The EAL Academy is one of the leading providers in the UK and internationally of courses, training, and consultancy for teachers’ working with English as an additional language (EAL) learners. They are also often to referred to as multilingual learners (MLLs).
In an educational context, the term ‘EAL learner’ can be broadly defined as a student or pupil for whom English is an additional language to their native language, and for whom support is required to assist them in becoming proficient in English and enabling them to thrive in an English-speaking environment. As the needs of these EAL learners can be very diverse, the EAL Academy offers a range of approaches to assist teachers and schools in meeting the needs of their EAL learners.
Perhaps the most popular of the EAL Academy’s offerings are the short 12-15 hour online EAL courses for teachers working with EAL learners. These interactive and tutored courses are suitable for subject and class teachers as well as those taking the lead in EAL in their school. They are based on the needs and experiences of teachers working with EAL learners and relate directly to the everyday situations teachers encounter.
These short online courses cover a range of topics:
EAL beginners in the mainstream classroom addresses the full range of beginners in English from those with no prior schooling to those with strong literacy skills in their mother tongue and offers teachers a blueprint for integrating these EAL learners into the classroom.
The course – EAL and SEND: cracking the conundrum–assists teachers in distinguishing between those learners with language needs from those with special educational needs, offering teachers appropriate assessment procedures and guidance on provision for those where there may be an overlap.
The course, Early years and diversity,focusses on how teachers can best develop the English of multilingual learners in the early years of schooling to reflect the diversity of the communities from which they come.
There are courses which focus more on the teacher and the role played within the school. Perhaps one of the most popular courses is aimed at teaching assistants who are often tasked with more responsibility for the EAL learners in a classroom. The course aims to give them the skills and knowledge needed to support those new to English.There is a course specifically for primary teachers, one for secondary teachers, and for science teachers.
The EAL Academy also offers a 6-month extended online course – Supporting the learning of pupils with EAL in multicultural settings. This course is aimed at teachers who want a more in-depth approach or wish to take the lead in EAL within their school. This course gives teachers access to a breadth of resources not easily available elsewhere. The course is tutored and interactive, giving the participants the chance to learn from a real-life peer group, sharing knowledge and experiences collaboratively.
In some situations, it may be more appropriate for the EAL Academy to offer in-house support or consultancy, or in-house training for the school as a whole. This approach has worked particularly well for international schools with a diverse and multicultural student population. The training is planned in collaboration with the EAL lead, the headteacher, or the school as a whole, and will concentrate on the specific areas of need within the school. In some cases, with direct support from the EAL Academy, the school will adapt the EAL Academy’s online courses, tailoring them to for their teachers, and targeting the content to the specific needs of their learners and situation. The EAL Academy has some case studies and examples of where this has been superbly successful.
The jewel in the EAL Academy’s crown is its Quality Mark award. Many schools are already effective in meeting the needs of their EAL learners but know that there is also room for improvement. The Academy works with such schools to assess the work they are currently doing for their EAL learners and advise on areas where there is room for improvement. The schools undergoing this EAL award always report that it has been highly beneficial for the pupils and the school as a whole. In fact, many of the schools undergoing the Quality Mark are very happy and proud to share their experience with others. The EAL Academy runs termly webinars, bringing these teachers into the webinar to talk about their experiences in front of an audience of classroom teachers, EAL leads, headteachers, and more. These webinars are hugely incentivising and very popular.
Such a programme as the EAL Academy delivers can only be achieved with a team of truly highflyers! These consultants, trainers,and serving teachers have collectively trained and worked in classrooms with thousands of teachers in hundreds of schools in over 30 countries across four continents. Individually, each team member draws on extensive experience, works with academic rigour, and is driven by compassion.
Underpinning all of the EAL Academy’s training and consultancy is the belief – tried and tested – that EAL learners do best when they are included in the mainstream classroom rather than set aside to work on separate activities. Best practice is at the root of the EAL Academy’s approach and what is good for an EAL learner is good for all learners and the whole school benefits.
