I need the help from TEACHERS about EAL

[Pitchounette]

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I work with some EAL children in the Y1 class I work in. However I also have SLI difficulties to work with along side EAL issues with some.

I did some one to one, or small group, sessions each week with the children - we work on focus areas each time, such as sentence maker work, verbs, key vocan from the topic, etc.

I use makaton and rhebus symbols with the children too to give them additional ways of remembering the important stuff. So timetables have words and symbols for example, or when talking I will use signs, or the child will use a sign, for the "missing" word. I will then supply the word and the sign, and they can repeat - so I am, in effect, modelling the language.

I send key vocab home in English, so that parents can go through them to reinforce them at home with the child. They can also add theirown language to it too, so the child has both words.

Children, esp where no speach and language imparments, will usually pick up the dai;ly use english very quickly.

Do you have a TA in the class?

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Makaton is a form of sign support.

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Makaton is usually used with children with communication and language impairments, but I also use it with my EAL children, whi need that bit of extra support with langauge int he classroom. Makaton is also used with babies - baby sign , etc.

Another thing we do with our EAL pupils, although not til Y1, and only once their language is at 3y6m level and above (assessed in both information giving, and grammar), is a 10 week programme called Talking Partners. This gives children 3 x 20 minute slots a week, working in threes with one adult, to do speaking activities.

I am an EAL teacher and firstly you need to listen to the school about their approach. They may be spot on.

Are there any other EAL children in the class?

To be prepared for your meeting you could look at the QCA step descriptors for EAL children. They ought to have heard of them as it is what Ofsted inspectors are looking for with EAL children.

www.plymouth.gov.uk/qca_eal_step_descriptors.doc

Can you work out which step he is?

Research says that it takes 7 years for a EAL child to have the English language of an child whose only laguage is English.

hth

We encourage children to use their home language when they can (eg to talk to another student). Language dictionaries used a lot (these are older children). At the start, students are sort of left in the thick of it, but the intention there is socialisation, and that children pick up the general running of the class etc even if they don't know understand the lesson. I give key words for them to focus on (or underline the most important words/questions in the worksheet). Children also pick up loads of language in the playground. Would be at the keeping quiet comment, I'd want to follow that up.

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Don't like your teacher's attitude v much. Calling him a lazy bone isn't a great start and children being quiet/not disturbing the class isn't good if it's because they don't feel comfortable and not because they know the rules about when it's appropriate to talk.

Haven't you posted on bilingual chat about this and we were saying that it's fairly normal for children to go quiet and suddenly come out with almost perfect English?

The idea of comparing evaluations is a good one.

Is communication/langauge the only area that she thinks your DS is struggling with? And is she blaming his bilingualism for this or has she suggested any other reason he might be struggling?

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I'm a teacher. Don't worry, if your son is in a state school, he'll soon be swearing and cursing like the best of them!

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