ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
Advice for teachers who have EAL students in their classes:
At Fountain Gate Secondary College, we have 88 English as an Additional Language (EAL) students from Year 7 to Year 12. These students are relatively new to the English language and therefore require teachers to be mindful of the challenges they face. Here are 10 tips to keep in mind when teaching these students:
1)Know who your EAL students are. At Year 7 to Year 9, EAL students always come out of A, B and C classes e.g. 7A, 7B or 7C. At Year 10 EAL students come out of A, B and C classes as well as F, G and H classes. It’s now easy to know which students are in EAL because a blue dot appears beneath their name on Compass.
As well as in this handbook, there is also a list of EAL students with photos on the main staffroom wall above the computers.
2)Speak clearly and at a normal pace. If you speak too fast, EAL students will often not be able to follow what you say.
3)Keep it literal. EAL students are still learning the English language, so they are not familiar with colloquial expressions and clichés that native English speakers are familiar with. For example, if in your class you say ‘That’s not my cup of tea’, you might confuse your EAL contingent. If you do use colloquial expressions and clichés, make sure you take a moment to translate what you’ve said: ‘That’s not my cup of tea’ = ‘That’s not what I like.’
4)Visual cues are helpful. Photos, illustrations, diagrams and body language support EAL students’ understanding of the words you are trying to communicate.
5)Vocabulary is key. If you know there are words that are specific to your subject and that they’re going to come up often, you can support your EAL students by giving them a list of vocab words with their meanings, i.e. a glossary, in advance.
6)Reinforce what you say with writing where appropriate. This will help your student to see as well as hear the new language. Also, when giving instructions (e.g. homework) it is best to check for understanding from EAL students.
7)Simplify tasks and questions, and ‘scaffold’ as much as possible.
8)Allow more time. EAL students need to be given extra time to comprehend reading material and tasks, and they need to be given more time to complete tasks, both in class and at home.
9)Value and accept all attempts by your EAL student/s to communicate. EAL students will often not raise their hands and join in class discussion for fear of ‘getting it wrong’ in front of their English-fluent peers. Make a special effort to encourage them to contribute, and focus on the content of what they’re saying, not how they’re saying it.
10)Be mindful of cultural and other sensitivities.
11)If an EAL student is struggling in your class, ask an EAL staff member for advice and/or support. EAL staff members are here to support EAL students when they are struggling, no matter which class they are in.
Further reading: see ‘NO ENGLISH – Don’t Panic’, pages 11-19. This can be found on the DET website.
Years 7-10 EAL Student Performance Table:
GRADE CONVERSIONSSatisfactory (S) / Grade
S4.3 / At Standard (End of Year 10)
S4.2 / Working towards Standard
S4.1
S3.3
S3.2
S3.1
S2.3
S2.2
S2.1
S1.3
S1.2
S1.1
SL.3
SL.2
SL.1
Not Satisfactory (N) / UG / *See statement at right
NS / Not Submitted 0%
EAL students are now assessed against the EAL Developmental Continuum (EAL Stages) for both Common Assessment Tasks and on their reports. The EAL Stages have been designed specifically to accommodate EAL leaners.