Download resource

Please enter your details to download this resource
Login
 

Enter your details to access this video

Or if you already have an account login to watch the video (if you don't you can register here).
Login
Author: Anne Margaret, ELT well

Sometimes our students who have English as an additional language seem to be having more difficulty than expected developing their language, and accessing the rest of the curriculum. Most teachers have become more aware of the signs of dyslexia (and other specific learning differences), but the overlap with the language learning process makes it much more complex to identify EAL learners who also have a SpLD. It can also be difficult to persuade assessors to work with these students, as they often feel that until the learner has enough English to cope with the standardised tests, there is nothing they can do.

However, there are some steps that teachers can take to check whether their gut feelings are correct about learners who seem to be experiencing difficulties. The first step might well be to put in place a systematic observation schedule, so that they and other staff members can keep a record of behavioural and cognitive indicators of dyslexia (or other SpLDs), which are not dependent on language proficiency. This is a simple chart on which the class teacher makes a note of behaviour that has caused some concern, and then records how often those behaviours are seen.

Download your FREE observation chart by clicking on the green button. See other useful resources here.

These behavioural differences could include issues around quick forgetting of information, or forgetting to bring PE kits or other equipment to class. It might be that a child takes a very long time to process instructions and get started on a task, or take longer to complete tasks than is expected. A teacher may notice that physical co-ordination and/or spatial awareness is a problem, perhaps in handwriting, articulation or navigating around the classroom or the school. There may be distinctive and unusual patterns of social interaction that mark the child as different, even from other pupils from the same cultural background.

Once a teacher has made a note of any causes for concern, the chart can be shared with everybody who works with that student, so that they can also contribute their views and experiences of that pupil. This should include lunchtime supervisors, estates and catering staff, who may see the student in a different context, outside the classroom.

After a few weeks, patterns may become clear about where and when these unusual behaviours are exhibited. There may be certain rooms in the school or certain subjects that trigger them, or they may appear across the curriculum and across the school. This would be a great starting point for a conversation with the pupil (and perhaps his/her parents or carers) about how best the school could support his/her learning. It may lead on to further assessment, or it may be that certain elements of the environment or the timetable are causing problems that can easily be resolved. In either case, it is important to reassure the student and the family that the aim is to support, not exclude, and that any personal information that is gathered will be used to inform interventions.

For more information about identifying SpLDs in EAL learners, visit the ELT well website here or contact Anne Margaret: ams@ELTwell.co.uk

Further learning - Blog

Created: Sat 14th Dec 2013

If you have EAL new arrivals in your school with limited English, you need a scheme of work in English that supports learners with language learning alongside the curriculum content you are delivering. This is to ensure young learners are understanding the basics of language needed for success.

Learning can be split into two parts:

Teacher talking about bullying
Created: Tue 15th Nov 2022

When I was teaching early literacy to adults some years ago, I had two teenage students from a refugee background join one of my classes. They were beginner-level English as an Additional language (EAL) learners and both were non-literate. They had been expelled from the local high school for fighting. At the time, there was a national fundraising campaign to support children in troubled parts of the world.

Memory strategy
Created: Fri 4th Jun 2021

While learning new languages, a lot of information simply needs to be remembered, and we often have to combine new information with what we already know, using our working memory. For students with specific learning differences, such as dyslexia, retrieving information from the long-term memory can be slower or less effective, resulting in greater difficulties in learning. It is therefore vital to teach specific memory strategies.

Memory processes are complex, but in my experience, we remember better the things that we: