Subject Literacy in Culturally Diverse Secondary Schools: Supporting EAL Learners

by Esther Daborn, Sally Zacharias, Hazel Crichton

Overview

This book supports teachers of all subject specialisms to consolidate their existing knowledge of language and shows them how to develop skills to use language to build subject knowledge at secondary level. Tasks guide the reader to think about the language we use for different purposes, and how we use it to describe, explain and learn about our world. This paves an accessible way for subject-related language to become more visible and enables readers to use accessible terminology to confidently talk about it, as well as modelling it and guiding the development of its use with all learners, including those with English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Starting from basic educational principles, the book asks readers to consider the processes of learning and why every good teacher needs knowledge about language to support this, addressing a range of questions including:
Who are the EAL learners?
What are the processes of language development?
How is language used to present and discuss knowledge in my subject?
Why does every good teacher need knowledge about language to support subject literacy?

The authors provide examples, discovery tasks, reflections and templates for activities, to help the reader identify the tools they need to set up a framework for scaffolding pupils' language development. With a progression plan, directed tasks, and formative feedback, this framework provides a template for classroom practice and further professional development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350073944
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/09/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Esther Daborn is Lecturer in Educational Linguistics and teacher education in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, UK. She has taught English as a first and as a second language in mainstream classrooms in the UK and East Africa. She has extensive experience of working with international students preparing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) to study at university and has prepared and delivered a number of in-service teacher's courses.

Sally Zacharias is Associate Teaching Fellow in TESOL and teacher education in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, UK. She has taught English as a second language in the UK, Germany and France and is a trained science teacher (Content and Language Integrated Learning specialism).

Hazel Crichton is Lecturer in Modern Languages Education in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, UK. She taught French, German and Spanish in UK secondary schools for 30 years.
Sally Zacharias is Associate Teaching Fellow in TESOL in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, UK. She has taught English as a second language in the UK, Germany and France and is a trained science teacher (Content and Language Integrated Learning specialism).
Hazel Crichton is Lecturer in Modern Languages Education in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, UK. She taught French, German and Spanish in UK secondary schools for 30 years.

Table of Contents

Preface: Who is the book for and what does it cover?
Glossary of Terms
1. Why does every good teacher need knowledge about language to support subject literacy?
2. What is it like to be an EAL learner?
3. How is language used to present and discuss knowledge in my subject?
4. How can I support EAL learners to engage with new knowledge in challenging texts?
5. What are the key principles for adapting pedagogical tasks and tests to suit the EAL learner?
6. What constitutes 'useful feedback' to support EAL learner literacy development?
7. How can I monitor progress and plan progression in subject literacy?
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

A timely contribution to our understanding of how subject teachers can promote subject literacy and improve outcomes for EAL learners. It is written in clear, non-technical language with practical advice and detailed examples that demonstrate language aware strategies, tasks, and feedback across subject specialisations.” —Classroom Discourse

“A much-needed volume that provides a coherent conceptual framework for extending the teaching of grammar and literacy into the secondary school context. It provides subject teachers, and those delivering ITE and CPD programmes with excellent examples of how teachers can make explicit language used to express knowledge in their particular subjects.” —Urszula Clark, Professor of English and Linguistics, Aston University, UK

“This book is long overdue and fills a gap in understanding how to develop non-native speaker (and native speaker) learners' academic English in the secondary classroom. The strategies will be invaluable for teachers of all subjects in the secondary as well as for teacher educators, working with secondary student teachers.” —Danièle Flament-Boistrancourt, Emeritus Professor, Université Paris-Nanterre, France

“The authors have identified and filled a gap, in providing research-based practice and guidance to secondary colleagues, with a subject specialist focus. Throughout, they weave in additional references and links to resources to further support teachers, offering scope for further development of their pedagogical approaches. It has incorporated andragogical approaches from work-based learning, which can support departmental and whole school improvement for EAL learners.” —EAL

From the Publisher