Category Archives: Listening

English as an Additional Language, Inclusion, Listening, Parents and Carers, Speaking

MUSIC ACTIVITIES AND EAL

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It seems that some external factors such as race, culture, religion and family we are born into define us. However, despite of our individual identity we all share the need to belong.

Belonging generates a feeling of acceptance and connection.

In Angus schools we have a diverse community of nearly 700 pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and about 37 languages spoken by them collectively. We all learn from each other and this makes the environment in the schools vibrant and exciting.

The EAL Parent Group has offered support to the class teachers, as well as to the children an opportunity to learn how to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees  and Toes in POLISH. 

Głowa, ramiona, kolana, piety(Polish)

Głowa, ramiona, kolana, piety,
kolana, pięty, kolana, piety.
Głowa, ramiona, kolana, pięty,
oczy, uszy, usta, nos!

Head, Shoulders, Knees, Heels(English)

Head, shoulders, knees, heels,
Knees, heels, knees, heels.
Head, shoulders, knees, heels,
Eyes, ears, mouth, nose!

Definitely this learning experience provided an opportunity to all pupils a wider sense of community and belonging. It links to Polish language, culture and their community.  Besides, we had lots of fun and it was a good exercise for everyone.

EAL Support, English as an Additional Language, Health and Wellbeing, Infomation, Listening, Literacy and English, Parents and Carers, Reading

EAL PARENT GROUP PROJECT

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Our schools in Scotland are a growing multilingual environment, where each child should have the right to learn a second language or a third one according to the 1+2 approach to modern languages.

As a matter of fact, a school in Angus is piloting a project  with a Parent Group  of EAL ( English as an Additional Language) which one of aims is to ensure and explore parental engagement and support the use of other languages in the school. This project also includes consideration of the role of the students’ home language(s) as part of the process of language acquisition and development.

Our project is based on school integration and social participation of parents whose children have English as an additional language in a variety of activities, such as in the classroom, playground, assemblies or school events. We understand that parents’ participation affect children’s sense of identity, belonging and their ability to make friends and cope within the new culture and ethos of the school.

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Overall our schools need to start building capacity for the teaching of other languages in addition to English, as well as to develop staff confidence in teaching a modern language.

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Having sampled four different languages, Polish, Russian, Sinhalese and Mandarin over four weeks the children are saying:

‘It is fun.’  ‘I enjoyed it.’ ‘I am looking forward to using the language.’ ‘I might use the words if I travel to Russia or if I meet a person who speaks the language in the school.’ ‘I felt hard how to pronounce the words’ ‘It was pretty cool.’ ‘It was tricky.’ ‘I feel pretty good sharing my language.’ ‘It is a good opportunity to learn Polish.’ ‘It is a good thing to have someone who speaks the language.’ ‘It is helpful to learn three languages.’

What are parents saying?

‘It’s very positive.’ ‘The pupils were smiling and trying to say the words.’ ‘I feel pleased to see that they were interested.’ ‘They were asking questions and they wanted to write their names in Russian.’ ‘It was amazing the questions pupils asked, ‘why do write different?,’ ‘how many letters are in Polish language?,’ ‘how many languages have you learned?’

And the teachers:

‘It was really good to have dual language books and read the same story in different languages. It is achievable and fits within 1+2 languages approach.’ ‘I enjoyed having mums in class. It gives you confidence as they can speak and read in their language and in English.’ ‘It is great to see the children so enthusiastic.’ ‘It made the class busy.’ ‘It was great to have more adults in class.’ ‘We had lots of fun.’ ‘It was exciting.’ ‘I felt relaxed.’ ‘I loved it.’ ‘It was flexible and met the interests of the pupils.’ ‘The text and the repetition of the words worked really well.’ ‘The pupils were able to pick up the language easily.’ ‘Pupils broadened their view of the world.’ ‘It is hands on through experience.’ ‘Now it is less alien to everyone.’

 

EAL Support, Listening, Speaking

Language of the Month

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In Angus we believe it is inclusion to take an interest in pupils’ first language. We praise multilingualism and encourage language learning.

‘Language of the Month’ celebrates pupils’ background and gives the children an opportunity to understand other cultures and communicate in a different language each month.

The scheme introduces everyone to the languages spoken in the school community.

The EAL teachers highlight the value of all languages suggesting audio activities and video clips of basic words and phrases  recorded by a pupil at the school and a family member.

e-learning, Infomation, Listening, Parents and Carers, Reading, Speaking, Writing

e-Portfolio

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English as an Additional Language has piloted e-portfolio on Glow as a tool to support the transition from Primary to Secondary School in the context of EAL, and to better evaluate the use of technology as an inclusive practice in the learning process.

In line with the guidance set by The Scottish Government, e-portfolio on Glow is an initiative in our local authority. Building the Curriculum 5 provides advice on developing learners’ profiles at the key transition points of Primary seven (P7) and Secondary third year (S3). The profile format may vary whenever a change is required leading to the next stages of learning.

The use of e-portfolio in the context of EAL will offer different means of communication and expression for pupils to present their own culture and background knowledge. It can reveal the ability to capture, review and manage a large amount of material. In addition, it offers flexibility, dynamic for integration, opportunities to develop and demonstrate technology skills through samples of the pupil’s work such as, photographs, videos, audio clips, projects, research and assessments. Furthermore, the e-portfolio will provide opportunities to develop ownership and show more interest in the culture in which the additional language resides. It is a way to demonstrate learners’ creativity with different emerging skills and reflect about choices to break down the barriers for learning. Teachers can access information about their pupils’ learning development, thereby also offering an opportunity for parents to appreciate the improvement.

Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing

Collaborative Learning

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Collaborative Learning Website is designed for speedy access to resources.
It provides interesting ways for children to learn in classes, where many different languages are spoken, and where children are learning English while accessing the whole curriculum.
There are examples of EAL friendly group talk activities that will benefit all children, while at the same time provide scaffolding for learning English.
Collaborative activities are vital for children learning English, but at the same time other learners benefit in many ways. They are good for developing sustained shared thinking, and also help retention of information through pleasurable repetition. They provide opportunities for all the children in a class to work with every other child at some point during the week. Children new to English need exposure to visually stimulating collaborative talk activities in short sessions throughout their learning, if they are going to be able to draw on their prior knowledge and skills.