Speaker: Dr Jean Conteh (University of Leeds) - Title: A niche interest? Making spaces for EAL in research, policy and practice
The acronym EAL (English as an additional language) is widely used in educational discourses in England.
A Graduate School of Education seminar
Speaker(s)
Dr Jean Conteh (University of Leeds)
Date
15 October 2013
Time
13:00
Place
Baring Court 114
There is a growing body of - mostly small-scale - research into issues related to the experiences of EAL learners. A Google search for EAL training yields page after page of offerings from freelance consultants, local authorities, companies and so on. EAL is frequently mentioned in national policy documentation. Yet, there is still very little clarity among education professionals about what EAL precisely is, who actually comes into the category of an EAL learner and what EAL practice is really about. Bilingual learners are still commonly regarded among practitioners as having problems (Safford and Drury, 2013) and NQTs consistently, year by year, rate EAL as one of the least effective elements of their initial training, and meeting the needs of EAL learners as one of their greatest anxieties. In the seminar, I will trace the history of EAL in research, policy and practice in England and raise some issues for the future.