular volunteer. They can significantly enhance support for learner motivation, confidence and self-esteem (Wilson et al, 2003). If you are a classroom teacher, you may be observed on how best to deploy your additional adults against your school standards.