Overview: Australia has always been a culturally and linguistically diverse place, and our modern nation comprises people from over 2000 different ethnic backgrounds. Many different languages are spoken in homes and communities across Australia and consequently many primary school students are learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D).

This PETAA Paper outlines some of the recent trends in the theory and practice of EAL/D teaching and learning, offering relevant support for all classroom teachers to cater more effectively to EAL/D learners in their classes. EAL/D is the educational acronym now used in Australia to refer to those students whose home language or first language (L1) is a language or dialect other than Standard Australian English (SAE) and who require additional support to develop proficiency in SAE, which is the variety of spoken and written formal English used in Australian schools.

Standards: ​1.3.2, 1.5.2, 2.5.2