Paper 1: Beyond EAL: moving towards a holistic model for supporting multilingual students

Eowyn Crisfield

Through research, we are fortunate to have a large knowledge base about the development of bilingualism/multilingualism through education. Current practices in supporting multilingual learners are often at odds with this body of research. Resourcing and supporting EAL in schools is hampered by budget issues, as well as lack of opportunities in ITE to specialise in EAL or multilingualism. In the UK right now, many school have high numbers of students who are learning the language of instruction (English), which means that many students are learning both content and language simultaneously. Research shows clearly that learning language in this way has limitations and drawbacks, in terms of language acquisition and content learning (see, for example, Genesee & Hamayan, 2016 & Lyster, 2007). This paper presents an integrated model for supporting multilingual learners using an inclusive model. It is based on the principle that every teacher is a language teacher, and provides support to convert this from principle to practice. This curricular approach integrates learning about language, learning language, and learning through language, which are all necessary components for a holistic approach to supporting multilingual learners in development. This whole-school approach involves developing the teacher knowledge base of bilingualism in development, and building on this to create systematic and systemic support for language across the curriculum.

Paper 2: From Industry to University: Tales of professional academics’ transition of field, habitus, and symbolic capital to Higher education in the UK and recommendations to meliorate academic induction processes

Mary Kitchener

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