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Feedback is the buzz-word and, as with most things, it is not being reinvented, but constantly readapted. In recent years, we see more formal national approach. One can become overwhelmed with the copious elements that need to be considered when feeding back to learners.
The key is to be clear a on what exactly you are feeding back on and how the ultimate goal will improve the individual child's learning. Feedback provides students with an evaluation of their work, either written or oral. It can be descriptive, but needs a clear layout in order to channel learners to focus on specific areas. It is important for students to establish clear goals in order to feed forward (use these evaluations to inform next steps). Feed forward gives learners a clearer idea of areas in need of development, which is crucial in goal setting. This is central to successful learning.
The attached template provides a useful tool for use with students to create an individualised learning chart. It includes visuals to understanding, important for EAL learners. The student is able to see areas that have improved and the learning goals to be worked on.
Learning Village is an invaluable tool for deaf learners with or without EAL. The use of image as the main language of instruction provides visual cues to support your learners.
Tip or Idea: Deaf learners may need to lip read or see speech physically modelled to support their understanding. Using our resources in an adult-led small group session and/or using the demo learner as a teaching tool can be very powerful for deaf learners.
Brewster, Ellis and Girard (2012) discuss the idea of playing Bingo or Dominoes as games for connecting various curriculum areas. Brewster (2012) explains that playing games like these can be a support for learning target vocabulary, for example, playing a Dominoes game before or after reading where learners can either match the words or the pictures together as they listen is an excellent way to learn the target language. You may be studying the human skeleton vocabulary in the game and making connections to the class book e.g.
I will never forget the ‘feelings’ I experienced during my EAL teacher training, when I sat in a class with a tutor who entered the room with a basket of goodies and greeted us in Swedish. My immediate reaction was one of confusion, which then led to frustration and finally a sense of hopelessness, before I even realised that I was actually expected to experience learning some Swedish without a single word of English allowed in the classroom.