This research summary describes an Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) research project that explored how long it takes Australian students learning English as an additional language (EAL) to develop the English language skills necessary to participate equitably in curriculum learning. It outlines the key findings, context and…

The following are additional results from the research described in the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)'s main project report, "How Long it Takes to Learn English While Learning the Curriculum." Specifically, these results supplement the results from Part 2 of the project, which used the NSW DoE's EAL/D Annual Survey…

Adult immigrant students in language courses benefit from paired discussions not only by acquiring second language proficiency, but also by developing soft skills that enhance their employability in the host society, such as the ability to maintain meaningful discussions with unknown people, interview, and networking skills. Applied regularly,…

In response to high demand from program participants for both health literacy and digital skills support, the Literacy Connects English Language Acquisition for Adults program in Tucson, Arizona, created a mock patient portal (ELAA Med+) for use in their free, community-based, volunteer-taught English language and computer basics classes. Built…

Foreign language education research has consistently acknowledged that students not only possess an array of "identities" beyond their role as mere learners, but also exercise "agency" making them active initiators and selectors of their learning actions. However, this conceptual understanding appears insufficiently reflected…

International students, particularly international English as a Second Language (ESL) students who come to the United States with relatively lower levels of English oral language proficiency, are often reluctant to participate in academic discussions. In a graduate-level TESOL program with a majority of international ESL students, a video…

The Thinking Folk project introduced Socratic dialogues as a pedagogical construct to develop critical thinking skills by drawing on the lived experiences of learners in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. The resulting conversations were soon described as "real" talk by learners, which, in a process that not only…

In this article, the author describes how to use "story retelling wheels" as scaffolding devices to support young learners as they develop the important skill of being able to retell stories that they have heard and comprehended. This tool can be adapted to meet young learners at different English language and literacy levels. It…

Digital literacy skills are crucial twenty-first-century skills that are required for the successful use of technology and active engagement in today's world. However, there is a lack of effective resources and guidelines for developing English as a second language (ESL) learners' digital literacy skills. Due to their increasingly important and…

Multilingual Academic Writing is a 12-week course that targets two major outcomes: (1) develop students' academic writing skills; and (2) prepare students for college writing. Using open educational resources (OER) and a variety of writing activities and assignments, students practice writing multiple genres, address different audiences, and…

The purpose of this article is to share the examination of inclusivity as a paradigm for fostering authenticity and agency (Moore, 2017) among teacher candidates. This framing challenges the notion of inclusion as a tool of meritocracy used to manage learners through expectations that uphold monolingualism, decenter racial histories, and rely on…

The aim of this article is to improve and develop students' critical thinking, as well as their linguistics skills, by making use of the CLIL approach. Focusing on relevant topics in today's society, such as the voting system, is an interesting opportunity not only to motivate students' learning, but also to be aware of the world they live in. The…

Literacy in a first language or in additional languages involves a set of complex cognitive, social, and linguistic skills that develop over time. However, pedagogical materials for low-proficiency English as an additional language (EAL) learners tend to target low-level literacy skills only, such as responding to fact-based questions. Materials…

English as an additional language (EAL) adult literacy learners have special needs and unique characteristics. The various challenges they face include decoding, comprehending, and developing basic skills for reading and writing. At the same time, it is extremely important to understand EAL adult literacy programming, as the right approaches for…

Disciplinary literacy (DL) is an important facet of adolescent literacy development. However, for adolescents who struggle with literacy, opportunities to engage with DL and advanced concepts are often withheld in favor of focus on basic skills. Deaf or hard-of-hearing (dhh) children, for example, are at a higher risk for experiencing language…