2025

ELLSA TeachMeet Thursday 13th November 2025

A huge thank you to Natasha Vinales my partner in all of this, everyone who helped to setup the room, the catering team, the incredible presenters and of course our guests who came out in their own time to improve their teaching practice! All the photos and presentations made available can be found here. 

There was a big emphasis on Gemini in these sessions, so let's use NotebookLM to help create some useful resources.

Strategies for Supporting Multilingual Learners: A Synthesis of Key Insights

Executive Summary

This document synthesizes key strategies and pedagogical principles for supporting Multilingual Learners (MLLs) as presented across multiple educational sessions. The central argument is that effective MLL instruction requires a deliberate, multi-faceted approach that moves beyond one-size-fits-all lessons. Core themes include the critical role of scaffolding to manage cognitive load and build skills progressively, the power of multimodal activities to provide varied entry points to learning, and the strategic integration of students' home languages as a bridge to comprehension. Presenters advocate for structured routines, such as Visible Thinking Routines and structured talk, to make cognitive processes explicit and provide safe opportunities for language rehearsal. The use of both digital tools, like Google Translate and interactive platforms, and physical resources, like graded readers and games, is highlighted as essential for creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment across all subjects, from computer science to language arts.

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1. Foundational Principles for MLL Instruction

A set of core principles underpins the various strategies presented for teaching multilingual learners. These principles focus on understanding the learner, designing for inclusivity, and acknowledging the unique challenges MLLs face.

• Learner-Centric Approach: The foundation of effective MLL instruction is a deep understanding of the individual student. As highlighted by Mila Shin in the context of AI, technology and teaching methods are ineffective unless they are informed by who the learner is and what they specifically need.

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A key principle, articulated by Joe Kirby, is that strategies "essential for some, can be useful for all." This UDL approach ensures that accommodations designed for MLLs, such as visuals and structured talk, can benefit every student in the classroom.

• Addressing Classroom Diversity: A common challenge identified across presentations is the reality of having learners at different stages of language proficiency within a single class. This requires strategies that work for both beginners and more fluent speakers, a point emphasized in contexts from Bahasa Melayu to Computer Science.

• Acknowledging Cognitive Load: A recurring insight is the need to manage the cognitive demands placed on MLLs. Adrienn Szlapak notes, "Thinking takes time. Thinking in multiple languages takes even longer!" Similarly, Valerie Quaye emphasizes that many MLLs are learning two languages simultaneously: English and a subject-specific language like programming.

2. Core Pedagogical Strategies

To address the needs of MLLs, presenters shared a range of high-impact pedagogical strategies that can be adapted across different subjects and year levels.

Scaffolding, Progression, and Metacognition

Structured support is crucial for MLL success. The "Scaffolding for Success" presentation outlines a framework that combines cognitive progression with metacognitive development.

• Bloom's Taxonomy: By connecting tasks to Bloom's cognitive levels, educators can scale activities from simple recall to higher-order creation, ensuring that all students, regardless of proficiency, can engage with the same theme at an appropriate level of challenge.

• Metacognition: Building learner independence is achieved by explicitly teaching metacognitive strategies for planning, monitoring, and evaluating their work. Example prompts in Bahasa Melayu include:

    ◦ Before (Planning): Apakah kata kunci penting? (What are the important keywords?)

    ◦ During (Monitoring): Adakah ayat saya lengkap? (Is my sentence complete?)

    ◦ After (Evaluating): Bahagian mana boleh diperbaiki? (Which part can be improved?)

• Structured Stages: The closing takeaway from this approach is that "Stages give structure," "Bloom pushes higher-order thinking," and "Metacognition builds independence," which together enable multilingual learners to succeed.

Multimodal Instruction and Student Agency

A multimodal approach provides multiple pathways for students to access content and demonstrate understanding, directly addressing the challenge of diverse proficiency levels.

• Voice and Choice: Ina Chakraborty highlights that Choice Boards and Station Activities give students "voice and agency," allowing them to engage at their own pace and in their own language when necessary.

• Station Activities: An example for Tier 3 vocabulary demonstrates various modalities:

    ◦ Watch & Repeat: Visual and audio support via QR codes linking to model videos.

    ◦ Translate & Match: A "home language bridge" using bilingual cards or Google Translate.

    ◦ Draw & Label: Visual and written reinforcement by drawing a word and labeling it in English and L1.

    ◦ Act It Out: Kinesthetic and oral practice using gestures. The principle is that "every choice uses language differently, but all lead to comprehension and confidence."

Leveraging the Home Language (L1)

Multiple presentations emphasize the importance of using a student's home language as a valuable resource rather than an obstacle.

• Permission to Practice: Joe Kirby lists "Home language: permission to practice" as a key strategy.

• Translation Tools: Natasha Sarah Viñales provides a practical guide to using the Google Translate formula in Google Sheets (=GOOGLETRANSLATE(C2,"en","es")) for various applications:

    ◦ Classroom Use: Creating vocabulary sheets for texts, building subject-specific glossaries, and supporting group activities.

    ◦ Community Use: Translating notes for parent-teacher conferences, emails, and materials for parent workshops.

• Limitations of Tools: It is noted that automated translations may not be perfectly accurate, are best suited for words or short phrases, and require students to be literate in their home language.

Developing Oracy, Fluency, and Structured Talk

Oral language skills are presented as a critical link to overall comprehension and academic success.

• Fluency and Comprehension: Yan Cooper establishes a clear correlation between expressive oral reading (oracy) and silent reading comprehension. Students who read with good expression are more likely to comprehend deeply, while those who read in a monotone, word-by-word manner often struggle. Key components of fluency are summarized by the acronym EARS: Expression, Automatic word recognition, Rhythm and phrasing, and Smoothness.

• Low-Stakes Practice: Valerie Quaye identifies "Pair, share, turn & talk" as a high-impact, low-stakes strategy that provides a "safe... opportunity to rehearse language."

• Visible Thinking Routines: Adrienn Szlapak presents routines that scaffold thinking and language production:

    ◦ See - Think - Wonder: Encourages observation, interpretation, and curiosity.

    ◦ KWL Charts: Structures knowledge acquisition (What I Know, What I Want to know, What I've Learnt) and is powerful when revisited.

    ◦ What makes you say that?: Pushes students to support their interpretations with evidence.

3. Practical Tools and Resources

A wide array of digital and physical resources were recommended to support the implementation of these strategies.

Category

Tool / Resource

Application / Purpose

Digital Translation

Google Sheets Formula

Instantly translate vocabulary lists into multiple languages.

Interactive Learning

Wordwall, Kahoot, Quizizz, Quizlet

Game-based platforms for vocabulary and concept reinforcement.

Language Practice

Duolingo, Memrise

Apps for independent language development.

Early Literacy

Starfall & ABCmouse

Digital resources for foundational reading skills.

Content Delivery

YouTube Edu Video, Google Slides, Padlet, Seesaw

Platforms for sharing instructional content and creating digital choice boards.

Graded Readers

Penguin Readers

Storybooks designed for EAL learners, aligned to proficiency frameworks like CEFR and BELL Foundation to ensure accessible reading.

Physical Materials

Flashcards, Word Walls, Charts, Posters

Visual aids for vocabulary and concept reinforcement in the classroom.

Games

Scrabble Junior, Bingo, Memory Match

Engaging, interactive tools for language learning and practice.

The Primary Malay Language Workshop (2024/25) successfully integrated such tools, using station games like Bingo (Ms. Joethi), brain teasers (Ms. Nisa), and sentence formation activities (Mr. Afiq, Ms. Diana) to create an engaging learning experience.

4. Subject-Specific Considerations

The principles of MLL instruction were shown to be adaptable and essential across the curriculum.

• Computer Science: Valerie Quaye describes "Code Literacy" as a two-step process for MLLs: first understanding the English meaning of a term (e.g., "variable") and then mastering its specific technical syntax in a programming language. Her focus is on making the "language clearer and more accessible so that they can understand the logic and the literacy of computing."

• Language Arts (English & BM): Ms. Priya highlights the use of Penguin Readers, which are aligned to proficiency bands (e.g., Band A to CEFR Pre A1–A1, Band B to A2), allowing teachers to match books to learner levels. The successful Bahasa Melayu workshop demonstrates the power of applying structured, game-based learning to language acquisition, with one participant noting the transferability of the concepts: "If this works in Bahasa Melayu, imagine how you can embed the same cycle in your own subject."

• Mathematics: Rina's presentation demonstrates the use of simple, engaging games like Wordsearch and BINGO for mathematics classrooms.