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EAL at Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Education. j.m.flynn@mmu.ac.uk. Objectives. To share experiences at MMU To assist reflection upon how to effect institutional change with regard to EAL To reflect on the nature of the desired changes. MMU. BA Primary -3 year degree
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EAL at Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Education j.m.flynn@mmu.ac.uk
Objectives • To share experiences at MMU • To assist reflection upon how to effect institutional change with regard to EAL • To reflect on the nature of the desired changes
MMU • BA Primary -3 year degree • PGCE Primary • PGCE Secondary • Two sites- Crewe and Didsbury
EAL “ It’s just another language that I know”
Aims To equip all MMU student teachers to: • Support bilingual pupils- provide support for bilingualism, multilingualism as cultural capital • Support learners at various stages of EAL-support for additional language development • Support all learners for life in a multilingual world
Audit Secondary • Professional Practice Primary • English sessions • Identity and diversity • EAL specialism introduced
ISSUES Finding “space” • Assignments • Placements • Lack of confidence • Pedagogy • Curriculum-Maths, science etc.
Addressing the issues- getting the ball rolling • Staff training day -Language across the curriculum focus • Discrete EAL sessions • Diversity experiences in Y1. Sbt task to profile a bilingual child.
EAL specialism/specialist • BA primary • PGCert. Inclusive teaching of bilingual learners within the MA in Language Education
Barriers • Skills centred curriculum • Few schools confident to talk about diversity with trainees • No agreed pedagogy
TDA project • Involves Partnership team and Centre for Languages and English • Primary BA and Secondary PGSE • Primary and secondary schools • Observing good practice, trying it out, dissemination • Agreeing on a common language about what good practice is and how schools can articulate this with students
Observation proforma • Knowledge of cultural background and language • Evidence of value for and use of community languages and culture • Curriculum planning to identify language challenges at text, sentence and word level • Strategies to provide context and access to cognitive demand • Engagement in collaborative activities to practice language and content • Formative assessment
Krashen-make input comprehensible Identify: • Language purpose or genre • Field- topic vocabulary • Language structures (sentence grammar)
Explanation • Compost, decompose, rot down, bacteria • You do not put X on the compost because it does not decompose. How to ensure access and practice these?
Practice-Collaborative activity • Set a problem solving activity. • Which things go in which do not and why? • Scribe, manager
Writing frames/Darts activities Instructions for setting up a compost heap: First get a ...... Next put in some....... Then.......... After that....... Conditions for helping the vegetables to decompose are: 1. Let ______ get to the compost so it is damp. 2.Let _____ get to the compost. 3. Put in______ for microorganisms
What do students say • Over 2/3 expressed confidence with EAL in Y4 • Students come themselves from backgrounds without diversity • Minority ethnic students experience aspects of the course differently • EAL is an important aspect of diversity/equal opportunities
Future-Ensure space for promoting engagement • Placement tasks • vle materials • Student experience • Equal opportunities • Increase depth of understanding • Knowledge about language