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The Bell Foundation have useful ideas and resources for teaching secondary Geography with a focus on EAL learners.

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Learning resources Archives - The Bell Foundation

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This KS3 EAL resource supports learners in Maths to develop their vocabulary around using money in daily life including the topics of banking, taxes, employment, shopping, commerce and travel. It will also be useful for new arrivals to the UK to introduce them to English currency and conventions around payment and banking.

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The Bell Foundation have useful ideas and resources for teaching secondary History with a focus on EAL learners.

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Learning resources Archives - The Bell Foundation

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This KS3 EAL resource supports learners in Maths to develop their vocabulary around using money in daily life including the topics of banking, taxes, employment, shopping, commerce and travel. It will also be useful for new arrivals to the UK to introduce them to English currency and conventions around payment and banking.

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Although published a while ago, this pamphlet published by the then DfES is very useful.

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Access and Engagement in Physical Education

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The Bell Foundation have useful ideas and activities for teaching secondary maths with a focus on EAL learners

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What are the challenges for EAL learners in maths lessons?

EAL learners face a range of challenges in terms of the language requirements of maths lessons; they may have difficulties at word, sentence and text level.

Word level

When tackling word problems, EAL learners are likely to encounter unfamiliar vocabulary items of three different types:

Subject-specific technical words, e.g. isosceles, integer, cosine, subtraction. All learners will need help with the technical words of maths. Many of them derive from Greek and Latin and have unfamiliar spellings and forms.

Subject-specialised words, (words that have alternative meaning in everyday language) e.g. negative, odd, take away. EAL learners will probably find the specialist meaning of everyday words even more confusing as they may have already learnt the word in another context. For example, words like 'power', 'mean' and 'volume' have specific meanings in maths but also very different meanings in everyday language or other subject areas. Making the different meanings explicit will help all learners, not just those with EAL (Monaghan, 2016).

Everyday words, e.g. hot-dog stall, carpet tiles, car hire. EAL learners may be faced with everyday words such as these in maths problems. These may be unfamiliar not only in terms of the language but also the cultural context, e.g. learners may not have come across a hot-dog stall. There are an infinite number of everyday words that might occur in word problems. It is good to give EAL learners the opportunity to encounter the most common and develop strategies to work out how to tackle problems where they do not understand every word.

Sentence level

EAL learners may have problems with difficult or unfamiliar sentence structures in maths texts. For example:

Tickets cost £38. Ahmed has £120. He buys as many tickets as possible. How many does he buy? How much money does he have left?

Comparative phrases, such as 'as many as possible', or 'not enough money for' might be a challenge, teachers can help by modelling the language needed for a particular task.

There are 20 biscuits in a packet. If Sonja buys three packets, then how many biscuits does she have altogether?

Another feature of mathematical English is its logical reasoning chains, which have connectives and pronoun references that may not be understood by EAL learners. Teachers can help by highlighting these. e.g. If... then... how many altogether?

Text level

EAL learners may find the way the text is presented or structured in maths texts difficult.

All tickets for a concert are the same price. Amy and Dan pay £63 altogether for some tickets. Amy pays £24.50 for 7 tickets. How many tickets does Dan buy?

Maths problems are usually written in the present tense and they appear to be a narrative. Learners tend to use the information in the order in which it is presented, which may not be effective. In this example, the first thing you need to do is work out the price of each ticket, so it would be wrong to use the £63 information to do that.

How can I support EAL learners to tackle unfamiliar mathematical language?

Maths teachers will not be able to teach all the words that EAL learners might meet in GCSE maths problems. But they can:

Make sure they do know the subject-specific technical words and can use them

Help EAL learners to develop strategies to tackle problems where they may not be familiar with all the words

Practise the most common types of problems frequently, encouraging EAL learners to learn key words and phrases that often come up (altogether, each, the same, as many as possible etc.)

Encourage bilingual glossaries of key words and phrases, including verbs that are often used (earn, cost, hire etc.)

Model the language EAL learners need to use

Provide opportunities for EAL learners to practise the target language and use it in speech and writing

It is best practice to give EAL learners plenty of opportunities to move from the concrete to abstract and to provide lots of time to talk about mathematical problems before reading, writing or calculating. Introducing vocabulary-based starter activities for collaborative learning is a good idea. Examples include loop games and definition games.

'Collaborative Learning Activities can be used as a tool for improving the access of bilingual learners to mathematical language through the medium of English. If this is achieved it is likely that their attainment in mathematics will increase.' (Symonds, 2010)

Examples of collaborative activities include:

'Words and phrases commonly used in word problems need to be taught systematically. This can be reinforced by asking pupils to write their own word problems.' (DfES, 2002)

Learners writing their own word problems can be a collaborative activity if done in pairs or small groups; they can then work in pairs to solve each other's problems.

Encourage EAL learners to make their own bilingual glossaries of useful verbs that often appear in word problems. These should help with the general context of what kind of problem it is. Examples include to assume, to buy, to cost, to earn, to hire, to measure, etc.

One idea which supports the steps in working out a problem or following a method is to ask pupils to listen to the instructions first, and then sequence sentences that have been copied onto cards and cut up (see DARTs).

To support reading word problems Maths teachers should model how to read the question aloud with the class, talking through which words are 'mathematical' and important and crossing out irrelevant information. EAL learner may need reassurance that it is okay if they do not know all the content words like carpet tiles, biscuit packets etc. Showing the learners how the structure of the question can be broken down should help them to solve it. E.g. the actual question is always the last bit. In some GCSE exam questions that involve reading and adding information to graphs or charts, answers can be worked out with very little reading of the questions.

How can I make a fair assessment of EAL learners' progress and attainment in maths?

When a child or young person with EAL is new to the school, it is good practice to assess their mathematical/numeracy skills as well as their English and first language skills as this gives a clear idea of the learner's cognitive potential. Primary schools may be able to conduct an informal maths assessment with the support of a bilingual adult or parent. Maths departments in secondary schools usually require a written test to be completed for placement purposes; this is best completed with support and a bilingual dictionary and should include mainly number and algebra questions that do not require understanding of English. It is important to be clear about what you are trying to find out.

Useful links

Collaborative Learning Project
Wordy maths problems Word problems
Nrich - enriching mathematics
Secondary resources for mathematics Hot-dog problem
References

DfES, 2002, Access and engagement in Maths, Crown copyright.

Monaghan, F., 2016, The Language of Mathematics, EAL Journal, Autumn 2016.

Symonds, A., 2010, Mathematical collaborative learning activities: the linguistic benefits for bilingual learners, NALDIC Practice Papers PP5.

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Teaching EAL Learners in Maths - The Bell Foundation

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Teaching EAL Learners in Maths EAL learners who are New to English and have had a good previous education often find it easier to demonstrate their ability in maths than in other subjects. A lot of maths notation may be familiar because it is used in other languages, and some mathematical topics are very visual, ...

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Using visuals

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Language, mathematics and English language learners

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The Bell Foundation have useful ideas and activities for teaching secondary English with a focus on EAL learners.

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Learning resources Archives - The Bell Foundation

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This KS3 EAL resource supports learners in Maths to develop their vocabulary around using money in daily life including the topics of banking, taxes, employment, shopping, commerce and travel. It will also be useful for new arrivals to the UK to introduce them to English currency and conventions around payment and banking.

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Exam prep

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Exam preparation: Supporting EAL learners

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Research findings lay bare the challenges facing EAL students when it comes to examinations. Deborah Owen presents some practical preparation approaches and ideas, many of which may benefit all pupils, not only those with EAL

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Lexical sets

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Some issues...

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Supporting EAL learners with vocabulary

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In Science, EAL learners need to understand scientific language, both written and oral, as well as to work with the command verbs such as; discuss, explain, evaluate etc... (Mertin, 2014). This means the language required for Science is academic and challenging and, as a result, it can become extremely difficult for learners to access the subject content. This begs the questions; How do we make the lessons comprehensible to EAL learners and provide what Krashen (1998) terms as 'comprehensible input'?

Mertin (2014) identifies four advantages of learning EAL in the scientific context.

1. New vocabulary: The new vocabulary in science is likely to be new to native speakers and therefore requires explicit teaching from the teacher. This will not only benefit EAL learners but all other students in the class.

2. New symbols: There are many international scientific symbols which the learners may already be using or find easy to learn in comparison to accessing texts that are often difficult to comprehend.

3. Graphic representation: Science is a visual subject which can be demonstrated well through pictures and diagrams. This provides additional comprehension opportunities.

4. Practical application: The practical nature of science allows learners to be involved in their learning so they are able to observe experiments without having to read about them.

These advantages form a great platform for supporting scientific learning. We can then consider ways in which to build on these foundations. Beginning with vocabulary, it is important to understand which words are used specifically for science and which words have a different meaning in science. Mertin (2012) provides us with an extract from a science textbook, highlighting new words in science in bold and underlining words which could hinder EAL learners if they do not understand the words:
A small amount of carbon occurs as the free element in the Earth's crust. It can occur as diamond and graphite. These are allotropes of carbon. Diamond is a very hard, clear solid that can be cut and polished so that it sparkles in light. Graphite is a dark, greasy solid. Charcoal and soot are forms of graphite. They are made by heating coal, wood, or animal bones in just a little air. (Cited: Mertin 2014, Complete Chemistry p. 238)
This is something you can do in advance and learners could begin to build up a word list with the word meanings and their translations. At the end of the unit, the learners will have a complete list. There are many ways to then reinforce the learning. Here's one example:

To consider building sentences for both reading and writing, learners will need to access more complex sentences. Learners who are new to English will begin with subject - verb - object structures so a good starting point would be to consider the verb forms in science. Many verbs are regular, with past participle forms ending in 'ed' (Sang and Chadwick, 2014).

There are also irregular verbs which learners will have to memorise:

The more complex sentences are often passive. In Science, passive voice is often used in statements of facts, in describing processes and for describing experiments (Sang and Chadwick, 2014).

For example:

Mass is measured in kilograms
Energy is released in nuclear reactions
The charge rod was attracted to the cloth

An active sentence follows the structure:

subject + verb + (usually) object: Newton's Laws describe the properties of motion.

The subject = Newton's Laws
The verb = describe
The object: the properties of motion

To make this sentence passive we would change it to: The properties of motion are described by Newton's Laws

Conditionals are also often used, for example, you can use the zero conditional to state the conclusion of an experiment and the first conditional for predictions.

Zero Conditional

If + present simple, + present simple

If you heat ice, it melts

If ice is heated, it melts

First Conditional

If + present simple, + will + the infinitive

If you burn coal, you will pollute the atmosphere

If more weights are nedeed, the spring will extend further

Second Conditional

If + past simple, + would + the infinitive

If you studied more, you would pass the exams

Third Conditional

if + past perfect, would + have + past participle

If we had used a micrometer instead of a rule, we would have measured the thickness of the wire more accurately.

The second conditional may be used when discussing how a situation or process would be different if you changed the conditions, or the third conditional when evaluating experiments.

Another sentence structure which EAL learners may need more support with is relative clauses. These help EAL learners write clear definitions.

To help learners with this, you could produce a table to support them offering the following headings to build the sentence:

(Adapted from Sang and Chadwick, 2014)

When producing a lab report, you'll need to consider what learners will need to write after they have completed some of their experiments, it may be useful to model some simple questions so learners are aware of what information they will need to write about. For example Mertin (2014) lists the following:

What do we want to find out?

What equipment do we need?

What do we think will happen?

What results will we get?

How can we show our results?

What is the conclusion?

The resource attached provides you with some ideas on how to support your learners with developing scientific language. Try and space out each grammatical learning point so learner can comes to grips with using one before moving onto the next.
References:
Gallagher, R.M and Ingram, P (2000) Complete Chemistry. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Krashen, Stephen, 1988. Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. Prentice Hall International

Mertin, Patricia, 2013. Breaking Through the Language Barrier: Effective Strategies for Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) Students in Secondary School Mainstream CL (World Class Schools Series). Edition. John Catt Educational

Sang, David and Chadwick, Timothy, 2014. Breakthrough to CLIL for Physics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

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Supporting EAL learners with scientific language

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In Science, EAL learners need to understand scientific language, both written and oral, as well as to work with the command verbs such as; discuss, explain, evaluate etc... (Mertin, 2014). This means the language required for Science is academic and challenging and, as a result, it can become extremely difficult for learners to access the subject content.

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The Bell Foundation have useful ideas and activities for teaching secondary Science with a focus on EAL learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learning resources Archives - The Bell Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This KS3 EAL resource supports learners in Maths to develop their vocabulary around using money in daily life including the topics of banking, taxes, employment, shopping, commerce and travel. It will also be useful for new arrivals to the UK to introduce them to English currency and conventions around payment and banking.

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Thriving in the Art classroom

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English Language Learners (ELLs) are an ever-growing population in American schools. When an ELL student joins one of your classes, it is common to make unintended assumptions or draw on preconceived stereotypes. However, as is true for all students in our classrooms, each child is unique. They are unique in their artistic skills, background, support at home, and home language. We may not be fluent in our students' home languages, but we can support our students to learn, grow, and become more confident in the art room.

Newcomers are students who were not born in the United States and have recently immigrated to the U.S. While most newcomers are ELL students, some may already be fluent in English. It is common for newcomers who are not fluent to have a silent year. A silent year is a year in which ELL students may appear uncommunicative. In reality, they are taking in their surroundings and the words of their peers and teachers. As a result, it may seem as if one day, they begin speaking out of nowhere. This is a valuable part of the process of learning a new language.
There are four skills associated with English language learning:
ELL students learn and use these four skills at different paces, typically with listening and reading skills developing first. It may actually take five to seven years for students to become proficient in the English language.

Lauren Day, an educator who works with ELL students at the elementary level, offers up suggestions to not simply reach our ELL students but to help them thrive in the art room.

This is a universal design and not something extra.

When planning for instruction in the art room, ELL students should be considered part of the learning community and not seen as an extra responsibility or "other" group of students. Lauren Day remarks, "They should be doing whatever everybody else is doing. Not something different." Just as we do for all students, we should provide opportunities for ELL students to make connections between new concepts and their previous learning. Establishing high expectations with scaffolded support will help all of your students set high standards for themselves.

Don't forget the importance of vocabulary.

A significant aspect of language attribution involves vocabulary. Learning vocabulary in the art room can support learning in other instructional spaces. It also includes terms unique to visual art. It may seem that your students understand or are using vocabulary appropriately, however, Lauren Day shares it may take students up to seventeen times hearing a word to understand its meaning.

To support students in vocabulary acquisition in the art room, consider these strategies:

1. Establish a word wall.

Develop a word wall with commonly used art terminology. Position a visual next to the written vocabulary word to support recognition. For example, next to the word "oil pastel," include an image of an oil pastel. The image will support students in differentiating between an oil pastel, a chalk pastel, and a crayon. While word walls are commonplace in most elementary classrooms, this is not just an elementary strategy. Lauren Day affirms that a word wall will assist all students of all ages in becoming more familiar with art room vocabulary.

2. Use visual cues and labels.

Images are not just for word walls. Include pictures of objects and vocabulary throughout the art room accompanied with the written English word. Label supply cabinets with images and text for students to locate what they need. High school art teacher Emily Henderson learned that many of her students speak and read Spanish at home. She labeled her classroom cabinets in English and Spanish. Though the goal is not for a bilingual classroom, the use of her students' first language helps them make connections and feel comfortable and independent. You can read more about Emily's classroom in the article Establishing Creative Sanctuaries-5 Tips to Redecorate and Reorganize for Back to School.

3. Share actual objects.

When in doubt, bring in actual objects. Lauren Day suggests that if you are discussing a still life, don't assume students can identify all of the fruits in front of them. For instance, let's say there is a pineapple in your still life. Show an actual pineapple; have students touch the fruit, and cut it open. This physical connection will help them understand and retain learned vocabulary.

Lauren warns that some words may be unknown to ELL students. It will occupy their thinking and limit their comprehension of the overall content. Their fixation on getting a single word "right" can become frustrating and keep students from achieving stated goals.

During a Daily Quick Draw Challenge, I prompted students to draw a "weight lifting PopTart®." One of my students had no idea what a PopTart was and sat trying to decipher the words on the board. Much later he admitted why he didn't participate in this activity. I realized that I even had a hard time explaining what this breakfast item was! I subsequently changed the prompt to "breakfast foods lifting weights." The following week, I brought in a pack of PopTarts to show the student.

Bringing in actual objects and not making assumptions is best for all students. Several other students who come from more health-conscious homes also had no idea what a PopTart was!

Use explicit directions.

Take the time to define content objectives clearly. In doing so, your students will know what is expected of them. Though this is important for all your students, it is critical for students striving to understand what the expectations mean. These statements should be stated orally, as well as provided in written and visual form. For example, an image of the tools required or a quick illustration of the task can help clarify what students need or need to do to be successful.

Lauren Day stresses the benefits of direct instruction and intentional step-by-step directions. Both are helpful to lay a foundation for learning. It is also essential to provide students with an opportunity for open-ended artmaking after each instruction or set of directions. During this time, students apply what they have learned via direct instruction.

Translation apps are no replacement for an actual translator or students learning English, but they can support the teacher and student when important sentences must be communicated. This can include the general overview of a lesson or stressing safety protocols. Of course, not all languages spoken in our classrooms are available using a digital translation tool.

Another tip is to empower a classmate to assist an ELL student. Strategically seat the buddy near the ELL student. They can support their classmate by modeling behaviors, repeating instructions, and locating tools needed for artmaking.

Honor traditions and countries of origin.

Feeling seen and valued is vital for all students, especially those experiencing a new language, culture, and expectations that are quite unlike their own. Help support students' sense of belonging by using one or more of these strategies.

1. Share their experiences.

We are not asking students to represent an entire culture or language. Instead, we are providing ample opportunities for students to share their own personal lived experiences. Open-ended prompts allow students to draw on their experiences without seeking perfection with a particular skill. Visual art production provides a tool for ELL students to share their thinking and feelings without the use of written words. However, it is also important to provide time for students to orally share their work with their classmates. This time in conversation can support communication and awareness skills for all students involved.

2. Curate an artist of the month.

Thoughtfully select featured artists for an artist of the month board. Make sure to feature artists who reflect your newcomers' countries and cultures of origin. Include a map of the world showing the location of this artist in comparison to your school. In addition, use this opportunity to print out words in the country's official language. Consider including the names of the materials used by the artist in other languages. This purposeful act of inclusion can support students in seeing the art room as a place where they feel valued as individuals.

3. Design and post intentional display signs.

When displaying artwork in the hallway, include signage with the essential vocabulary used in the lesson. If possible, integrate some keywords in your ELL students' home languages.

The new languages and different backgrounds and experiences our ELL students bring can contribute to a richer and more meaningful art room community. Regardless of what our students' home languages are, it is vital to consider how we teach and reach all our students. It is our role to see each student as the individuals they are. We are tasked with supporting them through intentional lesson planning and a conducive learning environment, so they can thrive as artists. The learning of a new language takes time and it is a privilege to be a part of that process.
What languages are spoken by ELL students at your school? Who do you need to contact to determine this information? How do you recognize your students' cultures in your art room? What other strategies do you use to support ELL students in your art room?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

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How to Support ELL Students to Thrive in the Art Room

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How to Support ELL Students to Thrive in the Art Room Differentiation % %

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PE and language: do actions speak louder than words?

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Although published a while ago, this pamphlet published by the then DfES is very useful.

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Teacher blog

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I've never been fond of the silent treatment, perhaps because it goes all too closely with feelings of anguish or wrongdoing. It's even more worrying, however, when you're getting it from a couple of boys in your new history class.

Last September, this was exactly the predicament I found myself in. I was asking what I thought were relatively simple questions and, despite the fact that the answer was on the board, I was met with pure silence; the boys both just stared back like rabbits caught in the headlights. And when I glanced over their written work, this was also sparse and inadequate.

I quickly realised that they both struggled with the English and had little confidence in their ability. I started considering what strategies I could use to best support these students and encourage them to participate in class; I also wanted to develop some techniques that could be transferred to other students for whom English is an additional language (EAL).

The first task is to identify EAL students. It is important to be aware of the vast variation in the abilities of EAL learners - not all will have such a weak grasp of the English language as described above. A good starting point is to consult school data, but you may also wish to consider:

Starting the year with a base line test to gage pupil ability

Asking a pupil to bring their history book in from last year to cast an eye over the level of work produced

Asking colleagues as to their interaction in other subjects.

This kind of research will help you gain a clear understanding of a student's level of English so you can provide work that stretches students, but remains achievable.

Whatever ability you're working with, it can be useful to introduce a glossary of terms or keywords at the back of the student's book. Each week pupils can add to the list and, because this is led by them, they can include words they find particularly difficult and explain them in terms they feel comfortable with. What this promotes is not only an increased vocabulary for EAL pupils, but crucially, an increased usage of it given they have written definitions which they understand.

There is also great merit in making lessons as visual as possible. Whether this is through source images, visual props or video clips, EAL pupils can engage with this kind of activity much more. For example, images can improve understanding of keywords by allowing students to work from the picture to their first language and then into English. By simply providing the English word with little support, this level of independent thinking would not take place. Organising visits to historical sites or inviting teams into school to support learning are also useful; while they take time to organise and plan, again these have an enormously positive impact on pupils learning.

You will need to differentiate accordingly, which is why fully researching each of the student's needs is particularly useful. Even for the weakest EAL students, there are a range of activities one can use beyond the typical 'filling in the gaps' or 'matching definition to word' exercises. One that has proved particularly effective in improving their historical writing is when students are given a series of keywords which they have to make a sentence out of them. This not only encourages EAL students to focus on the understanding of what the keyword means, which develops their vocabulary, but it also promotes a greater focus on their writing as pupils are continually check their work to ensure it makes sense.

Finally, instilling confidence into EAL pupils is a necessity. Aside from history lessons, I've often sought to engage these boys in conversation, and as such, they've felt much more confident in asking me questions in lessons. In addition, my own questioning can be carefully tailored to encourage participation. By pre-planning questions which are level specific, EAL pupils can be stretched and challenged, yet also carry the ability to answer. Should questioning lack this preparation, or worse still just be poorly thought through, poorly worded or overly complex, they will struggle with answering, and their confidence will quickly evaporate.

This is by no means an extensive list of all the differing strategies that could be used, but these have proved effective in negating the silences from the boys in my class. Crucially, EAL students need to feel at home in the classroom, given opportunities to participate and feel involved in activities. Certainly the overall rewards they can offer, particularly regarding progress and achievement are both visible and worthwhile.
Adam Bones is a history teacher at a school in West London.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Looking for your next role? Take a look at Guardian jobs for schools for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.

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Teaching history to pupils who don't speak English as a first language can be challenging. Teacher Adam Bones shares his tips on how to engage and support those who are struggling

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Performing arts and language development

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The power of performing arts for EAL students

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A few years ago, I had the privilege of working with an inspirational secondary school teacher who taught a class with a variety of needs

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Adaptive teaching in language-heavy subjects

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Best Practice

History, geography, English literature and religious studies are undeniably language-heavy subjects, making them particularly challenging for learners who have English as an additional language. Caroline Bruce offers some advice, ideas and resources to support your teaching of EAL students

The humanities subjects bring with them the opportunity to learn about humans, about our world and our place in it, our interactions with cultures and religions, the marks we have made in the world, and the challenges facing us in caring for its future.

It is a rich and fascinating area of study, involving factual knowledge, conceptual understanding and the application of both to evaluate issues. It is filled with opportunities for critical reflection, evaluative discussions and collaborative planning, all of which requires competent and fluent command of the language of instruction. Language is at the heart of humanities subjects.

A look at the demands of GCSE exams also points to the importance of language. Even without the five per cent of marks awarded for SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) at GCSE in history, geography, English literature and religious studies, the humanities subjects are undeniably language-heavy.

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Adaptive teaching for EAL students in language-heavy subjects history geography English literature religious studies English as an additional language

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History, geography, English literature and religious studies are undeniably language-heavy subjects, making them particularly challenging for learners who have English as an additional language. Caroline Bruce offers some advice, ideas and resources to support your teaching of EAL students

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Adaptive teaching in language-heavy subjects

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Best Practice

History, geography, English literature and religious studies are undeniably language-heavy subjects, making them particularly challenging for learners who have English as an additional language. Caroline Bruce offers some advice, ideas and resources to support your teaching of EAL students

The humanities subjects bring with them the opportunity to learn about humans, about our world and our place in it, our interactions with cultures and religions, the marks we have made in the world, and the challenges facing us in caring for its future.

It is a rich and fascinating area of study, involving factual knowledge, conceptual understanding and the application of both to evaluate issues. It is filled with opportunities for critical reflection, evaluative discussions and collaborative planning, all of which requires competent and fluent command of the language of instruction. Language is at the heart of humanities subjects.

A look at the demands of GCSE exams also points to the importance of language. Even without the five per cent of marks awarded for SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) at GCSE in history, geography, English literature and religious studies, the humanities subjects are undeniably language-heavy.

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Adaptive teaching for EAL students in language-heavy subjects history geography English literature religious studies English as an additional language

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History, geography, English literature and religious studies are undeniably language-heavy subjects, making them particularly challenging for learners who have English as an additional language. Caroline Bruce offers some advice, ideas and resources to support your teaching of EAL students

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Using music for EAL development

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The benefits of music on the brain are known to increase dopamine levels & can enhance learning abilities. Here’s why using music for EAL lessons is a must!

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A case study exploring the role of music in integrating pupils with EAL

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Simeon Bates, Music Specialist Teacher/Researcher at Bristol Cathedral Choir School

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A case study exploring what role music can play in integrating students who have English as an additional language into education

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In 1976 Stevie Wonder sang ‘Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand’. Is this not true? And if so, why is there a widening disconnect between this view and how the…

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Access and engagement in music. Although dated, this is a useful document.

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How performing and singing can help pupils with EAL

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How performing and singing in music helps EAL pupils

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Keeping you up-to-date with the latest on education, including great teaching ideas and current issues in education.

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Coding in silence: supporting talk while learners program

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Coding in silence: supporting talk while learners program – TPEA

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Collaborative talk vs individual tasksLave and Wenger (1991), and Mercer (2000) established the social constructivist view of learning as a process of individuals forming their identity within a ‘community of discourse’, which shares historical context and rules of communication. In particular, Mercer (2000) illustrated how speech is the most critical tool learning communities use to solve problems and organize the sense they make of new experience. While learning to write computer programs, Computer Science learners generally develop individual solutions on separate computers, to practice the problem-solving skills they will need later in examinations. If collaborative speech does play such a crucial role in developing learners’ thinking, then how can Computer Science teachers optimize talk between learners who need to spend protracted periods staring at code on separate screens?

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Teaching computational thinking to English learners

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Supporting pupils with EAL in DT

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Access and engagement for pupils with EAL, in DT. Although dated, this is a useful pamphlet.