During this unit I attended a primary school to work with some children that are learning English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD). I worked with two children, Z and B. After talking to their teacher I found out that Z had been at the school for the semester and did not respond to any English or try to communicate in English at all. This was slightly worrying as I was unsure how I was going to connect with her. B, on the other hand, had a good grasp on the English language. However, he did have some issues with pronunciation of English words, making him harder to understand. I feel as though if I had known some things about the children before attending the school (as I was given no background information on the children and had
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Hatch (2003) suggests that children initially learn English words and greetings by imitating their teachers and peers, but do not fully understand what they mean. This is apparent as Z may have learnt to use, or at least was able to mirror, the sign language used by her peers to say good morning without understanding the English meaning. Tabors (2008) states that there is usually a common developmental sequence for children learning English as a second language. It begins with the child trying to use their home language to communicate with other people that are speaking English. When they discover this does not work the child will usually enter a non-verbal period. After my experience working with the children on the first visit, I …show more content…
For example, a child may be in the developing or consolidating phase for speaking, but in the emerging phase for writing (ACARA, 2011). My understanding of this would allow me to assess the children on each individual area of language learning and plan for appropriate teaching based on each phase, rather than assuming the child is for example, in the developing phase in all areas. It is also important for teachers to develop both the basic interpersonal communication skills, and the academic language proficiency skills of
Hatch (2003) suggests that children initially learn English words and greetings by imitating their teachers and peers, but do not fully understand what they mean. This is apparent as Z may have learnt to use, or at least was able to mirror, the sign language used by her peers to say good morning without understanding the English meaning. Tabors (2008) states that there is usually a common developmental sequence for children learning English as a second language. It begins with the child trying to use their home language to communicate with other people that are speaking English. When they discover this does not work the child will usually enter a non-verbal period. After my experience working with the children on the first visit, I …show more content…
For example, a child may be in the developing or consolidating phase for speaking, but in the emerging phase for writing (ACARA, 2011). My understanding of this would allow me to assess the children on each individual area of language learning and plan for appropriate teaching based on each phase, rather than assuming the child is for example, in the developing phase in all areas. It is also important for teachers to develop both the basic interpersonal communication skills, and the academic language proficiency skills of