Mike’s Blog
Strategies, Ideas and Insights for Teachers and Leaders
Tag: eal overview
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Why every teacher needs to think critically about speaking and listening if they want to support their EAL learners
‘No man is an island,’ John Donne wrote. Language makes sure of it. Speaking affords the opportunity to articulate your thoughts so that others can access them. Listening provides the…
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Discover why clarity, accuracy and precision are like a set of secret keys that immediately make it easier to support your EAL learners, whatever you teach
Clarity, accuracy and precision are crucial when you are communicating in the classroom. Particularly for your EAL learners. You can go back to these three things again and again, using…
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Exactly why thinking about the four elements of literacy helps any teacher develop a better understanding of how to support their EAL learners
English language acquisition covers the four elements of literacy: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Your EAL learners are trying to master each of those, over time, as they learn English.…
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Everything you need to think about when supporting EAL learners in your classroom, including the simple, three-point checklist that can guide your work every day
When working with EAL learners it is worth remembering these three words: They provide a simple way to think about the experience of EAL learners in your classroom. By keeping…
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The number one strategy you can use to help your EAL learners feel at home in the classroom while giving them a great model to learn from
The ‘Buddy-Up’ EAL Strategy: Explanation and Rationale In any class there will be learners at different stages of language development. Some will be relatively advanced for their age, perhaps surpassing…
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How to use the unquestionable power of peer modelling to speed up your EAL learners’ English language development
‘Role Models’ EAL Strategy: Explanation and Rationale Group work can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it provides learners with opportunities to speak and listen to one another,…
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Harness the power of the visual to support your EAL learners in a way that transcends the very nature of the spoken word
Many years ago, I was first introduced to the paintings of JMW Turner. At that time, I knew little about the background to his works or the historical context in…
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Understand the crucial steps any teacher can take to support their EAL learners and create a successful, inclusive classroom
You are an English Language Expert In every lesson you teach, you are the most skilled user of English. We usually take this position of unparalleled proficiency for granted. Everything…
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How to think critically about reading and writing when working with EAL learners
Why do we read? We read for different reasons, and our expectations of texts differ accordingly. In school, much of the reading we ask learners to do is in pursuit…