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
AllAdult EducationAssessmentCase StudiesCollaborationCross-Curricular LinksCultureDifferentiationEarly YearsGames and ActivitiesGrammar and PunctuationHome Learning and ParentsMother Tongue and MultilingualismNew ArrivalsOtherPhonicsPlanningPrimaryProfessional DevelopmentReadingSENDSecondarySpoken Language and ListeningTeachingTransitioningVocabularyWriting

The importance of literature

Created: Wed 6th May 2015

This morning my 4-year-old said, "Mummy, there are two languages, child's language and adult language". I asked her what she meant and she explained that when her friend was crying the teacher told her to read her the "owl" book. She then said, "The teacher reads the words but the child changes it." A young child may not be able to read, or retell the story using the actual words but often can retell it in their own words. A bit like a translation, as my daughter illustrated. The key factor is not the actual words, but the story behind the words.

Read moreDownload Recommended books for younger EAL learners

Supporting Intermediate EAL learners

Created: Mon 13th Apr 2015

The transition from EAL beginner to intermediate learner can take from one term to a year depending on the learner. 

Read more

Differentiating learning

Created: Tue 30th Dec 2014

Whilst reading a book on reclaiming childhood ('Their name is today' by Johann Christoph Arnold) the chapter on 'learning differences and how to cater for them' triggered thoughts on teaching differences. At the end of the October article it was mentioned that EAL teaching should be evaluated in a different way due to the very nature of the subject and I shall try to clarify why.

Read more

Bridging cultures and celebrating differences

Author: Coreen Sears
Created: Wed 24th Dec 2014

Last week I saw a film called 'Shadow in Baghdad', it was a film that pulled my heart strings. I was brought up in Manchester, both my parents spoke Arabic at home, both were from Baghdad. What struck me the most after I watched the film was how much I missed hearing that particular dialect of Arabic, the familiarity and warmth of the Middle Eastern people, the sense of security that came with it as well as a sense of longing and regret for a disappearing culture.

Read more

Can we help students to be better language learners?

Author: Caroline Scott, Author and Director
Created: Mon 24th Feb 2014

How can the new-to-English language learners and their teachers work together to provide a successful language learning experience when curriculum content is the priority? Rubin & Thompson (1982) researched and found 14 characteristics of a good language learner.

If each characteristic of a good language learner can be developed for young learners into a ‘child friendly’  question, translated into their mother tongue (maybe orally) and unpicked, question by question, each characteristic can act as a guide for learners to try out new strategies.

Read more

Teaching high numbers of EAL learners

Author: Caroline Scott, Author and Director
Created: Sun 16th Feb 2014

It’s hard to even start to highlight the challenges of teaching EAL students in such a short article but there are a few key areas to consider:

Including learners of all cultures into the classroom environment and the school

Read more