Documentary Analysis

In this section, responses to the questionnaires and interviews will be explored to examine the degree to which they uphold, maintain and reflect the school’s EAL policy. Three headings “pupils’ use of L1 during mainstream lessons, “group work” and “interaction” will be used to highlight the findings.

4.14.1 Pupils’ use of L1 during mainstream lessons

The school’s EAL policy advocates the use of the L1 during mainstream lessons but advises teachers that its use should be planned and managed. This means that the teacher has to decide if and when the L1 should be allowed, if its use will support knowledge construction and whether the same task could be carried out through using only English. Teacher 3 demonstrates that he is aware of the benefit that the use of the L1 could give a pupil but also reveals that he will readily re-arrange a seating or grouping situation if he feels that pupils are not, during the course of their work, using English,

“I am also aware of that fact that sometimes if you put friends together, they don’t practise the English so I, most cases will

separate them until there is a specific task that I want them to do that I feel they sitting together will benefit them better than sitting apart” (Teacher 3, interview)

Further on, when teacher 3 was asked if he ensured that NAEP are grouped with peers who can provide a good model of English, the response was,

178 “The rule is you don’t speak your native language in class. If that happens, then I wouldn’t pair a student with that particular student again.” (Teacher 3, interview)

The school’s EAL policy does not forbid the use of the L1 in mainstream lessons. Unlike teacher 3, when Teacher 4 was asked if he planned group work in mainstream English lessons, he explained that where there is a need for same language peers to collaborate and use their L1, then this will be allowed. Teacher 4 stated,

“I do and I try to pair, if it is pair work or if it is group work to change to mix students, not use the same group over and over so I try to have sometimes the same speaker, the same language speaker, that they speak the language so they can explain if I feel the task needs to be explained in the first language and if another student is able but sometimes I feel they need to be mixed and they need to be separated from those who speak the same language and they have to interact within the different language groups, of course talking in English because it will give them more confidence of course depending on the task, yes.” (Teacher 4, Interview)

Teacher 4 does not explicitly state that the L1 should not be used but from his reasoning, it is clear that he both manages and has boundaries for its use in mainstream lessons. Teacher 4 also touches on the subject of mixing learners of different linguistic backgrounds,

“Oh, I think that is crucial that they actually interact with those pupils we believe they would learn from them, monolingual pupils that provide a good model of English.”

(Teacher 4, Interview)

It is essential that NAEP have the opportunity to socialise and communicate with their English speaking peers as well as those of other linguistic

179 backgrounds. This is not only for their social development but also for pupils to become independent, to try to phrase and re-phrase utterances with other speakers and listeners as they develop their skills in English (DCSF, 2007).

4.14.2 Group work

As a means of engaging pupils and fostering learning, small group interaction has come to be appreciated as one of the strategies that mainstream teachers should adapt. Guidance from government documents such as the New Arrivals Excellence Programme (DCSF, 2008) encourages the use of group work as a means of creating an inclusive environment in which learners feel comfortable to participate and share in learning. This stance is reflected in the school’s EAL policy as a teaching and learning strategy where teachers are encouraged to “provide plenty of small group collaborative activities where listening and talking are central to learning” (Appendix1, EAL Policy)

The perceptions of mainstream teachers regarding group work come across in their interviews. Teacher 1 shares that she sometimes plans for group work but it depends on the type of activity that the class is doing. With pupils preparing for terminal examinations, for example, teacher 1 states, “I found that with GCSE pupils, sometimes I will not plan group work”. (Teacher 1, interview)

180 Teacher 1 also states that behaviour can sometimes be a hindrance to effective group work, “behaviours sometimes within those groups do not encourage other pupils to learn.” (Teacher 1, interview)

Teacher 1 acknowledges that, for her, the learning task and goal will determine if group work is a suitable means to achieving learning. Teacher 1 explores her perceptions of group work even further by noting the benefits and drawbacks of small group interaction. For her, there are more opportunities for pupils to talk to and learn from each other. Equally important is the view that the level of understanding within the group can act as a barrier to speaking,

“Yes, there are more opportunities, there are certainly more

opportunities to talk to each other and to learn from each other. (' ), it also depends on the level of understanding within the group as well. Some pupils might find it rather daunting to speak for the first time in a language which is, (' ') not for the first time but you know to speak in a language they are not familiar with so sometimes it might be a bit daunting but depending on the level of understanding (' '), the ones that really really struggle, group work usually is not for them” (Teacher 1, interview)

Although teacher 1 has identified that she implements the school’s suggestion regarding small group work, it is carefully considered to take into account the learning task, group dynamics or behaviour and the level of understanding of pupils.

Teacher 2, on the other hand, admits that she prefers independent rather than group work but acknowledges that if she is implementing group work, for NAEP, it will be with,

181 “people who I know will give them a chance to speak cause if I don’t do that, they’ll be left, pushed out of a group and stronger characters won’t even give them a chance to speak.” (Teacher 2, interviews)

In the interviews, no teacher makes explicit reference to the school’s EAL policy. Although paper and electronic versions are held in a central location which is accessible by all staff, the lack of mention or specific reference to the policy give the impression that staff are unaware of the existence of the policy or of what it contains.

The TAs did not make explicit mention of the school’s EAL policy in their responses but it was evident in some of their statements that through their daily practices, they were upholding aspects of the policy.

4.14.3 Interaction

Some of these aspects outline the importance of interaction for EAL pupils and the need to plan for interactive opportunities. TA 2 stated,

“EAL students are, they will talk and interact with other peers easier if they are in a smaller group and interaction goes better and member of staff assigned to the group, I think it is got more ability to explain the task to students in more details and have the feedback from the students that they can lead the conversation or whatever task easy if it is a written, then they can do the pair work and depending on the work and the subject really.” (TA 2 interview)

TA 1, in response to the question about whether she thought that EAL pupils are able to interact with peers who can provide a good model of English replied,

182 “They don’t always, they don’t always because most of the time I find that the EAL learners are all sat together and they and some of them, they speak very little English. Others speak a little bit more but I feel that if the child is sat next to an English speaking learner, then they get more chance to develop their English.” (TA 1

interview)

Here the TA is intimating that forming same language groups may not always open interactive opportunities in which pupils are able to engage in English. Based on this TA’s perception, sitting with English language speaking peers is more advantageous to the development of EAL pupils’ English. TA 1’s experience in mainstream lessons reveals evidence of group work but these groups are often solely composed of EAL learners. TA 1 maintains her perception on the role that interaction plays in language development and when the interviewer asked,

“Do you believe that interaction, we touched on this before, do you believe that interaction helps our EAL pupils to develop their skills in English?”

TA 1 replied,

“Yes, it does because they are in an English speaking environment, they must, I feel that it, they do learn words. They might not learn full sentences but they do learn words from other students.” (TA 1, interview)