Enter your details to access this video

Or if you already have an account login to watch the video (if you don't you can register here).
Login
Subscribe to RSS - Downloads

Spelling support for EAL learners

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Many of us have learnt to spell as a child without being specifically taught the sounds. In the past, the teaching of phonics was discouraged in schools, however, we learnt a lot through sounding out words independently. At a recent course on voice production, the importance of vowel sounds was emphasised as central to pronunciation. They were also emphasised as central to sounding out to help with spelling. Chunking (breaking up words into syllables) also helps to sound out and spell longer more challenging words.


More articles from our blog

Colourful shapes
Created: Wed 31st Jul 2024

Every learner is unique! This includes your SEND learners. Sometimes you need to create a bespoke resource to support their individual needs.

Tip or Idea: Using multimodal resources can provide a multi-layered approach to learning, removing barriers for learners and creating a fun, engaging learning environment.

Family studying in mother tongue
Created: Wed 29th Apr 2020

We are all faced with very different learning situations at the moment and home learning has become the current norm. The challenges it poses are significant. Parents often have limited time available to support learners, limited understanding of where to start, sometimes a lack of technological know-how in accessing online classrooms - or even a lack of access to an online environment altogether. These issues are exacerbated amongst parents with limited understanding of the school language.

EAL learner learning vocabulary with flashcards
Created: Fri 18th Apr 2025

There are many ways to use flashcards in the classroom. When introducing new vocabulary, they can be used by teachers to provide engaging visuals for learners to comprehend the meanings of new words, revise, and practise recall with games. In addition to this, learners can use flashcards independently to memorise, revise, and consolidate new language.

Back to Blog

The role of an EAL teacher

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

In previous articles we discussed the need for learners to obtain Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS). These skills need to be the initial focus of learning alongside curriculum content in the early days. Class teachers are required to make significant adjustments to their programme of learning which is not an easy task, especially for those teachers who are new to teaching foreign languages.


More articles from our blog

SEND learner using dual coding
Created: Wed 13th Nov 2024

Dual coding, developed by Allan Pavio, is a teaching method that combines different types of stimuli to support students to learn and remember information. It is particularly beneficial for learners with special educational needs. An example might be combining words with pictures or audio with text.

Tip or Idea: Start with an image and ask students to explain in their own words what they mean or flip it around and provide students with a word and ask them to draw or create their own image.

teacher holding up flashcard
Created: Wed 26th Apr 2023

What should we teach?

Many of us have been in a situation where we want to communicate with someone who does not speak the same language. We resort to wild gestures, attempts to say unfamiliar words, grammar seems insignificant and feelings of frustration soar. Some basic vocabulary becomes our lifeline.

Secondary teacher teaching a CLIL science lesson
Created: Mon 3rd Nov 2025

Making curriculum content accessible to all

In today’s multilingual classrooms, teachers are constantly balancing between helping learners access the curriculum content whilst supporting the development of their English language skills. For those of us who teach EAL learners, the question isn’t what to teach, but how to make the curriculum accessible without diluting its richness and simplifying it too much.

Back to Blog

Supporting Intermediate EAL learners

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

The transition from EAL beginner to intermediate learner can take from one term to a year depending on the learner. 


More articles from our blog

students arriving at a school
Created: Tue 13th Aug 2024

August is the time to take that well-deserved break from school, colleagues, and learners, and to rest, have fun, and hopefully enjoy some much-needed sunshine. Without a doubt, summer is when many teachers around the world recharge their batteries before the craziness and delight of the new academic year start all over again.

EAL learner learning vocabulary with flashcards
Created: Fri 18th Apr 2025

There are many ways to use flashcards in the classroom. When introducing new vocabulary, they can be used by teachers to provide engaging visuals for learners to comprehend the meanings of new words, revise, and practise recall with games. In addition to this, learners can use flashcards independently to memorise, revise, and consolidate new language.

Musical notes
Created: Thu 5th Dec 2019

There are many similarities between music and language, in the way they are organised, processed and produced. Music therefore has enormous potential as a language-learning tool, and one that can be appealing to even the least engaged or confident learners.

Back to Blog

EAL assessment continuum

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Including a useful EAL Progress Review and links to different EAL assessment continua

When teaching EAL, assessment procedures need to be in place in order to have a concrete analysis of student starting points.

This area is a minefield! Without other references or expertise to hand, a new teacher often turns to an expert for help… Google! Results popping up on the first page of a search shows the Oxford placement tests on the first page, but are they the answer?


More articles from our blog

Speech bubble showing different languages
Created: Thu 9th Mar 2023

A growing number of international schools are demonstrating the importance and value of their students’ and teachers’ ‘first languages’ by celebrating International Mother Language Day. This annual event (held on 21st February each year) was celebrated at the start of this century by the UN Declaration. Simply put, the purpose of International Mother Language Day is to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

EAL learner learning vocabulary with flashcards
Created: Fri 18th Apr 2025

There are many ways to use flashcards in the classroom. When introducing new vocabulary, they can be used by teachers to provide engaging visuals for learners to comprehend the meanings of new words, revise, and practise recall with games. In addition to this, learners can use flashcards independently to memorise, revise, and consolidate new language.

Illustration Of Oak Tree with language map overlaid
Created: Tue 11th Jun 2024

English is a language which has developed over 15 hundred years and has adopted words from over 350 languages. As a result, English has a rich tapestry of vocabulary and spelling patterns which can confuse learners. Having a brief background knowledge of the historical influences on the English language can support our teaching to both first language learners and EAL learners, especially around decoding words when reading. 

Back to Blog

Differentiating learning

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Whilst reading a book on reclaiming childhood ('Their name is today' by Johann Christoph Arnold) the chapter on 'learning differences and how to cater for them' triggered thoughts on teaching differences. At the end of the October article it was mentioned that EAL teaching should be evaluated in a different way due to the very nature of the subject and I shall try to clarify why.


More articles from our blog

Smiling father guiding daughter during her homework session while sitting at table with laptop and books e engaging in educational activities in relaxed home environment
Created: Wed 28th Aug 2024

As a child progresses through education, the development of strong connections between their parents and teachers is vitally important (Drake, 2000). Effective home-school partnerships and parental involvement in children’s education have traditionally been a strong predictor of student academic achievement and - ultimately - success (Epstein, 2001). Therefore, understanding the powerful role of parents and the ways in which they can be an effective influence on their children is crucial in our effort to provide a truly supportive learning environment for students.

illustration of a brain with symbols for the five senses
Created: Mon 5th May 2025

Sensory needs (considering lighting, noise, textures, smells etc.) are now being seen as a central part of school design. It is widely recognised that overwhelming environments can block learning or trigger distress. Each learning environment presents its own opportunities and challenges to reducing sensory overload. Luckily, there are lots of small changes that can make a big difference to your learners!

Created: Mon 29th Jun 2015

Many of us have learnt to spell as a child without being specifically taught the sounds. In the past, the teaching of phonics was discouraged in schools, however, we learnt a lot through sounding out words independently. At a recent course on voice production, the importance of vowel sounds was emphasised as central to pronunciation. They were also emphasised as central to sounding out to help with spelling. Chunking (breaking up words into syllables) also helps to sound out and spell longer more challenging words.

Back to Blog

Bridging cultures and celebrating differences

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Last week I saw a film called 'Shadow in Baghdad', it was a film that pulled my heart strings. I was brought up in Manchester, both my parents spoke Arabic at home, both were from Baghdad. What struck me the most after I watched the film was how much I missed hearing that particular dialect of Arabic, the familiarity and warmth of the Middle Eastern people, the sense of security that came with it as well as a sense of longing and regret for a disappearing culture.


More articles from our blog

Learners doing roleplay
Created: Mon 9th Mar 2026

By contextualising language through role play, teachers can make English language classroom activities more meaningful and engaging. Introducing role play into your teaching programme offers opportunities for learners to learn key vocabulary and back-and-forth turn-taking techniques and apply them to a specific context relevant to their lives.

EAL learner learning vocabulary with flashcards
Created: Fri 18th Apr 2025

There are many ways to use flashcards in the classroom. When introducing new vocabulary, they can be used by teachers to provide engaging visuals for learners to comprehend the meanings of new words, revise, and practise recall with games. In addition to this, learners can use flashcards independently to memorise, revise, and consolidate new language.

Learners holding up their hands in class
Created: Mon 14th Oct 2024

It is difficult enough to teach a classroom of new students as a substitute teacher (or relief teacher as we call them in New Zealand), but when the class contains or is composed of English Language Learners and there has been no work set, it can make a relief lesson more of a challenge. 

Back to Blog

Valuing bilingualism

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

The language show this year in Olympia made me even more aware of the gift of having more than one language. One of the stand's motto was 'monolingualism can be cured', another 'Speak to the Future' (www.speaktothefuture.org) campaigns to promote the teaching of languages in schools in the UK. Since this September all children in primary schools will be taught a language as the government finally realised that, in a mobile world, a second language is essential for a country's economic development.


More articles from our blog

Created: Wed 24th Dec 2014

Last week I saw a film called 'Shadow in Baghdad', it was a film that pulled my heart strings. I was brought up in Manchester, both my parents spoke Arabic at home, both were from Baghdad. What struck me the most after I watched the film was how much I missed hearing that particular dialect of Arabic, the familiarity and warmth of the Middle Eastern people, the sense of security that came with it as well as a sense of longing and regret for a disappearing culture.

illustration of arms holding up multilingual phrases
Created: Wed 25th Oct 2023

你好 Привіт Merhaba Здравей Buna ziua ہیلو Cześć

How often do you hear these in the school playground? And actually, not just in the playground… Do you know which language they are from? Have a guess!

(Here is the answer: Mandarin, Ukrainian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Urdu, Polish)

Learning Village illustration
Created: Thu 4th Jun 2020

Effective assessment for learning (AfL) is ‘informed feedback to pupils about their work’ (Shaw, 1998). As Broadfoot et al (1999) discuss, there are five key ways in which we can enhance learning by assessment. These steps can be universally applied to all learning and all learners, and thus address the learning needs of EAL learners in physical and virtual classrooms. They are:

Back to Blog

Welcoming new EAL arrivals

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Cross Cultural Understanding for New to English Students – The First Steps (Part 2)


More articles from our blog

illustration of arms holding up multilingual phrases
Created: Wed 25th Oct 2023

你好 Привіт Merhaba Здравей Buna ziua ہیلو Cześć

How often do you hear these in the school playground? And actually, not just in the playground… Do you know which language they are from? Have a guess!

(Here is the answer: Mandarin, Ukrainian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Urdu, Polish)

Created: Mon 13th Nov 2023

Learners may have difficulties expressing their own ideas, thoughts and feelings.

Tip or Idea: Name the emotions. Use puppets, flashcards or simply hide and uncover your own face. Who can be first to name the emotion? Extend by giving a reason why e.g. He is happy because…

Learning Village resource: Feelings Snakes & Ladders game - land on a picture. Describe it and move forward 1 space! (I am happy when…/I am sad when…/I am shocked when…)

group of students clustered round a teacher
Created: Wed 6th Dec 2023

Moving to and joining a new school is daunting for any child. It is essential that schools have procedures in place to support new arrivals with this transition (discussed in detail in our article here). However, it is important to consider that their parents may also be experiencing a similar transition, without necessarily having a network of support. If support is not provided, there is the potential for parents to struggle to access education, find employment and be part of the school or wider community.

Back to Blog

Do you have a large number of EAL learners aged 3-4?

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

As a Head of Early Years in an international school following the EYFS and IPC curriculums it has always been important to ensure that the teaching of the English language is done in the classroom without the help of specialist EAL support. Early years teachers are great physical, visual talkers!

One of the key principles of teaching in the Early Years is that bilingualism has an advantage and that as the first language it has a continuing and significant role in identity, learning and the acquisition of additional languages.


More articles from our blog

EAL children in school
Created: Mon 3rd Jun 2019

The Sentence Analyser was piloted by the children and staff in the EAL Hub at Lea Forest Academy in the autumn term of 2018. Over the following two terms, the children and staff used it in a variety of ways to support a widening of the children's vocabulary. The EAL Hub children's morphology skills were tracked, alongside a control group.

What did the data show? What did the staff think? Was the resource beneficial enough to become embedded? Let's find out!

EAL learners in a small group
Created: Wed 6th Dec 2023

Small-group teaching is an approach in which learners are divided into small groups of roughly 4-8 students and work together supported by a teacher. It is a highly effective way to improve learning outcomes, particularly for EAL learners.

Small-group teaching can be focused on an induction to English, gap-filling areas of challenge or need, or pre-teaching content in the curriculum. 

Created: Mon 16th Jun 2025

You may be able to recall a lesson where learners were fully engaged and motivated. These teaching experiences are deeply rewarding for educators and essentially one of the reasons why we enjoy our jobs as teachers. However, realistically, teachers often face the reality of being unable to reach some students until they present lesson input slightly differently.

Back to Blog

Pages