Parlez Tu Spreken Sie English? Na'am?

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Having lived in the Middle East for some time now, I find it somewhat of an embarrassment that my knowledge of Arabic has not got much further than the numbers 1-10, hello, goodbye, thank you, please and a few other one or two word answers.  This feeling was reinforced yesterday when I had to  cover a year 10 Arabic class.  To put it mildly I think I understood maybe one word in a hundred and that is being generous!

This actually got me thinking about how we approach teaching EAL students in schools.  We expect them to at least try to participate, and encourage them to answer questions which in a lot of subjects - mine included - are abstract concepts and not recognisably linked to everyday life.  I remember from one CPD session that we were told that the moment an EAL student starts asking to go for the toilet, that is the first sign that they are developing understanding and language acquisition - I cannot even do that!

From this experience, I am now rethinking how I approach teaching concepts and tasks in class.  Some of the ideas I have come up with include:

  • Using flashcards with the term, it's English meaning and an image;
  • Having the keywords for the project on a menu card with translations into the three other main languages spoken at the school;
  • Increasing the use of repetition of phrases in lessons;
  • Using informal assessment of these (these might be games where they have to find the information out for themselves - I like games);
  • Making sure that the accompanying TA's know what the would mean so they are more comfortable in explain them to the students;
  • More use of the mini whiteboards to allow the students to make mistakes in their work without this being recorded.
This is a complex area, and one that I am no where near being knowledgable in, but with a few little changes, perhaps I can make a different for my students...


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