My name is Dorothy (or Ms Dora, as the students call me) and I am an EAL teacher for KG2 and G1 levels at the ABIS school. I would like to express here some ideas about why the EAL program is so important for our school.
EAL is provided to help students whose first language is not English. This is to enable them to be successful in the academic programme of the grade level classroom where English is the language of instruction. When students feel supported – and when they are helped to understand and use the language of their curriculum – they are more likely to achieve at the expected level (or above). This is good for the individual, but also for the overall attainment levels of the school. EAL students who have had appropriate support often outperform monolingual students in school, due to their perseverance and higher-level abstract thinking skills that come from speaking more than one language. A consequence of feeling supported and being properly included in lessons is higher self-esteem for the student.Although this is an obvious point, there might be much more to learning a language than we realize. As well as acquiring vocabulary, picking up pronunciation, and understanding grammar, students also need to be able to learn through the language. This requires them to comprehend the language well enough that they can grasp new, complex concepts expressed through it. Then, they must be able to ask questions, analyze ideas, and use academic language (such as the passive tense and formal vocabulary). This can be extremely difficult for those whose grasp on a language is not yet very firm. When students feel frustrated or embarrassed that they cannot understand or be understood, it may lead to them acting out in class. They might disengage, misbehave, or simply refuse to do any work. This can have a huge effect on their ability to learn.
Therefore, the joint effort of teachers, specialists and parents is crucial for the students’ sense of achievement and self esteem and we all should strive to provide our students and children with all the possible support they need.