Language acquisition

Northumberland’s approach to EAL provision is fully inclusive and supports language acquisition as opposed to teaching English as a foreign language.  It is recognised that the role of schools is to support pupils in their acquisition of the language to learn so that they may fully access the curriculum.  This approach concurs with the work of the DCSF through the National Strategies and is under-pinned by extensive research over the past two decades, including The Swann Report 1985, work of the National College for School Leadership (2005), Ofsted (1999-2005) and the government’s strategy for supporting the achievement of BME pupils launched in 2004, Aiming High.

Further information about the background to current provision nationally can be found here.

EAL pedagogy

There is a distincitive pedagogy for EAL learners. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Individuals initially develop language to communicate and socialise and can catch up with their monolingual peers within 2/3 years of being immersed in their new language.

Alongside this acquisition individuals develop cognitive skills to use language for a function or purpose.  So pupils are not just learning vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.

Once individuals are using language for a purpose they will start to develop academic language which will give them access to the curriculum and the opportunity to achieve at the highest levels.  Academic and cognitive language can develop simultaneously.  However, it can take between 5 and 7 years of immersion in a new language for an individual to catch up with their monolingual peers.

Where individuals are acquiring an additional language, research shows that socio cultural and emotional factors are of paramount importance.  Children learning EAL will be affected by attitudes towards them, their culture, language, religion and ethnicity.

Social constructivist theories advocate the scaffolding of learning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also evidence to suggest that bilingualism confers intellectual advantages, and the first language plays an important role in this.

Two tasks are faced by the EAL learner – the need to learn English, and the need to learn the content of the curriculum.

Two tasks are therefore faced by the EAL teacher - the need to support the acquisition of English, and the need to facilitate access to the curriculum.