[eal-bilingual] Opening a discussion

This does seem a good discussion to open [again] as we probably are all having it everyday already, either with ourselves or with our dwindling teams. You don't say whether you are Primary or secondary, though I am sure that the issue of never enough time or staff is similar in either context.
  The reason I ask is because I do think the Primary colleagues generally find it easier to get involved in joint planning, whereas we secondary EAL teachers are always whingeing that subject teachers never make/find time to plan with us. 
  In my school we've had quite a big debate in the last year about the 'role of the additional adult' This is because we have a lot of very good Teaching Assistants and LSAs who are mostly graduates, some bilingual and we needed to think about what is it that an EAL [or SEN] teacher does that is more than what they can do.
  It sounds as if you have been doing a huge amount in the last 9 years and have come to a similar conclusion to me. I still feel that the only things that have really had impact in 6 years as a Head of EMA are as follows:

   Planning with one or preferably more, mainstream subject teachers, ideally resourcing a new scheme of work. [look out for new opportunites coming up with new Nat Curric changes @KS3]  
   Academic mentoring and tutoring, either with well educated EAL late arrivals with, or the more usual C/D border line, born here, bilinguals.  
   Pastoral and induction work with newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers, to get them settled into school and ready to learn [rather than disrupting everyone else] this includes catch up programmes and short- term curriculum orientation programmes that mirror the mainstream.   
   Training mainstream teachers- only if there is good, solid management support and then monitoring; a clear focus in the school dev plan, proper resourcing etc. Otherwise you do loads of work, and it all peters out because the management don't know what you are talking about or what improvements they are looking for. 
  Like you, I am increasing sceptical of the efficacy of  'at elbow'  in -class support. Just about anyone can do that. Half the time I am in a classroom I don't feel I need to be there. EAL beginners are so common place in my school that most teachers can handle it and the kids muddle through pretty well. We do need to find more inventive ways to use our linguistic expertise.

  One final comment you made also struck a chord...[ and another debate we haven't had for a long time] How often do we pass EAL children on to the SEN team? Does anyone have good experience of joint working? I still often battle to get them to accept that my professional judegement that a child is not making expected progress and needs to be properly assessed and supported by SEN too. 

  Catharine

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