EAL

EAL 2022-09-26T19:48:55+01:00

The acronym EAL stands for English as an Additional Language. It refers to teaching English to students who are native speakers of another language. Since students may be fluent in several other languages, we use the term ‘additional’ instead of ‘second’.

EAL learners may have varying levels of English knowledge, with some children starting from scratch, and others having some pre-existing knowledge but perhaps speaking another language at home, as well as English. All children are different, so it’s important to assess things on a case by case basis. Some children may understand more than they can say.

EAL learners are often faced with the task of learning a new language at the same time as keeping up with their learning of the content in the Curriculum, so they face a unique set of challenges while they build up their confidence in English.

It is important that we acknowledge and accept the other cultural influences and languages in a child”s life. We encourage children to share information about their native language or home country. This is a good way to help children to feel involved, appreciated and acknowledged within our school community.

Being socially involved in life at school is critical to improving confidence and fluency in the English language. The more practice children have with using the English language, the more involved they will become with different areas of the school curriculum.

We currently have one EAL teacher in the school, Ms. Forrest.

 

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