- Welcoming LEALs to schools
- Reception and orientation
- Initial assessments
- Creating an inclusive learning environment
- Environmental supports and Teaching Guidelines
Welcoming LEALs to Schools
Having students and other members from the community create welcome signs for the arrival of a LEAL to a school is a great first step to making them feel welcome. Intentionally preparing for the student in this way will also help alleviate worries of their parents that the school is ready to receive and teach their children.
It is also a good idea to designate one student to be the new LEALs 'guide' for their first day. It is best to chose a student who is friendly and approachable and not shy, so they will not be afraid to introduce the LEAL to their peers and various administrators and teachers in the school. This student can take the LEAL on a tour of the school and help introduce them to different areas and people in the school.
Another good idea is to create class photographs and biographies. Before the LEAL arrives to your classroom, photograph every student in your class and encourage each student to write a mini biography to go with their photo about information they want their new friend to know about them.
Initial Assessments
The ministry has a new STEP assessment tool for the first formal assessment of LEALs available at:
http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesELL/Assessment/STEP/ STEPGuideJan2011.pdf
These formal assessment often intimidate LEAL students who are often dealing with a lot of stress, so it is recommended that as a teacher you start your assessment using information assessment language strategies. These might include:
Creating an Inclusive Environment
There are several simple alterations/additions mainstream teachers can make to create a more inclusive learning environment for their LEAL students. These alterations/additions to your teaching practice can help to communicate a positive attitude toward linguistic diversity to your LEALs and help dispel "otherness" to the others students in your classroom. Some of these alteration or additions include:
Environmental Supports and Teaching Practice Guidelines
Teaching Practice Guidelines
It is also a good idea to designate one student to be the new LEALs 'guide' for their first day. It is best to chose a student who is friendly and approachable and not shy, so they will not be afraid to introduce the LEAL to their peers and various administrators and teachers in the school. This student can take the LEAL on a tour of the school and help introduce them to different areas and people in the school.
Another good idea is to create class photographs and biographies. Before the LEAL arrives to your classroom, photograph every student in your class and encourage each student to write a mini biography to go with their photo about information they want their new friend to know about them.
Initial Assessments
The ministry has a new STEP assessment tool for the first formal assessment of LEALs available at:
http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesELL/Assessment/STEP/ STEPGuideJan2011.pdf
These formal assessment often intimidate LEAL students who are often dealing with a lot of stress, so it is recommended that as a teacher you start your assessment using information assessment language strategies. These might include:
- anecdotal notes made from observations
- individual interviews about likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies
- carefully structured reading and writing tasks
- have students describe their favourite teacher from their formal school
- have students describe a holiday that they celebrate in their country
Creating an Inclusive Environment
There are several simple alterations/additions mainstream teachers can make to create a more inclusive learning environment for their LEAL students. These alterations/additions to your teaching practice can help to communicate a positive attitude toward linguistic diversity to your LEALs and help dispel "otherness" to the others students in your classroom. Some of these alteration or additions include:
- incorporating materials in languages other than English - this can be as simple as including signs and labels around the classroom in a different language
- learn simple expressions in students' languages
- perhaps even start and/or end you day with a "hello"/"goodbye" phrase from a different language each week throughout the course of the school year
- encourage students to learn words and phrases in one another's languages
- play music from various countries during work periods
- provide multilingual reading material
- involve the parents in their student's education in any and every way possible
- on top of the basic information given to parents at the beginning of the school year, start by creating a one page information sheet that you can give to parents. This information page should include details about a typical school day, the Principal's name and school contact information, your name and contact information, resettlement services or heritage language programs in the region
- You can also direct them to further information. For example, the Canadian government has information available for A Newcomer's Introduction to Canada available at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/newcomer.pdf
Environmental Supports and Teaching Practice Guidelines
Teaching Practice Guidelines
- give clear, explicit instructions - number an label the steps in an activity. Reinforce oral instructions with a written outline for students who cannot process oral instruction quickly enough to understand fully
- speak naturally, but pause briefly in between phrases - this gives LEALs time to process oral language in smaller chunks, while recognizing how it is actually spoken
- simplify vocabulary - choose simple, straightforward words that are in everyday use whenever possible (i.e. direct students to 'learn the new words' instead of 'review the new vocabulary'
- recycle new words - reintroduce words as they come up in different contexts
- use as many non-verbal cues as possible - gestures, facial expressions, and mime can help LEALs grasp the meaning of what you're saying.
- provide notes to LEALs that highlight key ideas and new words - pick a board or post a piece of chart paper to use as an ongoing reference, along with a student summary sheet so they can refer to it when studying at home
- allow sufficient response time when interacting orally with LEAL students - LEAL students new to English need time to think in their first language, and compose a response in English
- check often for comprehension - ask them to 'retell' you instructions you have given, or to 'reexplain' instructions or a concept in a different way
- make frequent use of a variety of concrete and visual supports
- have students create a person visual dictionary for each of their classes, or when starting a new unit. The dictionary could be presented in chart form with the headings: 'word', 'English definition', 'definition in first language', 'picture definition/explanation'
- another similar idea is to have student create semantic maps for new words. Visit this document for information about semantic maps as well as useful blackline master sheets!
More information for teachers related specifically to the assessment and evaluation of LEALs can be found on the 'Assessment and Evaluation' page.
More information related to the importance of parental involvement for LEALs, along with what a mainstream classroom teacher can do to support the parents of a LEAL can be found on the 'Professional Resources' page.
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