This document discusses strategies for supporting English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in the foreign language classroom. It identifies some of the most common issues EAL students face, such as taking 5-7 years to develop academic English proficiency. It recommends nurturing language development, coaching students on how to learn, and building stable social groups. Effective EAL support strategies are beneficial for all students in foreign language classes.

1. Supporting EAL Students in
the MFL Classroom
Isabelle Jones,
Alderley Edge School for Girls
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Twitter: @icpjones
icpjones@yahoo.co.uk

2. Aims
• Identify the most common EAL issues
encountered by MFL teachers in UK schools
• Suggest generic and specific practical
strategies to support EAL learners in MFL
classes

3. Find the language…
1.
BEM - VINDOS
2.
WILLKOMMEN
3.
‫.رحب‬
4.
5.
েসিপ্িসিডেসিডেন্রেস
র্রেস
ট
欢迎
6.
साइमंड्स
7.
‫پاکستان‬
8.
‫هلمند‬
Rank out of the 15th most spoken languages in English schools?

4. Find the language…
1.
BEM - VINDOS
Portuguese
9
WILLKOMMEN
German
X
3.
‫.رحب‬
Arabic
8
4.
Bengali
4
5.
েসিপ্িসিডেসিডেন্রেস
র্রেস
ট
欢迎
Chinese
13
6.
साइमंड्स
Hindi
X
Urdu
Farsi
3
2.
7.
‫پاکستان‬
8.
‫هلمند‬
X
Rank out of the 15th most spoken languages in English schools?

5. First languages in English schools
http://www.naldic.org.uk/research-and-information/eal-stati

6. EAL Learners
• What does EAL stand for? EFL? ESL?
• Describe what you think are the
characteristics of a “typical” EAL learner?
• What issues do you anticipate him/her to
have with learning a foreign language?

7. EAL
EAL: English as an Additional
Language
Recognises that students may speak several
languages in addition to English and that English
could be their third, fourth or fifth language.
•
as opposed to ESL: English as a Second
Language
•
or EFL: English as a Foreign Language (for
students living abroad learning English)

8. The Globalised Classroom: How many pupils? Where?
• 1 in 8 secondary school pupil does not have English as their first
language.
• 1 in 6 primary school pupil speaks a language at home other
than English.
• The percentage of EAL students varies greatly from region to
region and school to school. In some schools it can be 90% +
DfE school census, January 2011
http://www.naldic.org.uk/research-and-information/eal-statistics

9. EAL as a continuum
 EAL refers to any student with English as an Additional Language.
 At one end of the continuum , you find the ‘International New Arrivals’ (INA.) This refers specifically to students who have entered the UK
within the past two years.
 Subgroups:
- ‘first generation’ : children who were born in another
- ‘second or third generation’ : children who were born in
country and have since resettled in the UK with their family.
the UK into a migrant or ‘dual-heritage’ family.
- ‘migrant worker’ : children whose parents have moved
to work in Britain.
- ‘asylum seeker’ / ‘refugee’ : children who have moved
events.
with / without their parents to escape famine, persecution
and other tragic

10. EAL as a continuum : Other criteria
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Language spoken at home
Existence and role of older relatives
Literacy in the first language
Other language spoken
Parents’ level of education and literacy in both English and first language
Schooling history and experience
Traumatic experiences

11. Truth or Myth? Pros and Cons?
1. If new arrival EAL students are segregated and taught English, they will be able
to prepare themselves quicker for taking exams through the medium of English.
2. EAL is a Special Educational Need
3. Speaking another language interferes with learning English.
4. EAL learners should only speak English at school.

12. Fighting Common Misconceptions
1. EAL students will take approximately 5 – 7 years of English-speaking education to acquire
academically-fluent English. This will occur naturally through nurturing immersion rather than
segregated intervention. MFL lessons will be more accessible in Y7-8 for EAL learners as they often
represent a fresh start linguistically (impact on progress and setting)
2.EAL students have a temporary additional need which is primarily language acquisition. EAL
students are not automatically SEN or ‘special educational needs’, and should not automatically put
in lower sets . Lack of data/ unreliable data can be an issue if EAL learner is assessed through the
medium of English.
3.EAL students will have potential strengths as well as additional needs.
There are many cognitive advantages to being bilingual. Research
shows that
bilingual learners have better classification skills, concept
formation, analogical reasoning, visual –
spatial skills , creativity and
divergent thinking, story-telling skills, language awareness.
However, not all EAL learners are truly bilingual.
4. There are benefits if students can carry on developing their
home language at the same time as English, but when and how it
through.
is done need to be thought

13. The Challenges : Through MFL we need to…
Nurture language development
Coach students in how to learn
Build stable and productive social groups
The good news?
EAL good practice is MFL good practice!

14. Language Acquisition
Stage 1: Pre-production
This is often described as ‘the silent period’ and can last up to six months. English language learners may
have up to 500 words in their receptive vocabulary but they are typically not yet fully able / confident in
speaking. Some students will, however, repeat everything you say. They are not really producing language
but are parroting.
 NC English – P Levels
Stage 2: Early production
This stage may last up to six months and students will develop a receptive and active vocabulary of about
1000 words.
 NC English – Level 1
Stage 3: Speech emergence
Students have developed a vocabulary of about 3,000 words and can communicate with simple phrases
and sentences. This stage will tend to last up to three years.
NC English – Level 1 → 2
BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) =conversational English
Stage 4: Intermediate fluency
English language learners at the intermediate fluency stage have a vocabulary of
6000 active words.
NC English – Level 3 – 4
Stage 5: Advanced Fluency
Starting as a new speaker of English, it takes students an average of 7 - 10 years to
achieve academic language proficiency in a second language. At this stage,
students have the range of listening skills necessary to participate fully within the
curriculum and can be fairly assessed using only the National Curriculum for English.
NC English – Level 4 and above
CALP= Cognitive and Academic Language
Proficiency (minimum 5 years)

15. EAL support?
• Peer support not always available
• Many schools do not have any EAL
department as such
• EAL expertise varies greatly from school
to school
•
Languages are not always seen as a
priority for support

16. Type of EAL support?
Restricted timetable/
Withdrawal lessons
In English/ in home
language
Teaching Assistant
Peer support
Class teacher
Cummins’ Interdependence theory
Concepts can be transferred from one language to another.
EAL learners need to continue to develop both languages to
derive maximum benefit of their studies.

17. Interdependence Theory and
Literacy
•
Many children new to literacy in English will have experience of literacy in other
languages
Child’s experience of Literacy Potential benefits for
in another language
acquiring literacy in English
Can decode the script but with
little understanding
Recognises that literacy
involves connection between
sound and symbol
Visual memory
Can read and write with
understanding
Reading for understanding
strategies
No home literacy but oral story
telling and language games
Range of genres
Language as a fun activity

18. EAL, assessment and data
• Progress is a key accountability measure
for OFSTED.
• Baseline tests in Y7-What are the issues
for EAL learners in general? And for the
assessment of a foreign language in
particular?

19. EAL and SEAL
What does it feel like to be an EAL learner?
Empathy required…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

20. • “Most of the time I don’t know what they’re
saying anyway. They all speak in some other
language, Urdu or something. I don’t know
what it is…..”
• “Lots of our children speak other languages.
You do, don’t you dear? Urdu or Hindu [sic] or
something, is it? We’re very proud of them.”
From “Plurilingual School Students* Learning Languages at School:
experiences, perceptions and implications”, Pura Ariza, MMU.

21. Common experiences of EAL students:
I feel different.
Can I eat this? Is it
OK do this? What will
my family say?
If I keep quiet I will not
get laughed at or told
off.
I miss home. Why did I
get sent here? I am not
used to those busy
streets and cold
weather.
Why do some people
avoid talking to me? Why
do they speak to me so
loudly and slowly ?
Where is my next lesson? I
am never sure of what to
do and where to go…
I just can’t keep up… it’s
really tiring, but I have to
learn so that I can help my
family with the language.
At my other school I had
much more interesting
work. All I do here is listen
and write.

23. Heritage Language use and culture perception
inside and outside schools:
*Pupils are discouraged to use heritage
languages in schools although it is essential for
the development of self-image and identity
*Very emotive and political issue
*Bilingualism is seen as a weakness- ability is
nearly exclusively assessed in terms
of competence in English
*
Non-British cultures are stereotyped
and often falsely amalgamated.

24. A Language is a language
1. Show an active interest in the languages spoken by
pupils in your schools in your school. Learn how to
say hello and goodbye or ask the children to teach
you.
2. Investigate linguistic similarities and exploit them.
3. Challenge stereotypes and teach the cultures of
the target language country. Show that all
European countries are multicultural and
multilingual.
4.
Reinforce the links between different
languages in the department (Community/
Modern/ Classics)

25. A new arrival child has been
placed in your class
• What do you need to find out about?
• What is your plan of action?

26. Generic strategies to support EAL learners:
Challenges & Benefits
7. Coaching  Schemes of work need to
build in activities that demonstrate and
practise language. Not just subject.
specific words but general academic
words like ‘compare’, ‘analyse’ etc.
5. Mentoring  The student’s form tutor or key
worker needs to regularly catch up with them
to address queries / confusions, ensure
homework is being managed. The mentor
filters information through to student and
support with practical academic & pastoral
issues.
3. Grouping  Place EAL students with
supportive students of similar ability, who can
provide a good linguistic model in English.
1. Naming!  Ensure that you
address the student by their
correct name and that you
pronounce the student’s
name correctly.
6. Communicating  The use of
English and TL should be supported
by visual cues and practical
examples. A dictionary could be
used provided the student’s literacy
in L1 is strong enough.
4. Buddying  Pair with a
responsible, caring, articulate
student who will act as a
guide, friend and role model.
Reward students for acting as
buddies. (This can be
arranged by class teacher or
EAL support)
2. Knowing  Identify their language
levels. Try to find out a little about their
native / home culture. With INAs, find out
their ‘story’. Link with EAL support as
appropriate.

27. Inclusive practice:
sharing cultures
• Encouraging students to complement the topics you
are teaching when working independently e.g. fruit
and vegetable
• Finding out about specific features of EAL learners’
home language from them e.g. forms of address,
word order, pronunciation, cognates, funny-sounding
words…
•
Encouraging students to share information
in the Target Language about their home
countries, language and culture.

28. Newbury Park: Language of the month
http://www.newburypark.redbridge.sch.uk/langofmon

29. Language Awareness starters
• Introduce the idea of “families” of
languages e.g. latin (word order)
• Refer to etymology when explaining key
words
•
English is great at borrowing words
from other languages…

30. Language Awareness starters
Which languages have these been borrowed from?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jar, coffee, sugar
Arabic
Sky, leg, wife
Norwegian/ Danish
Dutch
Pill, wagon
German
Damp, luck
Hindi
Shampoo, bungalow, cot
Italian
Umbrella, piano, corridor
French
Tent, café, route
Greek
Rose, atlas, museum

31. EAL learners: Attainment
Expectations and Reality
Early Years/ Foundation Stage
Phonics screening check
KS1
KS2
KS3
KS4
Same level as
Below
Above?

32. EAL learners: Attainment
Expectations and Reality
Early Years/ Foundation Stage: 56%/ 65%
(generally improving trend)
Phonics screening check no difference or +
KS1: lower % (generally improving trend)
KS2: 72%/75% (improving trend)
KS3: catching-up phase
KS4: 78.1%/71.1% (English)
average point score for bilingual
pupils higher for languages!

33. ?
?
A few points to consider…
1. Where are your EAL students and who are they sitting with? How is that
likely to help or hinder them?
2. How would you make it easier for your EAL learners to understand
instructions-orally and on a worksheet for instance?
3. How do you think EAL learners can contribute to enhancing our subject?
4. An EAL student pronounces or writes a word incorrectly –
What do you do?
5. From a standard MFL scheme of work- what specific
vocabulary is needed in English to understand the
activities and their purpose ?
6. What will you have to consider when assessing EAL
students’ progress in MFL in all four skills? What should you
avoid?

34. 7 Steps to introduce New Language
When learning new language, EAL students need to:
1. See the word / phrase
2. Hear the word / phrase
3. Link the word / phrase to meaning
4. Practise and self-repair the word / phrase
5. Listen to the word/ phrase being recast
6. Revise the word / phrase

35. Scaffolding Learning: (Listening & Reading)
Visual Support
• All teaching materials should include visuals like
photographs, pictures, drawings or paintings to
support learning. Beware of hidden cultural
references in visuals.
• Use spot the difference pictures to reinforce simple
structures in the affirmative and negative forms or
introduce comparatives.
•
Concept maps
•
Props, puppets and images
•
Mime, gestures, acting out
•
Display

36. A house or a house?

37. Pictures and Photographs
•
•
•
•
•
•
NEN Gallery http://gallery.nen.gov.uk
Flickr http://www.flickr.com
Tag Galaxy http://taggalaxy.de
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/
Visual searches: http://www.wordsift.com
Google.fr
Google.es

38. Reading… (lire/ leer/ lesen…)

39. DARTs Activities (reading/writing)

40. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
DARTs-inspired
Language Activities
Text sequencing
Prioritising decisions/ ranking opinions
Matching pictures to text
Matching phrases to definitions
Matching beginning and end of sentences
True/ False/ Not Mentioned
statements about a text
Sorting activities (gender/ verbs or
nouns)…

41. Bonjour!
Je m’appelle Ludovic. J’ai treize ans. Je suis
en sixième. J’habite près de Toulouse.
J’ai les cheveux courts et châtains et les yeux
marron. Je suis assez grand.
Je mesure un mètre cinquante. Je porte des
lunettes.
Je joue de la guitare classique. Je
suis sportif. J’aime le football et le
rugby. J’ai une chienne qui s’appelle
Léa.

42. Word clouds and mind-mapping
• Wordle http://www.wordle.net
• Tagxedo http://www.tagxedo.com/
• Freemind
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/
•
Mindomo http://www.mindomo.com

43. EAL Attainment Data
http://www.tagxedo.com/artful/2a50dd53fe98461

44. Dictionaries
Bilingual dictionaries
Monolingual dictionaries
Thesaurus
Pros and Cons?

45. Flip your lesson!
Pre-teach key vocabulary/ structures:
How would you do this?
Advantages and inconvenients?

46. Visual support & Engagement
Classtool.net http://classtools.net/
Site with templates for resources to be printed
or put on a blog or a VLE.
Drama!
http://www.triptico.co.uk/

47. Scaffolding Learning:
Audio support (listening/ speaking/
reading/ writing)
• Repeating key words and phrases and using
visual support at the same time.
• Rephrasing: get students to rephrase in
English and move from complex to simpler
language.
•
Recasting: model by providing a
gramatically correct or longer version
of
what the student said.
•
Target Language Use

48. Text-to-speech http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/

49. Supporting and Recording Talk
http://www.easi-speak.org.uk/
http://www.voki.com
http://audacity.sourceforge.
net/
Ppt recording function

50. Scaffolding Learning:
Models and Modelling
• Provide a model and deconstruct texts.
Sequencing activities will support the
development of literacy skills as well.
• The model could be a story, a transcript from
a short video clip, a recipe, 2 sides of an
argument, the evaluation of a product
or
a performance, a timeline …
Writing/ Speaking frames (talk stems/
•
sentence starters)

51. Develop your cultural linguistic
awareness to support EAL learner
• In Urdu, gender and number are both
shown through the verb inflection and the
tense through a verb suffix.
• Nouns in many South Asian languages
have cases.
•
Most languages do not have definite
•
and indefinite articles.
•
In many South Asian languages
yesterday and tomorrow are the
same word.

52. Scaffolding Learning:
Questioning
• No hands rule
• Yes or no question to check
understanding
• Multiple choice questions
• Traffic lights

53. Supporting EAL learners through
the teaching cycle
Teacher sets the context
Teacher builds on prior
knowledge
Field of knowledge is
developed
Model of what you want
the students to be able to
produce is shown
Model is deconstructed
Joint construction takes
place through a range of
activities
Independent construction
may be expected at this
stage

54. Literacy Across the Curriculum
(LaC) and EAL students
How can you contribute through your foreign
languages lessons?
Grammar terminology
Punctuation
Use of apostrophes (comparisons)
Vocabulary

55. Keep an open mind…

57. Aims
• Identify the most common EAL issues
encountered by MFL teachers in UK schools
• Suggest generic and specific practical
strategies to support EAL learners in MFL
classes

58. Top 3 priorities to get prepared
for your EAL students…
• 1. Get to know your EAL students and how they are catered for at your school
• 2.
• 3.

59. Supporting EAL Students in
the MFL Classroom
Isabelle Jones,
Alderley Edge School for Girls
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Twitter: @icpjones
icpjones@yahoo.co.uk