[eal-bilingual] Opening a discussion

From: Alison Mott <ash-mott at tiscali.co.uk>

You're probably right, Ann, it's just, as I'm sure you find too, that it
would be nice to have a clear idea and a bit of consistency for a while!

Alison

-----Original Message-----
From: eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ann
Horton
Sent: 29 April 2008 20:02
To: For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic and
linguisticminorities
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

________________________________________________________________________
____________
Be a better friend, newshound, and 
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ