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This could link in with P3 as if a child enjoyed fireworks and bonfires this would encourage them to want to learn the words as they would recognise the pictures . 

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This could link in with P3 as if a child enjoyed fireworks and bonfires this would encourage them to want to learn the words as they would recognise the pictures . 

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Good teaching of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) is simply good teaching; the communication of ideas and information still relies on thoughtful and effective pedagogy. The cornerstone of this ought to be a consideration of the student's point of view.

By making the imaginative leap into the position of linguistic stranger, we can start to envisage some of the difficulties one new to a language might come up against.

In some respects, the classroom is a tough place in which to get to grips with English. Students and teachers well familiar with one another are likely to talk quickly and make many assumptions when communicating. Things will be left unsaid. Rules will be enforced by a look. Misunderstandings will be dissolved by gestures. Commonplace idioms will be bandied about with little regard for their unintelligibility to the cultural newcomer. Pull your socks up and put your nose to the grindstone may draw more literal interpretations than intended.

At the other end of the spectrum, a teacher who is overly concerned with the progress of an EAL learner may in fact hinder their own delivery. By focussing too much on the student(s), or by expecting too much of them, one can fail to take account of other pupils, or become exasperated without due cause. It is best to get evidence. Find out what EAL level the student is at and familiarise yourself with what pupils in that group are expected to be able to do, as well as what they are working towards. Having a reference point will make things easier.

If you have a projector in your room, or even better, an interactive whiteboard, make use of images alongside written words and verbal instructions. Contextualising language with pictures helps to forge connections in the mind of the audience. Associating words and ideas with symbols is a central part of Western culture. Witness, for example, the association of the Labour Party with the colour red and the Conservative Party with the colour blue. Neither is innately tied to a particular hue, but, when it comes to British politics, even a virtual novice would couple them as they are familiarly found.

Take your use of images one step further by using symbols or colours to indicate different phases of the lesson. The starter could always be scribed in purple, for example. Or, written tasks could be regularly accompanied by a picture of a quill. Such repetition serves to minimise the work a learner is having to do. Once they recognise the symbol or colour, they need make only one recollection to place the current task in context.

Teachers are always alive to the power and importance of language; in their own use of it and in the student's use of it. If one has EAL learners in the class, it provides a good opportunity to listen critically to one's own speech during the course of teaching. Observe how you explain tasks, your use of para-language (um, er, like etc), whether you make recourse to idioms, the extent to which you get things clear in your own mind before talking, and the choices you make over which words to use. A critical approach to such aspects of language should serve to help you maintain clarity and concision. In so doing, you will be making life easier for those students to whom English is a map yet to be completed.

Similar to the creation of connections between words and symbols, modelling provides learners with a non-linguistic point of reference to help their understanding. This can take many forms: the acting out of a key idea - for example, using hand gestures to recreate the water cycle; the exhibition of how a task is to be done - for example, showing students how they might manipulate a card sort and discuss the results as they go; and the presentation of work - for example, holding up an exercise book to indicate layout and design. All these methods go beyond language, yet, at the same time, assist learners in coming to terms with it.

As in good teaching generally, so in teaching students for whom English is an additional language. As a rule of thumb, remember the trio of Eyes-Speech-Body. Think about the images a learner can see and how these might aid their understanding of words both written and spoken. Consider your own use of language and the ways in which you can improve the clarity and concision of your speech. Be alive to how you might use your body to model - to show - students what it is you are asking, explaining or expecting. Keep these three points in mind and you have a great starting point for working with EAL learners in your classroom.

* Mike Gershon is a social science teacher currently working in central London. He was educated at York University and the University of London in History, Sociology and Citizenship Education. He has been interested in teaching and learning since beginning his PGCE and enjoys creating resources which benefit teachers and students alike.

See Mike Gershon's EAL Toolkit for more great teaching ideas and tips.

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How to succeed with EAL students in the classroom

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Good teaching of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) is simply good teaching; the communication of ideas and information still relies on thoughtful and effective pedagogy. The cornerstone of this ought to be a consideration of the student's point of view.

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Here are some of the main principles of EAL teaching:

Use more visuals in the form of pictures, photographs, and so on, to help learners make sense of new information.

Use graphic organisers such as tables or grids to help learners organise their thinking.

Develop interactive and collaborative teaching and learning styles and activities.

Think about the language demands of the curriculum (oral and written) and provide models.

Use drama and role play to make learning memorable and encourage empathy.

Get learners to work with partners or in a small groups using the language for a specific purpose rather than out of context.

Maintain and develop learners’ first language alongside improving their English.

Provide opportunities to talk before writing and use drills to help learners memorise new language.

Support language development through key phrases and structures rather than key words.