Tools for talking and taking part

Engaging EAL learners from the outset: initial and immediate strategies for support

Day 1 of this book is focused on initial strategies to ensure language learning and high expectations from the outset. You might be nervous about working with learners who are learning English as an additional language (EAL) as you will be teaching these learners in English rather than their mother tongue. You might anticipate a silent period for some learners as they become familiar with the environment. This is certainly possible, but in Day 1 you will find some suggestions to encourage talking and taking part which aim to engage the learners and help you to observe their progress. In relation to developing EAL, continued practice really does make perfect! EAL learners, from those who are new to English to advanced bilingual learners, acquire more proficiency at, and understanding of, English daily. New vocabulary can be shared with home, where it can be practised. Recording devices can be helpful with this. The mother tongue will of course lead conversations at home, but sharing the daily language gains with family and friends can ensure that home involvement is expected, encouraged, valued and indeed essential.

Establishing high expectations as EAL learners move forward in their English language acquisition and understanding will help to ensure that you and your learners recognise that progress is important. Immediate support and encouragement can ensure that the EAL learners are developing language skills without delay; it can help you ensure the learner has meaningful and productive tasks; and, most importantly, it can indicate clearly what the learner already knows.

Today's strategies

* Making the right start – a welcome pack:

1. Navigating the day

2. Survival language

3. Comprehensible cultural contexts

* Time to talk:

4. Practising vocabulary

5. Thinking and talking time

6. Pick up a sticky note

* Opening up questions:

7. Listening

8. Learner-led questioning

9. Enabling options

* Peer support:

10. All about us

11. Language partners

12. Practice partners

Strategy: Making the right start – a welcome pack

With some careful consideration, the initial experiences of an EAL learner can be made much more comfortable with a welcome pack which includes navigation tools, survival language, other vocabulary, links with the home country and a recording device. A pack which includes information on timetables, uniforms if applicable, lunch arrangements and essential equipment would be useful for any new starter but can be helpfully adapted for EAL learners.

1. Navigating the day

A timetable of the school day can be made more readable by including a map; photographs of the entrance to buildings, cloakroom areas and break spaces would ensure this is understood in any language. If a school uniform or any special equipment is needed then you can include pictures of these to further illustrate what is required.

2. Survival language

To make certain the EAL learner, and in particular a new-to-English learner, has a smooth transition, the welcome pack can be made even more specific to their needs. You can include lists of key vocabulary, such as the names of equipment and clothing. You can also include important phrases that will aid the learner; for example: I need help or Where is the bathroom? Making a keyring of this and other survival language with clear pictures will help you communicate immediately with your EAL learners.

3. Comprehensible cultural contexts

This context-related thought process is vital when you plan learning opportunities for EAL learners, especially when teaching more abstract concepts. Your EAL learners will be learning English in their second language. When teaching reading, writing, speaking and listening it is useful to have a context onto which the learners can hang their understanding. You can link reading to the learners' interests to provide a context and ask for writing about their own experiences, for example. As the EAL learner becomes more competent and confident, the high context-based learning can be gradually reduced.

Strategy in action

Every Wednesday new starters are welcomed into Marie's primary school. She decided to make sure she was always prepared with her ready supply of personalised welcome packs. For the Year 2 learners in her class, Marie includes name labels for the new starters' coats and storage as well as the information provided by the administration team. Keeping high expectations in mind, she includes a picture book as well as a reading book in each welcome pack. To ensure the EAL learner is made to feel especially welcome and then hopefully settles in more quickly, Marie finds out a little about the home country of the new starter. She includes key vocabulary in the mother tongue, and looks for a cultural reference for the country. Marie includes an aspect of popular culture from the home country in order to ensure that the new starter recognises that their new class is interested in increasing an understanding of different countries in order to firmly develop a global perspective.

On one particular Wednesday, Maros, from the Czech Republic, was starting in her class at age seven. Marie looked at Czech TV children's programmes and discovered Krtek – a little mole. Krtek is widely known and very popular in the Czech Republic. She downloaded an image and made a bookmark for Maros. Maros and his family were understandably anxious about his start, especially as he did not attend formal schooling in the Czech Republic which starts when children are aged seven. They were thrilled to see the popular culture reference included in his pack. The family talked about Krtek animatedly and through observing their facial expressions and gestures Marie felt confident that Maros would feel a little less anxiety about the new start. Others in the class also showed interest, making sure Maros' home country became a talking point – showing that Marie and her learners respect and value each other and the wider world.

Strategy: Time to talk

Writing is one of the main ways of assessing independent understanding in education but this is closely linked to speech and language. Encouraging EAL learners to engage in opportunities to talk can increase confidence and help to develop English vocabularies that can be applied to developing writing skills, which will be explored on Day 2 of this book. Moreover, through encouraging talk about the learners' developing reading and writing skills you can assess knowledge and understanding more quickly than you might if you are focused on reading and writing skills alone.

4. Practising vocabulary

Vocabulary sets can be produced...