Supporting

refugees
A PRIMER FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Professor Hayo Reinders

Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

ABSTRACT
In recent years, many language teachers have
experienced having one or more refugee
learners in their classes. Such learners often
have specific educational, social, and affective
needs, which many teachers feel they are ill-
equipped to deal with. This position paper is
written with such teachers in mind, particularly
those who have not received specialized
training in teaching refugee learners.

The paper begins by summarizing what is
known about the particular challenges these
learners face, the challenges their teachers
experience, and the positive impact the
presence of refugee learners can have on
the classroom and the wider organization.
Next, it presents a number of pedagogical
practices that teachers can draw on to best
serve the needs of these learners. Finally,
the paper examines the organizational
adjustments and preparations needed to
ensure that teachers are supported and the
necessary systems are in place to provide
assistance to all relevant stakeholders,
including parents, the wider community,
funding and charitable organizations, and
government agencies.
This position paper includes practical
resources for teachers and their
organizations to learn more about the topic
and ‘prompt cards’ designed to encourage
reflection and discussion in the preparation
and support process.
 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

CONTENTS
Refugees in language education 02
Supporting refugees 06
Teaching refugees 12
Conclusion 18
Resources and references 24

Hayo Reinders (www.innovationinteaching.org) is TESOL Professor and Director of Research

at Anaheim University, USA, and Professor of Applied Linguistics at KMUTT in Thailand. He is
founder of the global Institute for Teacher Leadership and editor of Innovation in Language
Learning and Teaching. His interests are in out-of-class learning, technology, and language
teacher leadership. Hayo is the author of this paper.

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Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

REFUGEES IN
LANGUAGE EDUCATION
According to the United Nations Refugee
Agency (UNHCR; Batalova, 2022), 103 million
people worldwide have been forced to flee
their homes due to conflicts, violence, fear
of persecution, and human rights violations.
This is more than double the 42.7 million
people who were forcibly displaced a decade
ago and the most since World War II.

The largest numbers of people seeking refuge across borders come

from Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan, with recently
significant numbers from Ukraine. Asylum seekers and refugees
(those whose claim for asylum has been accepted by a host country1)
face a wide range of challenges and the development of host country
language proficiency has been identified as a key factor in successfully
adapting to and integrating into a new country (Bleakley & Chin, 2004).

Conversely, poor language skills ‘create a number of disadvantages’

and stand out ‘strongly as a barrier to progress’ in relation to
integration, economic success, and progression into further learning
(Casey, 2016, p. 94).

1. For a discussion on the range of terminology and its definitions, see https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/
refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants/#definitions. In this paper, we use the umbrella term ‘refugees’ to refer
to both refugees and asylum seekers.

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 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Beyond such practical outcomes, language (Martin, 1994; O’Toole et al., 2018), issues
development is linked with important with cultural adjustment (Constant et
psychological gains, such as an increased al., 2009, Yakushko, 2008), the effects of
or renewed sense of dignity and self-worth trauma, and lower motivation compared
and as such is strongly desired by refugees to voluntary migrants (Chiswick & Miller,
(Tip et al., 2019). 2001; Wehrle et al., 2018) play a major
role in the ability to access and benefit
This section of the paper focuses on the from education. These barriers lead to
specific challenges that refugees face when high levels of anxiety, depression, and
learning languages, the challenges teachers maladaptive outcomes (Baran et al., 2018;
face when supporting refugees, and the Baranik et al., 2018).
positive contributions the presence of
refugees brings to teachers, other learners, In addition, practical constraints such
and the wider educational system. as ‘lack of child care, caring for family
members, health issues, financial barriers,
Refugees’ challenges in attending paid employment, transport
language learning difficulties, gender barriers, living in isolated
areas, and understanding how “systems”
Refugees face many challenges that impact
work in order to access information
their ability to learn a new language. Of
and resources (Benseman, 2014, p. 94)
these, instability, pre- and post-settlement
significantly impact refugees.

Refugees also face particular challenges relating

to language acquisition. Perhaps the most
widely recognized of these is a lack of literacy
among many refugees in their first language
(Bigelow & Schwarz, 2010; Chamorro et al.,
2021), which places a severe limitation on
learners’ ability to develop an additional
language, especially among older learners
and women (Morrice et al., 2019). Many
require lengthy support to develop basic
literacy skills, such as letter recognition
and formation.2 Another challenge is that
many refugees manage multiple languages
by necessity. For example, a Syrian child
may have Arabic as their first language
(Syrian Arabic as their spoken and Modern
Standard Arabic as their written language),
may have had some instruction in Syria in
French as a Foreign Language, moved to
Denmark and enrolled in a school where
Danish is the language of instruction, while
also taking English as a Foreign Language
classes as part of that schooling.

2. A similar but opposite problem exists where highly qualified and often professionally
significantly accomplished refugees are ‘lumped in’ with those without such backgrounds.

03
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

The role of these languages shifts with the
L1 now becoming a ‘heritage language’
with important questions regarding if and
how this should be further developed
and/or maintained (and often with limited
resources available to support development
languages not commonly taught in the host
country; Erenay & Reinders, in press). Of
course, when learners are not in education,
access to the target language may be
limited. Refugees tend to be housed in
asylum centres outside urban areas, with
few opportunities to interact with native
speakers. Housing learners with others
with the same L1 background increases the
temptation to avoid the target language,
and capped access to the internet further
limits learners’ access to target language
resources.
Expectations about the future have a major
impact on learners’ motivation to learn the
language. For example, Ukrainian refugees
are mostly looking to return home as soon
as possible, Sudanese refugees in Egypt
may be looking to move to Europe, and
often an application for asylum is denied,
but the person is not deported.

I was speaking to a group of refugee women from Myanmar, none of whom

were literate or had any form of formal education, even in their own language.
Their dreams were very much centred on their children’s success, but they
struggled to fulfil the school’s expectations of home–school partnership:
It’s just the homework we get from the school. As parents we are expected to
support them and help them revise. But we are not literate. We cannot give them
that support. And I don’t know any mathematics – so how can I teach them? When
they do their homework and have questions, I can’t answer them.
Schools often have little understanding in this area and assume that parents
do not value education if their children are not completing their homework.
However, language barriers and unfamiliarity with systems mean that parents
may not interact with the school to the desired level and may therefore be seen
to lack engagement in their children’s education.
In the last year, a homework club has been started in the area, where students
of refugee background can get additional support after school, through
tutoring by qualified teachers. This has proven extremely popular and it assists
children and relieves some of the burden for the parents.
Hanna Svensson, ETC, New Zealand

103 million
people worldwide have been forced
to flee their homes due to conflicts,
violence, fear of persecution, and
human rights violations.

04

Language teachers’ challenges in
supporting refugees
Refugees have a wide range of educational
backgrounds, languages, interests, and
needs that language teachers need to
accommodate, which can differ quite
significantly from host country learners or
EFL students that teachers might be used
to teaching, using ready-made and readily-
available course books. Refugees often
arrive at different times throughout the
academic year, which is both challenging
to the teacher and potentially disruptive
to other learners (Farrelly, 2017). Some
only stay for short periods before moving
to another city or country, which makes
planning difficult, and many have faced
significant disruption to their educational
progress, with resulting gaps in their
knowledge. However, the greatest challenge
reported by language teachers is poor or
non-existing L1 literacy (Chamorro et al.,
2021; Benseman, 2014). This, together
with the social, practical, and psychological
challenges introduced in the previous
section, requires a complex and specialized
set of responses from individual teachers
and their organizations. In practice,
however, many teachers lack such
specialized skills and many organizations do
not have a systematic approach to teaching
refugees and supporting their teachers.
Many teachers also report not having access
to sufficiently tailored teaching materials
(Miles & Bailey-McKenna, 2016), and many
teachers of refugees are volunteers who
receive little professional training or support
(Van Rensburg & Son, 2010), which impacts
learner participation and success (Stevenson
& Willott, 2007; Riggs et al., 2012).
3. Funds of Knowledge and Funds of Identity are two theoretical lenses
that recognise the resources learners have available. These have been
fruitfully applied in studies of refugee learners (Esteban-Guitart &
Moll, 2014).
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
On the personal front, teachers sometimes
worry about causing offence when working
with refugee learners. The Star Network in the
United Kingdom offers some commonsense
advice (see http://www.star-network.org.uk/)
and warns against being overly concerned.
Nonetheless, there are emotional and political
components to the work which can be both
exciting and challenging.
A positive perspective
The next section introduces several
pedagogical and support practices that have
proved instrumental in dealing with the
challenges of teaching refugees. However,
it is important not to assume a deficit view.
Rodriguez (2015) talked, for example, about
‘the dangers of compassion’, stating that while
educators must be mindful of the traumatic
experiences refugees may have had, this
should not lead to ‘position[ing] refugees
like vulnerable problems to be fixed through
education and other services’ (p. 112).
While recognizing the very real obstacles in
the way of refugees and those who support
them, it is also true that the presence of
refugees has a number of benefits. First,
the cultural and linguistic diversity and life
experiences that refugees bring can be a
major source of interest to the language
classroom. Second, the qualities that many
refugees have developed, such as grit,
inventiveness, and flexibility, can act as a
source of inspiration to other learners and
their teachers alike. Furthermore, supporting
a new classmate can bring a group of learners
together in new ways. In other words,
the inclusion of refugees in the language
classroom offers both challenges and
opportunities.3
05
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

SUPPORTING REFUGEES
– A COLLABORATIVE
EFFORT
Successful support for refugees is
systematically organized, carefully
integrated across the school, and actively
connected to other relevant stakeholders.
As this support cannot be the responsibility
of an individual teacher, in this section,
we examine the relationships between the
classroom and the wider context.

While teachers can play an important

monitoring and advocacy role to encourage
their organization to better prepare for
supporting refugee learners, schools can
play a mediating role with other support
services, government agencies, NGOs,
community networks, and families.
Figure 1 illustrates this interrelationship.
Policies, support services (language and
other support), relevant communities, and
available resources are identified, adapted
and, where necessary, created by the
school in collaboration with its teachers and
learners. The experiences obtained by all
feed back into the ongoing development of
school policies and resources, which may
be shared with the wider community.

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 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Figure 1. Refugee Support Network

Language Other
Support Support
Community

Policies Resources

Support
Policies Resources

School

Teaching & Learning

Planning for refugee support
in schools
Ideally, one person or team is responsible
for planning support for refugees in
schools. Given the vital importance
of language development for refugee
wellbeing, it is important that refugees
are involved in the delivery of language
support. Especially in situations where little
or no dedicated support may be available
within the school, some teachers have
reported great success in working with
former, now-settled refugees. However this
team is made up, it should stay up-to-date
on any changes in the national landscape
regarding refugees.
Such changes may include mandates for
schools to enrol a minimum number of
refugees, the availability or withdrawal of
funding, the provision of new resources
for teaching refugees, and the availability
of specialist training for teachers. As these
changes can come quickly, it is imperative
that schools have as much time as possible
to react. Thus, it is important that this team
has a finger on the pulse of the political
landscape. Attitudes towards refugees can
shift rapidly based on news stories and
geopolitical events, which can influence
what requirements might be placed on
schools and what support is available.

07
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
Available support
Support for refugees is typically provided
by many providers, of which schools and
other language providers are only one.
Other providers include:
• resettlement agencies that do anything
from finding accommodation to liaising
with healthcare providers
• counselling services for trauma and
other mental health issues
•e
 mployment agencies
• legal services
•N
 GOs
Of particular interest in the context of this
paper are the language providers. Before
enrolling in a school and often continuing
after, refugees may take language courses
from one or more of the following:
•S
 pecialized language providers, often
funded by the government, dedicated
to helping learners develop the ability to
navigate their environment as quickly as
possible. Where necessary, these include
a strong focus on developing initial
literacy skills.
•C
 ommunity/volunteer groups/clubs
offering (usually conversational) classes
in churches/mosques, libraries and other
public places.
•F
 amily learning classes, where (often
volunteer) teachers visit a family in their
(temporary) home to help with everyday
language issues, such as filling in forms
and making appointments with a doctor.
•H
 omework clubs, which, in addition
to school-oriented support, help with
learning both the new and the heritage
language.
08
• Self-study materials, provided by the
government or NGOs, designed to
enable refugees to learn by themselves,
especially as they may be transitory and
not yet enrolled in a school.
It is important that the schools and
institutions have knowledge of these other
providers. This will help them to refer
students where necessary and, especially
in the case of language providers, to know
what language instruction learners may
have received prior to enrolling in the
school, what materials learners are familiar
with, and what ongoing language support
learners may receive outside of school.
Parents play a tremendously important
role in heritage language maintenance and
in encouraging and supporting younger
learners in learning a new language. Where
possible, it is important to find out about
prior learning experiences from parents
and explain how language learning is
supported at school and what parents can
do to help (For example by encouraging
extensive reading at home). This will
also help mitigate some of the common
concerns parents have about not being
able to understand or navigate the new
educational system, for example, due to
language or literacy barriers and feeling
left out.
Identifying learner needs
Staying in touch with local support
providers may give teachers an early
indication of how many refugees to
expect, when, and from which countries.
Regardless, it is important to try to answer
the following questions as early as possible:
 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Are they likely to be resettled soon?

What is the learners’ literacy level in their L1?

What language instruction have learners received prior to

enrolling in the school?

What is their proficiency in the L2 in listening, reading,

speaking and writing?

What (if any) continuing language support do they have

access to outside the school?

What materials do they have access to at home?

What is their family (language) situation?

What is their digital literacy level?

What is their (anticipated) level of motivation to study in

general and to study the language in particular?

Do we have other learners in our school who could provide

support, perhaps from a similar background?

Do we have teachers in our school who may have relevant

backgrounds or expertise that we can draw on?

Do they have major family or work commitments that

are likely to impact their participation?

What are their travel and childcare arrangements?

Do they have particular psychological needs and are these

being met through specialized support providers?

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Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
Systematizing and integrating
support
A key feature of successful support is that
it is systematic and integrated. Systematic
support is based on a clear set of goals.
Using a needs analysis (see page 9), a
school may identify particular priorities
and design a learning plan that covers the
amount of time refugee learners are, at a
minimum, likely to be enrolled. Such a plan
should be flexible enough to accommodate
learners arriving at different times and/or
leaving early (for example, by writing any
teaching materials in such a way that they
can be used independently by learners).
Integrated support requires that all
stakeholders within the school know
about the goals the school has set and
who is responsible for realizing them.
It also involves actively communicating
and collaborating to ensure there are no
overlaps or gaps in duties. For example,
if the school counsellor is tasked
with finding out about new learners’
psychological needs, then teachers should
10
1. know that this is happening and who
is doing it,
2. receive the resulting information so
they can act on it and
3. inform the counsellor when psychological
issues arise in class.
Likewise, content teachers (for example, a
science or mathematics teacher) can work
with language teachers to ensure that the
topics covered in language classes relate
to what learners need and can benefit
from the most in their content class.
The literature on content and language
integrated learning (CLIL) offers many
practical suggestions for how this can be
achieved (see Coyle et al., 2012).
Professional development
and support
An important part of the bigger picture is
the support that is available, both within
and outside the school, for teachers and
anyone else in the school involved in
supporting refugees. The government may
provide courses or tailored resources (for
example sample teaching materials), but
where these are unavailable or unsuitable,
they will have to be located or developed
elsewhere. Baecher and her colleagues
(2019) developed and delivered a short
training programme in the US, which may
give you a ideas for developing your own.
 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

When I first started teaching refugees, every week – sometimes every day – opened my eyes
to their sufferings. Getting to know these wonderful people and then being told their stories
of torture, flight, abuse, starvation, and separation shocked me. The stories exhausted me,
and the trauma that my students shared often provoked strong reactions in me – a desire to
solve their problems, to find help for them and to, generally, turn everything upside down
until I knew they were OK. Fortunately, through our collaboration with the settlement
support agency we were able to refer students to experienced social workers, and these
social workers helped me see that many of my students’ struggles were not pathological
conditions but normal reactions to difficult situations and a normal part of the settlement
process. Now in a role supporting other teachers, I see similar patterns in every new teacher
– the fear, sense of inadequacy, and emotional exhaustion. My response to this is to become
the repository of their worries and the person they can send students to when they need to
talk. I have found that the most important way to support the teachers is by letting them
know that the problem is not theirs, that it has been assessed and referred to professionals
if needed and that not all problems are urgent. Personally, I still get affected by the stories
I hear, but I have learnt to take care of myself when this happens.
Laura Baecher, CUNY, USA

It is important to recognize that support for

staff needs to include not only technical or
pedagogical skills but also support for dealing
with the stresses that working with refugees can
cause. Some examples include hearing about
people’s traumas, not knowing how to respond
to mental health issues as they arise in class
and the need to engage in possible conflict
resolution. At the very least, a safe space should
be provided for staff to share their experiences.

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Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

TEACHING
REFUGEES

This section of the paper introduces some

actions language teachers can adopt to
better support refugees. Although the
primary focus is on language development,
the suggestions below cover both
pedagogical and broader support issues.

As Magro (2007) and others have argued,

‘resettlement issues cannot be separated from
language development and teachers should work
from a broad definition of literacy that includes
not only numeracy, problem solving, and the
ability to read, write, and speak English, but also
emotional and social literacies such as motivation,
interpersonal effectiveness, critical thinking, and
cultural awareness’ (p. 70).

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 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Pedagogical considerations
Although each context is unique and specific teaching practices will differ from one
classroom to the next, research studies and teachers’ experiences have given us good
insight into the fundamental pedagogical principles that are conducive to refugee learner
success. Figure 2 illustrates this. The following sections discuss each principle.

Figure 2. Pedagogical Considerations

Community

School

Relevant Empowering

Situated Scaffolded
Social Affective

Teaching & Learning

Immediate relevance to learners’ lives

One of the most important features of language instruction for refugees is that it is
applicable in the context of learners’ lives. This means including topics related to getting
to know the local environment, such as where to shop, how to use public transportation,
finding employment, and making doctor’s appointments. Even younger learners are
often involved in helping out their parents, so the language they need may be different
from what non-refugee learners normally receive in class. To find out more about your
learners and their specific language needs (in addition to the broader educational needs
analysis discussed in the preceding section of this paper), teachers can use a diagnostic
assessment or a screening tool such as the one developed by the Education & Training
Foundation. The Foundation also provides free teaching resources.

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Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Learning from media

An excellent source of local and cultural information is through
watching and listening to the news and other media; however, this
can be too challenging for many learners. Språkkraft, a Swedish NGO
(working internationally as Lingvis foundation), has developed a suite
of free language support and learning tools for up to 30 different
languages commonly spoken by refugees into a large number of
daily updated general media. These tools help learners to use freely
available online media, from music, social media posts, news articles,
videos, podcasts, and (audio)books. Using integrated dictionaries and
grammar analysis, the tools provide scaffolding in authentic media
and create a visual personal learning profile that highlights words to
be learned now or later depending on the learner’s proficiency. The
learner’s profile is updated through taking automatically generated
exercises. Sprakkraft is available online.

Situated
Situated learning involves learning from At a practical level, situated learning can be
and with others in the context of activities achieved through in-class tasks that mimic
that occur in learners’ daily lives or strongly out-of-class situations through role play or
resemble activities that do (Stein, 1998). As by using project-based or problem-based
the activities are contextual and social, they learning. Out-of-class tasks can involve
allow learners to learn by doing. Therefore, guided activities for learners to complete
learners develop knowledge and skills that on their own, such as using a checklist to
are meaningful to them. For example, on a interview a member of the community.
field trip to a museum, they may not only Work placements and internships are
learn new words, but they may also learn examples of situated learning suitable for
those words in the context of, for example, older learners.
figuring out how to buy an entrance ticket
or reading the explanations of the pieces.
They remember these in relation to what
they were doing (for example deciding with
their peers where to go next) and how they
were feeling at the time, who was present,
and what they said and did. Such situated
information is more likely to be retained.

14
 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Social
The social aspect of learning is perhaps even
more important for refugee learners than
for other learners. Within the classroom,
this means involving learning in the daily
rhythm and activities of the group as soon
as possible, for example, by assigning them
some class duties or by pairing them up
with a ‘buddy’. Common language learning
tasks, such as those listed below, can be
particularly helpful in getting learners to
collaborate in activities where refugees’
backgrounds and knowledge can be used
advantageously. For example, in jigsaw tasks,
refugee learners may have information
about their home country that other
learners do not have.
1. Jigsaw tasks: Learners combine
different pieces of information to form
a whole (for example, three individuals
or groups may have three different
parts of a story and have to piece the
story together).
2. I nformation-gap tasks: One student
or group of students has one set of
information and another student or
group has a complementary set of
information. To complete an activity,
they must negotiate and find out the
other party’s information.
5. O
 pinion exchange tasks: Learners
engage in discussion and exchange
ideas. They do not need to reach
agreement.
The social aspect of learning can also be
usefully linked to the learner’s family and
community context. For example, some
schools offer learning opportunities for
children with their parents or caregivers,
usually after school. Additionally, the parents
or community leaders may communicate
regularly (with the help of an interpreter
where necessary; see Sebben [2009] for
advice on working with an interpreter)
about the aims of the class and the work
learners are asked to complete at home.
More broadly, helping learners develop
the communicative skills to interact with
people in the community is vital because it
enhances opportunities for exposure to the
target language and supports relationship
building, both major contributors to success
in language learning.

3. P
 roblem-solving tasks: Students
are given a problem and a set of
information. They must arrive at a
solution to the problem. There is
generally a single resolution.

4. D
 ecision-making tasks: Students are
given a problem for which there are a
number of possible outcomes and they
must choose one through negotiation
and discussion.

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Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Affective
Language learning is an emotional process.
Language learning in a new environment
is emotionally challenging. Language
anxiety, lack of confidence, frustration at a
lack of progress, and many other negative
emotions play a major role in language
learner motivation and eventual success.
This is compounded for many refugees
as they try to navigate a new and often
considerably alien environment in which
they experience constant disruption to their
daily lives as well as issues of prejudice,
or worse, often against the backdrop of
previous traumatic experiences.
The organization ‘Teaching Refugees’
recommends establishing routines so that
learners experience a sense of normality.
They recommend that teachers focus on
emotional skill development and self-care.
Of course, a focus on emotions does not to
be exclusively negative. Positive psychology
emphasizes a focus on wellbeing,
contentment and satisfaction (in the past),
hope and optimism (in the future), and
flow and happiness (in the present).
Examples of activities teachers can use
include ‘Three Good Things’ (Seligman,
2011), which asks learners to write down
three things that went well for them and
the reasons why, or keeping a confidence-
building diary (Kato & Mynard, 2016), where
learners reflect on their language learning
emotions.
While focusing on the emotional aspects
of learning is helpful, it is important for
teachers not to overstep their boundaries.
Mental health issues and trauma should
be handled by professionals, such as
qualified counsellors. Cook et al. (2005)
recommended that teachers watch out
for seven warning signs: lack of reducing
attachment and withholding emotions, poor
or worsening self-concept (shame and guilt),
inability to control behaviour, inability to
handle emotions (aggression or avoidance),
difficulty recognizing and describing one’s
own emotions, and difficulty concentrating
or being ‘absent’ and forgetfulness. Teachers
should ask for support when they observe
these warning signs.

Digital storytelling
One activity that brings together some of the pedagogical principles is
the use of digital storytelling. Digital stories combine text, audio, video,
music, and other forms of media and enable even learners with lower
levels of proficiency to express themselves (Reinders, 2010). Kendrick et al.
(2022) had refugee learners create a portfolio in which to reflect on their
emotional self-awareness, including noting stressors and developing coping
strategies. Next, the students created short videos on their experiences,
with music and/or voice-overs. After completing their digital stories,
students could participate in a public exhibition in the school.

The authors emphasized the value of drawing on lived experiences and

everyday meaning making, including using digital literacies to give learners
a voice. Sharing stories is a highly social activity that can provide learners
with a platform to express their emotions and experiences and help them
get to know each other better.

16

Scaffolded
Refugee learners often struggle to cope
with the varying demands that language
classes place on them. In addition to the
usual challenges shared with other learners,
they may struggle to understand the cultural
background to what is being discussed, they
may still have L1 literacy issues and be slower
at word recognition, or they may be more
self-conscious around their peers. The result
is that such learners’ cognitive capacity is
quickly depleted. Cognitive load reduction
(Martin, 2016) involves using instructional
techniques that make the language easier
for the learner to process and thus free up
cognitive resources. Such techniques, many
of which have been used successfully with
refugees, include:
– using explicit instruction
– simplifying instructional language
– using gestures and body language
– using written texts to support oral
instruction
– using structure and routines
– slower pacing
– using repetition and paraphrasing
– frequent revision
– varying teaching techniques
– lowering expectations
– using guided discovery
– giving learners time for personal expression
– using discussion and social bonding
Scaffolding plays an important role in
1. providing access to teacher or peer
support,
2. using the L1 where possible,
3. having learners of similar backgrounds
and languages work together, and
4. using visual aids.
In addition to having the immediate benefit of
helping learners understand and participate
in class, these techniques relieve stress and
increase motivation (Sevari et al., 2021).
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
Empowering
Considering that many refugee learners
end up being resettled to other towns
or countries, it is important to help them
develop the ability to regulate their own
learning. Self-regulation refers to ‘how
learners cognitively, motivationally, and
behaviorally promote their own academic
achievement’ (Zimmerman, 1989, p. ix).
Oxford’s position paper on this topic,
launched in April 2023, includes a framework
for gradually introducing learners to the
different skills involved in Self-Regulated
Learning. These skills include helping learners
to self-motivate, identify their own needs, set
goals, plan and regulate their own learning,
and self-assess. The position paper includes
example activities for developing these skills.
Refugee learners may come from educational
backgrounds that have not prepared
them for taking responsibility for their own
learning and it is therefore important to
start slowly by raising awareness of the
importance of self-regulation and what it
involves. Guided practice can be introduced
gradually in class by, for example, asking
learners to plan a language learning activity
in pairs and receiving feedback from the
teacher. Once they have developed some
confidence, the teacher may ask learners to
carry out an activity independently outside
of the classroom and have them report their
experiences in class. Eventually, learners can
be given greater freedom over deciding what
to learn and how.
17
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

CONCLUSION

Supporting refugee learners is taxing at

the best of times and may seem like an
insurmountable challenge, especially in
schools where teachers are given insufficient
preparation time, professional development,
and ongoing (emotional) support.

However, the suggestions in this paper show that individual teachers can have a
major impact by making straightforward adjustments to their instruction. For example,
cognitive load reduction techniques are likely to benefit all learners, and improving
communication across different departments in the school is likely to lead to a more
collaborative environment. In other words, making a (considerable) effort is likely to
prove to be a valuable investment. Most importantly, by supporting some of the most
vulnerable members of your community, teachers can make a genuine and lifelong
difference for learners. To start or continue the process, please consider using the
‘prompt cards’ available at the end of this paper.

18
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

19
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
These prompt cards will help you explore the various needs of your refugee learners, and how best to
support them. Discuss the prompts with your colleague to start the process.
Conversation
starters
• What is our experience with
refugee populations?
• If we have little or no
experience, what are our
expectations?
What support services
exist in the community?
• What services exist?
• Do we know what they do
and how to reach them?
20
Who is responsible for
supporting refugees?
• What are our obligations
(including legal, regulatory
[such as for accreditation],
and moral)?
• Is there a person or group
in our school who has
responsibility for refugee
support? If not, could there be?
• Which teachers have a
particular interest in (learning
more about) teaching
refugees?
What language support
exists in the community?
Consider
• ESOL providers
• Community/ volunteer groups/
clubs
• Self-study materials
• Family learning classes
• Libraries and other resource
centres
Our refugee
population
• How many refugees do we
have and how many do other,
similar schools have?
• What are their backgrounds?
• What are the expectations for
the coming months and years
for our refugee population?
What support exists
for teachers?
Teaching resources, such as:
• Professional development
training
• Organizations involved in
psychological support (e.g.
understanding trauma
• Practical services (e.g. visas,
registering for employment
services)
 Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

Is there a systematic How are content and

Identifying refugees language teachers
learning plan for different
(language) needs communicating about
groups of refugees? their learners’ needs?

• Are they likely to be resettled
soon?
• What is the learners’ literacy level
in their L1?
• What language instruction
have learners received prior to
enrolling in the school?
• What is their proficiency in the
L2 in listening, reading, speaking,
and writing?
• If not, what would such a plan
need to comprise?
• Are there perhaps examples
available online or at other
schools that may have more
experience in this area?
• For example, consider setting
up an online document
for sharing ideas and
experiences. A shared folder
can be used to exchange
lesson plans and course
outlines so everyone has
insight into the types of
instruction learners have
received.

• What (if any) continuing language

support do they have access to
outside the school?

• What materials do they have

access to in the home?

• What is their family (language)

situation?

• What is their digital literacy level?

• What is their (anticipated) level

of motivation to study in general
and to study the language in
particular?

• Do they have major family or

work commitments that are likely
to impact their participation?

• What are their travel and

chioldcare arrangements?

• Do they have particular

psychological needs and are
these being met through
specialized support providers?

21
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
Can we help learners
before they arrive?
• In some cases, it is known
when learners will arrive.
Contacting them and
connecting them with other
learners (both those in
the school and other new
refugees) can help create a
sense of belonging and ease
any potential anxiety.
• Although many in transit will
have limited opportunities
to access or learn with
educational resources, the
provision of certain informal
types of materials (e.g. videos
in the target language on
YouTube, cartoons that
can be read online) can be
motivational.
22
Can we help learners as
they transition to other
schools or countries?
• For example, schools can
(help learners) create a
portfolio that can inform the
new school or workplace
about their language learning
progress and needs. Similarly,
certain materials (such as
those created by teachers
in-house) may be shared with
the new school to give the
new teachers insight into what
learners have covered up to
that point.
• Maintaining connections
with learners, especially in
cases where they do not
(immediately) transition into
another school or work, can
help learners stay engaged
in their studies and maintain
a sense of belonging and
security at a time of change.
What content would be
most relevant for our
learners?
• What daily experiences are
they most likely to have at this
point in their lives?
• What realia could we (ask them
to) bring into the classroom?
• What are their local and
cultural orientation needs?
• What so we know about
their employment and social
integration needs?
What teaching materials
do we have access to that
are relevant to refugee
learners?
• Do we have other learners in
our school who could provide
support, perhaps from a
similar background?

Teaching techniques
for refugees
The text mentions the importance
of cognitive load reduction and
suggests several good practices:
– using explicit instructions
– simplifing instructional langauge
– using gestures and body
language
– using written texts to support
oral instruction
– using structure and routines
– slower pacing
– using repetition and
paraphrasing
– frequent revision
– varying teaching techniques
– lower expectations
– guided discovery
– giving learners time for personal
expression
– using discussion and social
bonding
– guided discovery
•H
 ow confident are we in
each of these?
•A
 re there colleagues who
could help us?
•D
 o we have resources that
could help us?
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers
Dealing with emotional
Sensitive issues and psychological
issues
• The text quotes Rodriguez • What are our expectations
(2015), who talks about ‘the in dealing with students
dangers of compassion’. What, who experience emotional
in our view, are some of those challenges or have
dangers, and how could we psychological issues?
avoid them?
• What approaches have
• The text also mentions ‘positive worked?
psychology’ and includes one
• What other support services
particular activity (‘Three Good
can we call on, either in the
Things’). Can we think of other
such activities that might work school or beyond?
in our context? • Could this person/group be
invited to come and speak to
the teachers to share some
general advice?
Preparing for the possibility
that learners may have to
leave at any moment
• Can we select or create our
teaching materials so that, if
necessary, learners can use
them independently?
For example, answer sheets
could be made available, along
with general instructions on
how to progress through the
materials at any given moment
during the term.
23
Supporting Refugees: a primer for language teachers

RESOURCES &
REFERENCES
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Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

https://esol.excellencegateway.org.uk/content/teachers/lessons-and-activities/teaching-
beginners-refugees

ESOL for Refugees: Resources for new arrivals aim to help ESOL practitioners better
meet the early integration needs of refugees who are new to ESOL. The resources were
commissioned by the Education and Training Foundation and the Home Office and were
developed by Learning and Work Institute and Learning Unlimited in the UK. The 12 units
of teaching and learning materials, based around a simple dialogue in a relevant early
integration scenario, are each intended to support around six hours of delivery; offer
guidance to support practitioners with the approaches underpinning the resources, linking
to earlier practitioner resources and guidance on working with new to ESOL learners;
provide a screening tool to help identify learners who are new to ESOL and who may benefit
from additional early integration language support; and include learner profiles, illustrating
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http://www.star-network.org.uk/
Advice on what topics to avoid talking about with refugees.

https://www.teachingrefugees.com/
Does this English Language Learner (ELL) have specialised programming needs? The sample
documents in this package may assist staff in determining an ELL’s programming needs and
possible entitlement to individualized programming.

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feature stories and information about the UN’s work, a public domain photo bank and
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