Supporting the Emotional and

Social Wellbeing of EAL Students

Shelby Job
 What does EAL mean?

English as an additional language is the contemporary term for

acknowledging students whose first language is defined as any language
other than English that a child was exposed to during early development and
continues to be exposed to in the home or community.
EAL is a strength based term that
recognizes that students are already
proficient in their native language.
Who are EAL students?
Canadian Born
●First Nations, Metis and Inuit
●Francophone
●Hutterite, Mennonite or students in other religious groups
●Canadian-born children of immigrants

Foreign-born
●Recently arrived immigrants
●Refugees
What is the difference between an Immigrant and Refugee?
Immigrant
● Usually people who leave their country
for reasons not related to persecution,
such as better economic opportunities.
● Migrants include those displaced or
drought, famine, natural disasters, etc.
● International law only recognizes those
fleeing conflict or violence as refugees.
Refugee
● The UN defines refugees as those who
are outside their country of
nationality, and unable to return to
their home country because of
well-founded fears of persecution.
● Persecution may be due to their race,
religion, nationality, membership in a
particular social group or political
opinion, and is often related to war
and violence.
Challenges for Both
● Trauma and hardships from home
● Family and friend separation
● Culture shock and homesickness
● Communication barriers
● Hardships and potential family dysfunction in resettlement
● Being overwhelmed
● Loneliness and trouble making new friends
What is the expectation for teachers for EAL students?

Expectations:
1. Recognize that we have EAL’s
2. We have assessed their language proficiency
3. We are addressing their educational needs
4. We are monitoring their progress
Physiological
needs
 I am hungry
I feel sick
Estoy hambriento
Me siento enferma

Drink of water
Trago de agua

I am hurt
Estoy herida
Safety
Safety
● Explicitly teach safety vocabulary, routines and procedures.

● Be mindful of cultural differences that many impact safety.

● Home school communication!

Love and
Belonging
 Building Relationships
Make an effort to learn the culture of EAL students:

● Learn where they are from

● Their language (at least what is and a few words or phrases)
● How to properly pronounce their name
● Educate yourself about their culture
● Recognize and celebrate your student’s culture as a school or at least class (eg. having a
Mexican flag, celebrating Chinese New Year ect…)

Make an effort to learn the needs of EAL students:

● Use translation to learn about their interests, health concerns, trauma, background (both
educational and family), behaviour, and specific learning needs.
● If students have an immigration settlement worker be sure to connect with them and involve
them in planning for your EAL student.
● Ensure the school is welcoming place with translation posters, visuals, staff photos, maps,
newsletters ect..
Building Peer relationships and
School Community
Make an effort to ensure EAL students make friends and are accepted by peers:

● If there are other student’s in the school that speak the same language allow them to
work together and help the newer student become integrated into the school
community.
● Educate all students about the culture of new EAL students and ensure your class is a
place that celebrates diversity.
● Use clubs, activities, cross class/grade buddy systems ect… to help EAL students make
friends and feel supported.
Esteem
Focusing on EAL Student’s Strengths
Celebrating their Culture In
Learning Activities
Discussion
Resources
Education. Education | Alberta.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2023, from
https://www.alberta.ca/education.aspx

Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm®. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2023, from
https://malpeducation.com/

Sander, D. (2023, Jan. 30). St. Catherine School: English as an Additional Language PD,
Lethbridge, AB, Canada.