British Council expands its activities in the UK

As the 2011 UK census shows that almost one in eight or 13% of UK residents were born outside the UK, what better time for the British Council to expand its activities in the UK? In its most recent foray into UK EAL and ESOL, the British Council has recently published "Innovations in English Language Teaching to Migrants and Refugees". The publication includes 14 papers covering a range of EAL and ESOL topics. According to Melissa Cudmore, Senior Adviser for English and Examinations at the British Council, the international organisation has 'recently started to extend our work to the UK, connecting with the ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) communities by launching our first ESOL-specific website' and to organise events for EFL, ESOL and EAL practitioners.

The volume, which is freely downloadable, is edited by David Mallows. It includes papers on EAL issues which will be familiar to many NALDIC members as well as less familiar insights from ESOL practices. The 14 papers include:

• Writing bilingual stories: developing children’s literacy through home languages – Justine Dakin describes a primary school bilingual book project
• Developing vocabulary in a multilingual classroom – Latika Davis discusses academic vocabulary in the primary classroom
• Valuing home languages – Clare Wardman, Judith Bell and Emma Sharp describe introducing a ‘language-buddies’ scheme and a ‘Pashto club’ after completing a post graduate CPD qualification
• Teaching and learning in diverse school contexts: the journeys of three newly-arrived students – Dimitrina Kaneva describes models of support in her secondary school
• In search of the highest level of learner engagement: autobiographical approaches with children and adults – Dina Mehmedbegović describes her work on autobiographical writing when teaching EAL learners in a secondary school.
• Curriculum innovations for students learning EAL in mainstream state secondary schools: a cross-curricular EAL pedagogy for teacher development – Sara Green describes content-language integration in practice through the development of a range of content-language integrated EAL courses and curriculum options
• Creative ESOL: the power of participatory arts in language acquisition – Eleanor Cocks and Theah Dix descrive an initiative to improve English language skills through drama and the arts.
• Class blogging in ESOL – Richard Gresswell and James Simpson draw on specific examples of class blogging projects in 16 –19 ESOL provision in a further education college.
• Providing emotional support to ESOL and EAL students – Thomas L Lloyd offers guidance for teachers when their learners disclose a traumatic event from their past.
• The use of mobile technologies as a bridge to enhance learning for ESOL students – Carol Savill-Smith, Rekha Chopra and Octavia Haure describe the ways mobile devices can be used for teaching and learning in ESOL classrooms
• The personal made impersonal and the impersonal made personal: reading circles and language learning – Sam Duncan provides three case studies of reading circles within formal and informal adult education.
• ESOL in the Hebrides and Island Voices – ‘Hey, hang on a minute, tha mise bilingual!’ – Gordon Wells provides a case study of a bilingual enrichment programme in the Outer Hebrides
• Responsive teaching and learner centredness – Sam Shepherd describes a learner-centred ESOL classroom aand asks what would happen if we responded to the needs and demands of the learners in the classroom rather than teacher-set objectives.
• A ‘social turn’ in ESOL? – John Sutter explores the recent growth in ESOL teachers’ interest in approaches to language teaching that have roots in the two related fields of EFL and literacy teaching: Dogme and Reflect for ESOL.