[eal-bilingual] Opening a discussion

Joining in the discussion Alison started, as a comparatively new EAL

Couldn't agree with you more Ann-I'm in same position!
Jill
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ann Horton" <aehorton123 at yahoo.com>
To: "For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic and 
linguisticminorities" <eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 8:02 PM
Subject: Re: [eal-bilingual] Opening a discussion


> Joining in the discussion Alison started, as a comparatively new EAL 
> coordinator, I'd just like to say that I've already discovered that there 
> aren't enough hours (or people!) to do all that I would like to do for the 
> whole range of EAL pupils. I think that there is no hard and fast rule, 
> because priorities constantly change, as do staff and their attitudes to 
> EAL issues. It sounds like you've done an amazing job, Alison, in your 9 
> years. I've no magic answer to your dilemma - you can only prioritise what 
> seems best to you at the time, I think.
>
> Ann
>
>
> --- On Mon, 4/28/08, Alison Mott <ash-mott at tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> From: Alison Mott <ash-mott at tiscali.co.uk>
>> Subject: [eal-bilingual] Opening a discussion
>> To: "'For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic 
>> andlinguistic minorities'" <eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
>> Date: Monday, April 28, 2008, 10:48 PM
>> I wonder if I could open a discussion on the way EMASS staff
>> work across
>> the country?  It sort of follows on from previous threads
>> on partnership
>> teaching and job descriptions.
>>
>> My question is this, what's the current, generally
>> accepted view on how
>> a school based EMASS specialist should work?  Which way of
>> working would
>> have the most impact for EAL pupils across the school?
>> Should I be
>> working with groups of children or should I focus all my
>> energies on
>> peer coaching and training mainstream staff to support the
>> EAL pupils in
>> their classes?  Or should it be a balance between the two?
>> I've been a
>> school based coordinator for almost 9 years now and have
>> worked in a
>> variety of ways which have shifted to such an extent that
>> I'm no longer
>> sure of what's best, what's the most valid use of
>> my time.
>>
>> Originally I worked almost solely supporting new arrivals,
>> promoting
>> collaborative and speaking and listening activities, doing
>> some
>> partnership teaching with those mainstream teachers who
>> were comfortable
>> with it, working more like a 'good TA' with those
>> who weren't.  I
>> volunteered to take on planning for literacy and for whole
>> curriculum
>> areas, figuring that the best way to encourage busy
>> teachers to provide
>> for EAL learners and include multicultural elements to
>> their lessons was
>> to hand over lesson plans ready made.  I've made
>> resources till they
>> come out my ears and some are well used and still in the
>> planning, and
>> some were dropped the next time a new teacher came into
>> school and
>> planned something new.  I've lead training - for
>> mainstream teachers and
>> TAs, at staff meetings and dedicated sessions in and out of
>> school.  My
>> emphasis has shifted away from new arrivals, who are now
>> more or less
>> left to fend for themselves or, where lucky, to muddle
>> along with the
>> special needs group, whilst I work with advanced bilingual
>> learners.
>> Who have justified language needs too, of course, but who,
>> let's face
>> it, are judged more likely to achieve a better result for
>> the school.
>>
>> It's not a case of not feeling appreciated - for the
>> most part I DO feel
>> useful and appreciated, by the children and by the staff I
>> work
>> alongside, (and if I didn't, I'd give up tomorrow).
>>  It's about focus.
>> I'm part time, my small and dwindling team are part
>> time, and I'd be
>> interested to hear how other professionals in a similar
>> situation use
>> their time in school to best effect for ALL the EAL pupils
>> who come
>> under their care.
>>
>> Alison
>
>
> 
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