David Mallows, a language teacher and teacher educator at the Institute of Education, University of London, has edited a collection of academic essays by experts on English language teaching for migrants and refugees. Here, he explains some of its insights.
The UK has a long history of inward migration. For those who arrive on our shores seeking a better life, learning the dominant language is of primary concern. For children, it is the key to social and academic success at school; for adults, language proficiency opens doors to social acceptance, economic security and cultural understanding.
In English schools, children who speak languages other than English are increasing in number year-on-year. There are currently a million 5 to 16-year-olds in English schools who are bilingual or multilingual. The 2012 annual schools census shows that such learners now represent 17.5 per cent of all pupils in English primary schools and 12.9 per cent of all pupils in English secondary schools. In urban areas, this rises – more than 300 languages are currently spoken in London schools. More than half the children in inner London schools are now thought to speak a language other than English at home.
The teaching of English to migrants and refugees falls into two areas, each with its own distinct professional identity and, of course, its own acronym. Work with young people in school settings is generally referred to as English as an Additional Language (EAL), whereas with adults it is known as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). In Innovations in English language teaching for migrants and refugees, experienced teachers working with all age ranges of migrants and refugees reflect on working with and teaching this diverse group of adults and children.
Migrants and refugees come from very different geographical areas, and have left their home countries for very different reasons. They may have come to the UK to join a spouse, to seek job opportunities or to flee violence and persecution. They will have had very different experiences of education: some will have had no formal schooling, and others will have studied to a high level and hold relevant academic and professional qualifications. Some will join settled communities, while others will be living in isolation.
The linguistic diversity apparent in the UK is a valuable economic and social resource. Supporting children in developing their language, and particularly literacy skills in their home languages, plays a key role in their success at school – and for adult learners it is equally important. The authors of the chapters in the book describe various ways in which the languages and other knowledge that learners arrive in the classroom with can be harnessed to increase the confidence, knowledge and understanding of learners.
Many readers will likely come to this volume from the field of English language teaching (ELT). Some will consider themselves as teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), working in countries where English is not the home language of the majority of the population. The work of ELT as described by the writers of the chapters is necessarily distinct from that carried out in EFL classrooms in much of the world. It is more heavily context-dependent, and more implicated in the social and economic realities of the host country. It is also primarily public sector-funded, and is thus integrated with and influenced by other related education services and wider government agendas.
Readers may expect to find more in the chapters that distinguishes the practices of EAL teachers (who teach children and young people) and ESOL teachers (who teach adults) than that joins them. Both groups of teachers work in different phases and sites of learning, have separate professional associations, and little reference is made in ESOL teacher education to EAL pedagogy or vice-versa. However, in compiling this volume I have found the opposite to be true. The writers appear to be drawing on a similar body of knowledge, grounded in sophisticated language awareness, theories of second language acquisition and socio-cultural understanding. Whatever their professional formation and prior experiences, they are all language teachers working with often vulnerable and disadvantaged groups of learners.
The book is part of a series of publications commissioned by the British Council to showcase new thinking in English language teaching. Find teaching resources on our ESOL Nexus site.