‘The Rules of Talk’ EAL Strategy: Explanation and Rationale

This strategy is a different way of opening up speaking and listening success criteria for your EAL learners.

It refers explicitly to the expectations guiding talk in your lessons.

Success criteria are about what the teacher and learners are aiming to achieve by using talk in the classroom.

The Rules of Talk focusses on the often implicit expectations participants bring to conversations.

The former is a guiding purpose based on the requirements of an individual lesson or activity.

The latter are cultural norms that may be rarely articulated; they will often be learnt unwittingly, or through the wider process of socialisation, during a child’s development.

For an EAL learner, the rules governing different types of talk may be hard to grasp.

The culture in which they grew up may have different rules, different manners, or different modes of talking.

For most native speakers, the rules will be second nature. Things that they take for granted may be confusing to EAL learners.

For example, formal debates operate on an antagonistic premise. One side is in favour, and one side is against.

If a learner has not come across formal debates before, they cannot be expected to know the rules that govern this particular mode of speaking and listening.

Similarly, discussion of sensitive topics may make extensive use of hypothetical examples and composite characters.

An EAL learner who was not made aware of this may become confused as to the subject of the discussion, or as to what is appropriate to share with the group.

The Rules of Talk: Example One

When you introduce a discussion activity for the first time, ask some of the fluent English speakers in your class to explain how the activity works.

They could do this through a short summary, or by modelling the activity.

Ask them to make explicit the rules and norms that govern the talk.

This could be done through a comparison with other types of talk, or by identifying the three things that distinguish that activity from other activities.

Once this has been done, speak to your EAL learners and assess whether they have understood what has been explained.

The Rules of Talk: Example Two

Decide on a small number of talk-based activities you will use (between three and five) over the course of a term.

Introduce these activities one at a time, giving learners space in which to get familiar with them.

Identify the rules that govern talk in each type of activity. Make these clear to learners.

This could involve listing the rules and providing appropriate visual reminders.

Operating in this way should ensure your EAL learners are made aware of the norms relevant to different activities.

They will also have time in which to assimilate the rules for each type of talk before being introduced to the next activity.

The Rules of Talk: Example Three

Put EAL learners in groups or pairs that see them working with sympathetic, supportive peers who have strong speaking and listening skills.

Indicate to the fluent learners that you would like them to help the EAL learners get a better understanding of what different talk-based activities require.

Ask them to work through the activities with the EAL learners while, at the same time, explaining how the activities function and how to speak and listen successfully when taking part in them.

You may want to assist by sitting-in with a pair or group and supporting the explanations they give.