EDUC4725

English Curriculum Studies 2

Assignment 2(b):
Action Research Reflection on Findings

Kate Winn
Student Number: 2150600
F.A.N: winn0036

Tutor:
Sarah McDonald
Thursday
9:00 - 11:00

Flinders University 2018

What are the most effective strategies for promoting effective literacy development for
English as an additional language or dialect students?

The class had 14 students that are English as an Additional Language or Dialect
(E.A.L/D), and therefore I knew that throughout my placement this would be a point of
focus to ensure that all students were able to progress with their literacy development
successfully. Throughout my lead-in days, I spent a significant portion of time getting to
know my students, their history, backgrounds, strengths, challenges and developing
genuine relationships with them. Developing relationships was a crucial component of
my teaching as it allowed me to better understand the needs of each student and how I
could best support them. Students were also provided with a survey that focused on
their preferred method of assessment, which allowed me insight into their learner
profiles. (See Appendix 1)

Throughout my placement, I planned to observe and make a note of how effective the
different teaching and learning strategies that I implemented were for all students but
particularly those that were EAL/D. At the beginning of my placement, I performed a
basic pre-assessment on parts of speech (See Appendix 2). This pre-assessment
provided me with valuable information about each student’s prior knowledge and
understanding. With the results of the pre-assessment, I provided a quick micro-lesson
aimed to refresh student’s knowledge and understanding, and I also provided students
with a glossary they could use as a reference guide.

Using glossaries throughout literacy was a valuable tool for all students and particularly
EAL/D students as provided them with a quick and easy point of reference so they did
not get confused with terminology and they could solidify their understanding. (See
Appendix3). Other tools for students to use were the dictionaries and thesauruses
available to them. It was also necessary that I clarified to students what these resources
were and how to use them, as some students were unsure.

Scaffolding was an essential part of my teaching, and it was vital for EAL/D students.
Literacy was scaffolded in a number of ways for the students examples included;
modelling, deconstructing information and activities, defining learning intentions for
each lesson (which students recorded), using ‘success criteria’ sheets, graphic
organisers, glossaries, allowing students to make connections to their own lives,
providing frameworks etc. (See Appendices 4, 5 and 6)
For their health unit of work, students were allowed to choose their method of
assessment (sourced from their surveys) and their focus area. This strategy was
particularly successful for students because they were highly engaged and enjoyed
having control and ownership over their learning. Students were able to present their
work in written, visual and oral formats, which allowed them to build on their literacy
skills in a variety of ways.

Students were provided with self-assessment sheets for any collaborative work they
did. (See Appendix 7). The self-assessment tasks were valuable for students to evaluate
their learning and themselves as a learner and provided me with further insight into
this.

With particular learning tasks, I sometimes found it difficult to establish whether

students that required additional support and scaffolding had a genuine understanding.
Implementing exit cards was a great strategy to determine whether students had met
the learning intentions. However, time did not always allow for students to complete an
exit card. Therefore, it was extremely beneficial for myself to develop the skills required
to compare and make a professional judgement on students’ work throughout each
lesson as to whether they have met the learning intentions and progressed with their
learning.

Grouping students was sometimes challenging within the classroom. I was sensitive to
the fact that I did not want any students to feel as though they were targeted or
presumptions were being made about their capabilities. Therefore, after explicit
teaching, I always allowed students the option of seeking further assistance by forming a
small group. However, I found that the students who did require support were not
always forthcoming and for particular individuals, I had to always check their
understanding and then ask them to join our small group. I structured some lessons so
that students were grouped with varied levels of readiness and capabilities to promote
peer encouragement, mentoring and support amongst the group. With thorough teacher
observation and guidance, students responded well, and the strategy was successful.