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Professional Development
EAL/D Learners
Amy Freeman

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What is an EAL learner?

EAL = English as an Additional Language

any language learned subsequent to learners mother

tongue (Emmitt, Zbaracki, Pollock, & Komesaroff,
2010, p.210)

all EAL learners regardless of age have already

acquired at least one language

difference between ESL and EAL

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Socio-cultural knowledge
Why is this important?

educators must become familiar with background of

students

create an inclusive environment

students must feel safe and supported

sharing knowledge and experiences

questioning techniques to

gain information

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Socio-cultural knowledge
What must educators know?

possible trauma

student motivation

differing value of sharing

thoughts/feelings

different cultures ways of

interacting

eye contact

body language

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Learning a first language
Theories

Behaviouristic learning theory

Constructivist

Cognitivist view of language

learning

Function/Usage Based

Socio-pragmatic

Nativist

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Learning a first language
Language as interaction

first articulation infants cry

3 months produce vowels

progression to babbling

8-9 months important learning occurring

12 months first words

12-18 months vocabulary of 50 words

3 years old vocabulary of 3000-5000

words

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Learning a first language
Cambournes Conditions for Oral Language
Development

Immersion

Demonstration

Use

Feedback

Responsibility

Approximation

Expectation

Engagement

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Learning a second language
Second Language Learners must learn:

new vocabulary

new rules

organisation of the sound system

written code

new script/alphabet

context variation

understanding/expressing meanings

Learning a second language

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Factors affecting second language learning

Social Context

has an effect upon

Attitudes

which is shown as

Motivation

with other aspects coming into play such as

Age, personality, capability, prior knowledge

which affects the use the learner makes of the available

Learning opportunities

which combines with situation to determine

Linguistic and non-linguistic outcomes for the learner

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Learning a second language
Cognitive and affective factors

Cognitive Factors

intelligence

language aptitude

language learning

Affective Factors

attitudes

purpose

simultaneous language
acquisition

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Learning a second language
How do L2 learners learn a second language?

process underlying first and second language

acquisition very similar

teacher attitudes create supportive environment

links to other areas

authentic opportunities for

language use

peer interaction

collaborative learning

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Learning a second language
First Language Maintenance

all teachers should encourage EAL/D learners to use

their first language

fundamental for continuation and progression of

students personal and cultural identities and family
bonds

bilingual teaching assistant/peer

+Differences between L1 and L2

learners

L2 learners have already learnt another language

L2 learners pre-existing knowledge of language may

clash with new information

L1 learners often have more opportunity for one-on-one

engagement

L2 learners learning in other curriculum areas in second

language

L1 learners in stress-free environment

+Differences between L1 and L2

learners
L2 learners need more:

repetition and practice

interaction

explicit instruction

demonstration/modeling

time to absorb rhythms and

patterns

planned language development

opportunity to share anxieties

structure

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Activity Example #1
Cinema Schedule
Function: Students will ask open and closed questions to complete
the cinema sessions schedule.

+Activity Example #1
Cinema Schedule
Structures:
What time is [Zootopia] on at?
Is Kung Fu Panda on after [Zootopia]?
What movie is the last to finish?
What movies are on before [The Good Dinosaur]?
Does [Inside Out] finish before [Kung Fu Panda] does?

Task outline:
Student A will have a copy of the cinema sessions schedule with 5-10
pieces of information missing (depending on year level and ability).
Student B will also have a copy of the cinema sessions schedule with 510 different pieces of information missing to Student A (depending on
year level and ability).
Student A and B will have to ask each other open and closed questions to
fill in the missing information on their schedule.
To ensure that students are not constantly using closed questions,
students will have to roll the dice which has closed/open written on it and
they must use whichever they roll.
Students will take turns doing this until their schedules are both
complete.

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Object Assembly
Function: Students will give clear instructions using language
features such as verbs, adjectives etc.

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Activity Example #2
Object Assembly
Structures:
The [yellow] piece should go on top of the [red] piece.
Put the [blue] piece on the bottom first.
Does the [red] piece go on top or below this?
Can you please repeat that instruction?

Task outline:
Student A will have a photograph of a construction while Student B will
just have the materials necessary (difficulty varies depending on year
level).
Student A will provide instructions to Student B on how to assemble
the image shown.
Student A will have to use language features to give a clear indication
eg. adjectives, verbs etc.
Student B will have to ask clarifying questions to ensure they are on
the right track.
Continues this way until the object is fully assembled correctly
matching the photograph provided to Student A.

Thank you for