ESCI - EAL and Academic Language

This webinar has been specifially designed and developed for primary teachers of EAL learners.  Attending teachers will develop evidence-informed and practical skills to support their assessment and instruction of academic language in linguistically diverse contexts.  An array of handouts and resource-sourcing guidelines ensure informed, competent, and equipped practitioners beyond webinar participation.

Learning Outcomes - 

Participants will be enabled to:

• Reflect on current academic language knowledge and practices
• Define academic lanaguage
• Justify the need for academic lanaguage support for children with EAL
• Acquire a bank of stategies and activities to support the academic lanaguage development skills of children with EAL

Facilitator - Dr Aoife Merrins Gallagher

Aoife is a primary school teacher with experience in both mainstream and support positions since 2013.  Her recent doctoral research, funded by the DCU-INTO150 PhD scholarship, designed, developed and delivered an English-Irish oral narrative programme for nine linguistically diverse infant classrooms (Tell-a-Tale | Inis Scéal).

Aoife has lectured in DCU and MU, and frequently facilitates webinars through Education Centres.  She has authored and delivered DES approved face-to-face and online EAL summer courses since 2021.

Aoife is a member of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, Mother Tongues Ireland, English Language Support Teachers' Association of Ireland and Children's Research Network.  Her experiences as a teacher, lecturer and researcher can demystify the world of EAL for workshop attendees.