Intensive English programmes – what to include?

By Pete on July 6, 2023 • ( 1 )

In my last post about intensive English programmes at international schools, I highlighted the importance of integrated (rather than segregated) provision. Think of the social/academic language the learners would develop from being immersed in the mainstream environment. The rich input they’d encounter, the confidence they’d build, the friendships they’d build, and the message that integration would send out to the school community as a whole…

However, this isn’t a case of plonking EAL learners into the mainstream, providing ‘a bit more support’, and assuming they’ll ‘catch up’ (I hate hearing that deficitty phrase). We really have to give more thought to the type of content, skills, and knowledge learners need in order to thrive (not just survive) within the mainstream and within the school community.

Yes, an intensive programme is likely to include some additional language classes beyond mainstream provision. Those additional classes (led by EAL specialists) may provide extra support to develop academic language, to consolidate content taught in the mainstream, and so on. Sometimes, they may follow a structural syllabus – and there may be constraints there.

Could we do more? Could we go beyond content and support learners in integrating as academics and as community members? If so, how?

Language functions

Spend a short time shadowing new EAL learners around the school, and their real (immediate) needs become clear. Some general examples:

How do I navigate basic small talk with teachers and peers?
How do I recognise essential information during the daily notices in tutor time?
How can I ask teachers for clarification when I don’t understand?
How can I get to grips with all these new processes, and how can I ask for support?

These are tasks, and learners may benefit from rehearsing them. The tasks don’t stop at ‘basic survival language’ either – learners need a much broader range of functional ‘plays’ from very early on.

A structural, say, grammar-based syllabus, wouldn’t necessarily help learners perform the specific functions required of them during the early stages of ‘mainstream integration’. Sure, that approach provides some kind of measurable data for teachers and parents that suggests learners are progressing in some linear way, but is that what they actually need at that point? I’d be more inclined to create tasks for an intensive programme that mirror ‘the day-to-day’ and help learners prepare for that, rather than making sure they have command of a few grammar points.

Developing the learners’ task knowledge related to the curriculum

In order to integrate into the mainstream, learners need to become familiar with the academic tasks (not just language) they may be asked to perform. Examples:

How can I understand written feedback and from teachers and devise my ‘next steps’?
How can I explain my thinking (in English eventually)?
How do I get started with speaking tasks?
I’ve never done a ranking task like this – do I draw on opinion, fact, both? Is there a right answer?

We can’t just assume (especially if learners are coming from different models of education) that as long as learners can comprehend the language of the task, they will be able to perform it.

For me, a good intensive programme should help learners develop task knowledge too. Specifically, becoming familiar with the type of tasks they will be asked to undertake in mainstream classes, and/or in assessments (although this depends on stage of schooling).

Again, co-planning and collaboration between subject and language specialists is key here. Subject teachers need to be clear about the academic language that learners will need, but also how they will be expected to use it and/or demonstrate understanding, and that may differ across subjects. If subject teachers don’t have the time to train their learners task-knowledge wise, then EAL specialists could meet that need during intensives.

Learner training

The development of task knowledge is one example of learner training. There are other examples:

How can I make best use of the multilingual tools at my disposal?
How should I keep a record of new language in each subject?
How can I take effective notes during video tasks, or make useful annotations in reading texts?

Again, there can be an assumption that language is the main ‘barrier’ for learners. In reality, (all) learners may also need training to help them approach the learning. For me, an intensive programme could be just as much about giving learners the tools and strategies to succeed, not only the language. That would include teaching metacognitive strategies for language learning, although I didn’t hear these mentioned much in my last context (even, say, under the guise of ‘study skills’).

Bearing in mind, I’m talking about strategies for every learner here, not just EAL learners. If subject teachers don’t have time to provide this input to all, then the input we could provide during an intensive programme is all the more important – our EAL learners may share these strategies with their peers.

________

Anyway, these are just general thoughts on the aspects of provision that could be offered on these intensive programmes – beyond ‘just’ subject content and language. I haven’t delved into the academic content that might be covered, but IMO it’s worth stressing that there’s more to mainstream integration that just accessing language.

How have you approached creating an intensive English programme? What content and skills were included? If you haven’t had experience of doing this, how would you go about it?

Image by Adrian from Pixabay