We’ve introduced the Bell Assessment Framework to monitor the progress of our EAL learners. Here are some early reflections on the framework and tracking tool, including some challenges arising from its implementation. Why Bell? Adri Szlapak and I are working… Read More ›
Professional development courses in EAL seem few and far between to me. That’s why I jumped at the chance to take this month-long EAL Coordinator course offered through the Bell Foundation – one of the go-to organizations for EAL CPD…. Read More ›
Informal drop-in observations are the way forward. Well, they’re the norm in many places. But where they’re not, they should be. Why invest all that time in recruitment, have teachers go through round after round of interview, sometimes do demo… Read More ›
My year as a freelance writer is over. I’m really looking forward to a return to the classroom next month. Here’s what I’ve been up to since last August, and a bit about what’s happening next. Freelancing I finished my… Read More ›
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… Read More ›
Some half-thoughts on Intensive English Programmes at international schools. Feel free to comment and share your experiences. Intensive English Programmes have become a big thing at international schools in my region. As part of my recent job hunt, I researched… Read More ›
I’ve been writing a bit about disciplinary literacy this week. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s *basically* how people communicate, share knowledge, etc within a particular discipline. For the purposes of teaching EAL, think about how we teach… Read More ›
Comics Uniting Nations aims to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals more accessible through comics. You can learn more about the partnership and its collaborators on their website. It looks like the project is inactive these days, but the site… Read More ›
I’ve been writing a module on gender equality recently. As part of the research, I’ve read (chunks of) the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2022: You can view/download the report here. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t come across… Read More ›
What does ‘EAL support’ look like in (or alongside) mainstream English lessons. Here’s an example of some support I provide to help with literature. It was with a Year 7 class (all learners on the EAL register). They were studying… Read More ›
ELT Planning 