Teaching for EAL/D

Lesson unit to support students of diverse
linguistic and cultural backgrounds


Context

This evidence is an assessment task completed for the Literacy and Numeracy Across the Curriculum course at UTS. It is a plan to teach a unit of mathematics to a Year 8 class which includes eight students from differing cultural and EAL/D backgrounds. It describes the students' situations, it addresses the material and the text to be used, identifying specific literacy, numeracy, and cultural challenges, and proposes a plan to address them.

Graduate standard descriptors addressed

  1. Know your students and how they learn

1.3.1 Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

2. Know the content and how to teach it

2.1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.

2.5.1 Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.

3. Teachers plan for, and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.

4. Teachers create and maintain supportive and safe and learning environments

4.1.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.

Learning aims

The paper, and the strategy proposed, aim to help EAL/D students overcome language and cultural gaps they may encounter in the Australian classroom, so they can overcome the literacy demands and focus on learning the mathematics. Algebra is often difficult for students without the additional EAL/D challenge.

Learning impacts and assessment

Accomplishing objectives

The annotations in the evidence document show how the proposed teaching strategy aims to address each of the directives.

Learning impacts

This practice can be evaluated for impact when I have had an opportunity to apply it. Marsden is extremely diverse: 65% of students have a language background other than English.