Supporting Multilingual Learners with the Graduated Approach

As educators, it's crucial for us to be able to make connections between our previous experiences and our background knowledge in order to continually refine and adapt our practice and therefore support our current students as effectively as possible. As someone with a background in SEND and EAL/English Curriculum leadership, I'd like to share how I lean on the highly impactful structure of the SEND Code of Practice’s graduated approach to design and implement personalised support pathways for multilingual students. This structured method of Assess, Plan, Do, Review, provides a robust framework that can help you tailor support to meet the needs of each learner.

The Graduated Approach: An Overview

The graduated approach is a cyclical process designed to provide continuous, reflective support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, its principles are equally effective for multilingual learners who may require additional language input and scaffolding. Let’s break down each stage and explore how it can be applied to benefit multilingual students.

1. Assess: Understanding Your Learners

The first step in creating a personalised pathway is a thorough assessment of each student’s strengths, needs, and current levels of attainment. For multilingual learners, this means considering not just their proficiency in English but also their skills in their home language(s), cultural background, and previous educational experiences.

Tips for Effective Assessment:

• Use a variety of assessment tools and methods, including observations, interviews, and formal tests.

• Engage with parents and caregivers to gain insights into the student’s language use at home and previous schooling.

• Collaborate with EAL specialists to accurately assess language proficiency and learning needs.

2. Plan: Designing Tailored Interventions

Once you have a comprehensive understanding of your learners, the next step is to develop a personalised plan. This plan should outline specific, measurable goals and the interventions required to achieve them.

Key Considerations for Planning:

• Set realistic, achievable goals that consider both language acquisition and content learning.

• Incorporate culturally relevant materials and resources to make learning more meaningful.

• Ensure that the plan is flexible and can be adjusted based on ongoing assessments and feedback.

3. Do: Implementing the Plan

With a clear plan in place, the next step is implementation. This involves putting the planned interventions into practice and ensuring that they are delivered consistently and effectively.

Strategies for Effective Implementation:

• Differentiate instruction to cater to diverse language abilities within the classroom.

• Use visual aids, knowledge organisers, and other scaffolding techniques to support comprehension.

• Provide opportunities for peer interactions and collaborative learning to enhance language development.

4. Review: Reflecting and Adjusting

The final stage of the graduated approach is to review the effectiveness of the interventions. This involves regular monitoring and evaluation to determine whether the goals are being met and making necessary adjustments to the plan.

Effective Review Practices:

• Use formative assessments to track progress and identify areas needing further support.

• Gather feedback from the student, their peers, and their parents to gain a holistic view of the student’s progress.

• Be prepared to adapt the plan based on the review findings, ensuring it remains responsive to the student’s evolving needs.

Creating a Supportive Environment

Beyond the structured approach of assess, plan, do, review, it’s essential to create an inclusive and supportive classroom environment. Celebrate the linguistic and cultural diversity of your students, and encourage them to share their languages and cultures with their peers. This not only enriches the learning experience for all students but also helps multilingual learners feel valued and understood.

Conclusion

Implementing the graduated approach with multilingual learners requires commitment, collaboration, and continuous reflection but it also offers a clear and common-sense approach to implementing additional support for learners - whatever their personal targets and current challenges may be. By systematically assessing, planning, doing, and reviewing, we can develop personalised pathways that support the unique needs of each multilingual learner, whilst also providing a clear structure for teachers and thereby reduce the sense of overwhelm that can sometimes accompany curriculum or pathway design.

At EAL Inclusive, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can create learning environments where every student has the opportunity to succeed, in a way which support the progress and well-being of students and their teachers. Keep up the fantastic work, and don’t hesitate to reach out for further guidance and resources.